Vikings Stadium Design & Construction

[Dylan33]

Call me crazy, but I actually like it! It has a modern and unique look to it. I know some old school guys will rip it for looking like a greenhouse, or whatever, but it is really neat. I might actually have some interest in going to a game in the new stadium. The dome is just hideous.

[PierBridge]

Quote:

Move there then. Nobody is stopping you. Then you can cheer for nothing. Because that's what ND is full of.

Stadium looks pretty fresh. I'm excited to see it put into motion. Sure it still has a roof. They plan on using it for more than just football. Because more happens in Minneapolis than just a football game for 17 weeks out of the year. Unlike Green Bay. A giant city that has absolutely nothing going on

+1

At least Ziggy is getting a nice venue for the 400 or so Million he/they are shelling out.

Life is good 2 years of out-door Football followed by this marvel

[nonteepical]

Looks like a church to me, but thats fitting because they play on sundays and you have to pray for a win.

[LMITOUT]

Hopefully they pass the plate during the game to pay for the thing.

[Alagnak]

Hopefully the pass the plate during the game to pay for the thing.

It's gotta bring in more money than anything else they had planned to pay for it. What a waste.

[Seabass77]

Sounds like some folks are still upset about the stadium financing. Which, I can understand to a degree, but I think you also have to consider the alternative.

Put it this way, if you want (insert favorite band here) to come and play a concert in your favorite town, you need to have a suitable venue for them to come and perform at. They are not going to play a venue that seats 5,000 when for the same effort and set list when they can play a venue that seats 50,000. (I know I took some liberty's here, bear with me) and make 10 times as much money.

The same principles applies to football or any other athletic entertainment. That's part of the benefit of living in well rounded state/city.

To the other posters comment, if you don't provide these venue's, you end up with ND or IA. Not knocking those states, they have great things to offer, but it's different. Minnesota values a broad offering of entertainment. Fine arts, music, food, and for the last 20+ years, mediocre sports. : )

Like my dad says, if you want to play, you have to pay.

Given what we spend on tackle, licenses, boats, etc. Spending $20 a piece a year for a contemporary, suitable stadium is peanuts.

[Greenhornet84]

Ya the snow load question popped in my mind right away.

[Scott K]

Along with will the snow fall in a safe area, and not onto people walking around the building?

[CaptainMusky]

Along with will the snow fall in a safe area, and not onto people walking around the building?

They will have avalanche warning lights and do "controlled" blasts using the Nordic horn to relieve excess snow load. Hopefully we will have a "kick a$$" offense so the "normal" playing of the horn following a Viking score is sufficient and they do not have to enact legislation to conduct these horn blowings without a score. This would result in mass chaos.

[LMITOUT]

Like my dad says, if you want to play, you have to pay.

He should tell that to Zygi Wilf then.

BTW, there is a fundamental difference between 'want' and 'need'. A new palace for a billionaire is nothing more than a 'want'.

[FISHINGURU]

Break out that money LMIT and help us pay for that new stadium, thanks big guy!

[CaptainMusky]

Do I enjoy the fact that a rich person is benefitting from something that I and the rest of us help fund? NOPE.

The alternative is not building the stadium, Wilf selling the team and the new owner moving the team.

What would that cost the state? Far more than anteing up the $400M for the new stadium IMO.

State would lose revenues from sales tax at local establishments, players income tax, which last time I had seen it the state made in excess of $20M annually off player salary alone.

What would be cut from the budget to circumvent this shortfall in annual revenue?

No doubt Wilf comes out good on this, but the state and city of Mpls have a lot to lose if it didnt happen.

[Mid-Lake Rock]

The one thing I'm hearing tossed around is the large financial commitment from the Wilf family. The Wilf's paying $477 million is a total joke.

From Patrick Reusse, 1500 ESPN

We in the Twin Cities sports media were so amped up over getting a new stadium for the Vikings and thus maintaining them as a subject to write and talk about that not much time was spent looking at the financial realities.

We have allowed owner Zygi Wilf to be crowned as a patient, generous hero in the proceedings that led to the approval of the stadium on Thursday in the State Legislature. Gov. Mark Dayton did more than anyone to overcome the political odds against this thing and gain approval for the stadium, yet he was effusive in his praise of Wilf at the victory news conference.

Of course, it's in the best interest of Dayton and all other political supporters to send along the message that getting the extra $50 million from the team was the result of driving a hard bargain with the Vikings.

Listen, I was on board with this _ for the same biased reasons as other people making their living in the sports media _ but more so because of this belief:

That an active downtown Minneapolis is the most-important element in maintaining a vibrant metropolitan area.

The truth is that at the new number for the team share, $477 million, this remains a marvelous deal for Wilf and the Vikings. These tycoons always borrow the millions they put into stadium deals, so that they can use the interest on the debt as a write off against the new profits.

And in the case of Zygi, much more than with the Pohlads and Target Field, the new profits are going to be enormous _ with the combination of higher prices everywhere in the stadium, fabulous new suites and thousands of other premium seats.

Consider this: The Twins were able to pick up an extra $6 million with the $2,000 per seat, upfront license fee for the 3,000-seat Legends Club at Target Field. Can you imagine the ease with which Zygi will be able to collect greater upfront license fees for premium seats in the new stadium?

I'm estimating an average of $4,000 for 10,000 premium seats (not suites) in the coffers before the new stadium opens. That's $40 million in the Vikings' coffers.

The Vikings also received the entire take from naming rights. I've asked Twins officials and other sports executives what the Vikings can expect as an annual fee for naming rights and was told: "Seven million, maybe eight.''

Put it at $7 million annually and that's $210 million over a 30-year lease.

