In Monday's vote, only one member of Dayton's DFL party, Rep. Michael Nelson of Brooklyn Park, voted for the bill, joining five Republican members. That angered Zellers, who is not leading the charge on the stadium but who has said the bill must draw bipartisan support to move forward.Angered? Not on your life. The only way the DFL could have covered Zellers's butt any better is if they bought him a pair of MC Hammer pants. The deal was simple -- if the stadium bill died at any point in the festivities, it was going to be all the fault of Kurt Zellers. Sid Hartman has been telling us that from the beginning. But since 5 of the 6 DFLers on the committee voted against the bill, including House members from Minneapolis itself, the DFL owns the defeat equally.
So what does it mean? Potentially, a couple of things:
- It's not a given that the team will decamp for Los Angeles, as everyone assumes. There are other markets that would welcome the Vikings. And if you are thinking the options are limited to the United States, think again. Toronto would love to have a team. Most observers have thought that the Buffalo Bills would eventually end up in Toronto when their owner dies, but if Toronto could get a team now, they wouldn't hesitate. And if you really want a big market, try Mexico City.
- Arden Hills might be back in the game, especially if it becomes clear that the only way to get the thing built is to involve the White Earth tribe. They could build their casino on part of the TCAAP property and Zygi would still have plenty of room for his pleasure dome. The NFL wouldn't be too keen on gambling money being involved in the stadium, but there probably isn't another way right now.
The bottom line? There is no bottom line. So the door is open for any wild speculation you might want to offer.
9 comments:
they go Laker.
move to LA, and then become the most dominant team in history, winning 10 superbowls before 2027.
Arden Hills site gets rammed through in a Lame Duck special session in November 2012.
Gino, heh!
Brad, could happen, actually.
I don't know that LA is anything more than a stalking horse. Gino is closer to the situation, but is the Cali lege even talking about funding stadium construction with all the other budgetary issues they're facing? Is there much of an appetite to do this in an area that has "lost" two NFL franchises already and doesn't really need an NFL team to be considered "major league"? The Vikings are no closer to getting a stadium built in LA than they are here, and may actually be even further away.
Toronto is interesting, but while it's over the border it's not necessarily out of the "territorial waters" of Buffalo, Detroit, Cleveland or even Pittsburgh who might not welcome another franchise so close (though it is getting more difficult to cross the border these days). Those owners could object, or demand some sweeteners for themselves, before voting in favor of a move.
Des Moines IA?
Why not?
Des Moines? We don't want 'em.
Portland Oregon with the Stadium built by Nike. Or would the NFL ever allow a franchise in Vegas?
LA has a stadium in the works, with NO PUBLIC MONEY.
they are just waiting for an NFL team to say they want it. any team, they dont care which one.
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