The Metrodome without the Viking lease is worth about the same as the Silverdome. Value arises from the event rentals. Too much of team-event generated revenue is being held by MSFC. This creates tensions with team owners.

IF the team owners (who, by the way, are builders) took it upon themselves to build the stadium it would last longer. The original six hockey teams stayed with older arenas for 50 and 60 years. Many were built during through public subsidy during the depression but were owned by the team owners. As long as the house was full there was no need to replace aging facilities or threaten to move to an expansion venue. Northstar leaving wasn’t due to quality of the seating.

Wilfs are real estate developers. Wilfs plan to generate supplemental revenue in activities adjoinging the stadium. Good. But they want MSFC to pay for the stadium rebuild and will always resent MSFC holding onto Viking concession revenues to repay the loans. Expect tensions around the lease to continue.

If the taxpayers do subsidize construction of a building they should have some guarantee the Viking will help to pay down the mortgage.
However, as the benefits are largely going to private owners why have the MSFC as owners at all? The state could still contribute a fixed capital subsidy based on estimates of total construction cost. Sale of the Metrodome to the Wilfs will make the renovation option suddenly that much more intriguing.

Finally, no one is going to move back to Minnesota without the Viking

But I grew up in the Twin Cities and it would really make me sad to see them leave.

Unfortunately, when you leave these kinds of decisions to “swordfighting” (the penis kind) politicians and contractors, the only people who get hurt are the fans.

No one is right in this situation. So, there will be a stalemate and it is likely that the Vikings will end up on the East Coast or in LA or something along those lines.

Very unfortunate and totally unnecessary. But the fans are the only ones who will care/be hurt by it. Just ask someone from Seattle how they feel about how they lost the Sonics. Or…scrape back into your memory and recall what it was like to lose the NorthStars to DALLAS of all places. (UGH)

Screw rich people and their ******* toys.

Hope the trip goes well Adam

You would think with MN history with the North Stars and the very easy to see pattern with Baltimore, Cleveland, St Louis, and LA that the politicians would have a little foresight and get a solution done!

Someday I plan to move back to MN, it’s hard enough thinking about going back to the sub zero temps, without the vikings we may as well be moving to Fargo.