Zygi will be getting $200 million of his $477 million from the NFL. When he borrows the other $277 million and starts paying it back, these calculations say he can call on $40 million upfront in seat license and another $210 million along the way in naming rights to help with the bank payments.

And there's also a difference between the myth and the reality of the $200 million "loan'' the Vikings claim to be getting from the NFL.

We've accepted the Vikings' description of it as a loan, when in reality Zygi is getting a grant from the NFL, as pointed out by Neil deMause on his "Field of Schemes'' website back in late December.

DeMause reported that this was what was approved by an NFL owners meeting when it came to the league helping to finance new stadiums. He broke it into three parts:

*The new loan program _ which actually will be called "G-4" - ups the maximum loan level from $150 million per team under the old plan to a maximum of $200 million under the new one.

*As under G-3, teams can repay the loan with club seat money THEY NORMALLY WOULD HAVE HAD TO SHARE WITH THE LEAGUE. They can now also use incremental regular ticket revenue, defined as the difference between ticket sales in the new stadium and average sales in the last three years of the old one.

*"The project must not involve any relocation of or change in an affected club's 'home territory.'" (Note: So Zygi wouldn't have able to get this $200 million from the NFL if he had relocated the team).

DeMause added: Teams looking to build new stadiums without paying for them themselves are, naturally, thrilled - since this is money that they wouldn't normally get to keep anyway. it's effectively a grant, not a loan.

DeMause also quoted Vikings stadium lobbyist Lester Bagley as calling the NFL's $200 million "great news for the team and our fans.''

Bagley changed his view somewhat over the $200 million in the final weeks of successful stadium maneuvering, depicting it more as simply a loan than a handout paid back through revenues that the Vikings would have been sending to the NFL anyway as part of revenue sharing.

Add it up - naming rights, license fees, NFL grant _ and you have $450 million of Zygi's $477 million. That doesn't seem to be much suffering for a fellow now being depicted as the patient martyr of stadium negotiations.

[PierBridge]

Fill us in.....Why is it a total joke?

Because some blowhard media jackel said it was?...

Quote:

The one thing I'm hearing tossed around is the large financial commitment from the Wilf family

No thats just more spin the Vikings are coming up with 477 million and 13 million a year in rent.

[LMITOUT]

I see unemployment is up again in MN. Maybe we can hire them to wash the windows on the Billionaire's palace that we bought for him.

[alleyes]

I see unemployment is up again in MN. Maybe we can hire them to wash the windows on the Billionaire's palace that we bought for him.

It makes the stadium that much more enjoyable knowing it drives you nuts.

[CaptainMusky]

If you had quoted pretty much anyone else besides Reusse I would have listened.

He's a jacka$$ and worse the Sid.

Whether he borrows the money, gets the money in the form of naming rights or whatever, he is STILL PAYING THE MONEY.

He could play a guitar in the skyways for tipes for all I care, its coming from him and any loan from the NFL must be paid back.

[LMITOUT]

If you had quoted pretty much anyone else besides Reusse I would have listened.

[CaptainMusky]

I did read its pretty clear to me the 200mil is repaid using dollars from seat revenue or incremental ticket sales. Regardless of how he gets there its being repaid.

[LMITOUT]

It's evident that it's not clear to you whatsoever.

[countyline]

Are they going to really paint a picture of AP on the side of the building?

[CaptainMusky]

Are we clear? Crystal.

[A R Johnson]

Aren't you sick of talking about how the stadium is being paid for? I think there is a thread on it already go there and bi$tch and moan.

[hugonian1]

The estimated 7500 construction jobs will help the unemployment rate.

I am sure all the money not spent on keeping the metro-dump full of air and usable will go to pay for the window washers.

[Mid-Lake Rock]

I see the governor now wants to use a tax increase on cigarettes to pay for the billionaires' playground. What a great state! Take money from the poor, working and middle classes, who are participating in a legal activity, and fund the the pleasures of a New York billionaire.

I'm a Vikings fan, however I'm not a fan of how they are paying for this palace.

End of rant.

Back to the stadium...when it is -20 degrees outside and 70 degrees inside, will all those windows be completely covered in ice crystals and fog? Lester Bagley also stated that the clear panels on the roof are self cleaning. I'm interested to see how that turns out.

[hawgchaser]

Quote:

Aren't you sick of talking about how the stadium is being paid for? I think there is a thread on it already go there and bi$tch and moan.

I've been one who opposed public funding, so if they can build if under the funding pretext voted upon, go for it. If not, and we want to force people with no vested interest to fund it, perhaps put a $300 per year tax on persons with legal addresses from towns starting with "H"; maybe a newborn tax of $300 on each MN baby born and/or a similar coroner's fee when a resident is pronounced dead. Surely stadium/Vikings fans can get creative in getting others to fund their personal enjoyment. BTW, the 7500 workers involved condenses down to approximately 600 FTE's for a three year period. That won't put a large bump in unemployment rate stats.

My rant is done, too!

[tinfoilscenario]

I see the governor now wants to use a tax increase on cigarettes to pay for the billionaires' playground. What a great state! Take money from the poor, working and middle classes, who are participating in a legal activity, and fund the the pleasures of a New York billionaire.

if they're so poor. maybe they should quit an expensive habit that increases health insurance costs for those working middle class folks

[corncob]

Those undisciplined poor people really disgust me.They seem to think they have a right to enjoy some of the guilty pleasures of life...I bet they even drink sometimes.......

[DTro]

What nobody here has mentioned yet is that the NFL may have peaked and the sport might be all but dead in 30 years. We don't know that.

[james_walleye]

There is a reason no one has mentioned it yet......