The special session has come and gone and now the Minnesota state government is slowly grinding back into operation. The potential legislation authorizing a new Vikings stadium got nowhere, which isn't particularly surprising. And thus begins the game of chicken.
For his part, Gov. Mark Dayton said that the current proposal was "incomplete and unsatisfactory," which is the same thing a lot of us said about Dayton's budget proposal, but we'll leave that aside. As a practical matter, what it means is that the Vikings are now going to be free to leave at the end of this season. Would they?
I'd wager they'd prefer not to move, but they won't hesitate if they don't see some movement soon. At this point Dayton would have to call another special session to deal with the issue and it's unlikely that will happen. The Vikings won't stay in the Metrodome any longer than they have to and have said as much.
Most of the speculation concerning a potential move surrounds developments in Los Angeles, which has not had an NFL team since the 1990s. At this time the two most likely teams to move to the market are the San Diego Chargers or the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Chargers play in a decrepit stadium and there's little chance that the team will get a new stadium. The Jaguars play in a nice stadium, but there simply aren't enough people in the Jacksonville market to maintain a team there for the long term. Both teams have a better reason to move than the Vikings do.
Still, there's no assurance that the Vikings won't be able to get there first. From a financial perspective, the Vikings look much like the Cleveland Browns did in 1995. As anyone in Northeast Ohio can tell you, that didn't work out so well. And while I'm as skeptical as anyone about the benefits of giving Zygi Wilf a new billion dollar playground, he's going to get one someplace. Minnesotans have a decision to make. And if the Vikings don't get what they want, there will be a lot of fans who will find autumn Sundays to be "incomplete and unsatisfactory."
9 comments:
there will be a lot of fans who will find autumn Sundays to be "incomplete and unsatisfactory."
Like in 2010?
Good point, Brad. But what's worse for Vikings fans -- watching a bad team, or not having a team at all?
As a reminder -- plenty of room on the Packer bandwagon.
Go Vikings,
Scurry away!
Go Vikings,
Cause we won't pay.
Go to the West Coast;
Flee to the East Coast.
Move 'em, Take 'em,
Flight, flight, flight, flight!
Of course I love football and would miss the Vikings if they left, but I'm a huge fan of the NFL in general. I would adapt just fine if the Vikings went to L.A., but for me to be a Packer backer?!?! I can't see it.
The interesting thing will be how the divisions are re-aligned should the Vikes relocate L.A. I suspect the Rams and Vikes will just switch places.
The interesting thing will be how the divisions are re-aligned should the Vikes relocate L.A. I suspect the Rams and Vikes will just switch places.
Yep and it would re-ignite a very good, old rivalry or two, since the Rams were divisional rivals of the Packers, Bears and Lions until the mid 60s.
Minnesota can't seem to keep professional teams over the long haul. With the exception of the Twins who have now twice bargained for stadiums (3 times if you count the Met) & previously the Vikings, sports franchises have been one of Minnesota's leading exports. Unlike hockey & basketball, I don't suspect that football would return to Minnesota if the Vikings leave.
who would pick up more fans if the vikings leave? the packers or The Bears?
who would pick up more fans if the vikings leave? the packers or The Bears?
That's a good question, actually. This was Packers country before the Vikings came on the scene, but 50 years of rivalry would make it tough for someone like Brad to make the switch.
There are a certain number of Bears fans everywhere, including here, but there's no love for Chicago in Minnesota, so on balance I'd guess neither team would gain many new adherents, at least for a while. I would guess that the local stations would run the Packers games, though, because there are already a lot of Packers fans up here. In fact, the Star Tribune actually had a Packers beat writer who covered the team for a few years in the mid-2000s, until the bottom fell out of their business model and they had to cut back on staff.
One silver lining for the Vikings in a move is they won't need any special transportation or special security to move any Super Bowl trophies. That could be expensive for say the Packers, the Steelers or the 49ers.
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