Stadium thread

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Thaumaturgist
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Re: Stadium thread

Post by Thaumaturgist »

IMHO, where he'll really make his money is from his real estate investments around the stadium. If I was in his position, I'd certainly see if the state would pick up the tab on the road improvements. Why pay for something if the state will do it for you? As a taxpayer, I don't necessarily like his position, but I can see where he's coming from.
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Re: Stadium thread

Post by Cliff »

Thaumaturgist wrote:IMHO, where he'll really make his money is from his real estate investments around the stadium. If I was in his position, I'd certainly see if the state would pick up the tab on the road improvements. Why pay for something if the state will do it for you? As a taxpayer, I don't necessarily like his position, but I can see where he's coming from.
Indeed ... he didn't get rich by giving up 141 million dollars just because he doesn't feel like haggling lol
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Re: Stadium thread

Post by dead_poet »

Stadium tax: Let voters decide?
Ramsey County Charter Commission calls special meeting on letting the electorate decide whether to raise sales tax by half a cent.

http://www.startribune.com/local/east/123291793.html
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Re: Stadium thread

Post by dead_poet »

Report: L.A. group has spoken to Vikings
As the Vikings continue to pursue a stadium in Arden Hills, Anschutz Entertainment Group President Tim Leiweke told the Orange County Register on Thursday night that the Vikings are one of five NFL franchises he has spoken to and that billionaire Philip Anschutz is prepared to acquire majority ownership in a team in order to bring it to Farmers Field, the downtown stadium proposed by AEG.

Leiweke confirmed for the first time Anschutz's interest in purchasing a majority share of an NFL team and told the Register he also has spoken with officials from San Diego, Oakland, St. Louis and Jacksonville.

"St. Louis, Jacksonville, not extensively, certainly Oakland, San Diego, Minnesota are still in the mix," Leiweke said. "We're not packing any [moving] vans right now."

Leiweke also revealed he last talked with an NFL team "a week ago," and the Register reported the team was believed to be the Vikings.
The interesting twist to this is that it was known Leiweke was in the Twin Cities in late May to have discussions about Target Center improvements with Minneapolis and Timberwolves officials. AEG runs Target Center.

While here, Leiweke also talked to the Vikings.

However, Vikings’ vice president Lester Bagley said at the time it was not to make a pitch to move to Los Angeles but rather to discuss the possibility of managing the potential multipurpose stadium in Arden Hills. “Our desire more than likely is to retain a third-party operator who’s motivated and has expertise in bringing events” to a new stadium, Bagley said. (We left a message for Bagley this morning to see if he has any comment on this latest report.)

Star Tribune columnist Sid Hartman quoted Leiweke in May as expressing support for the Vikings’ hopes to build a stadium in Minnesota. “We’ll stay in touch with them and see what we can do to help them long-term,” he said.

Obviously, the story in Minnesota is very different than what is being circulated in Los Angeles, but as long as the Vikings are pursuing a new stadium these types of reports are going to continue. The most interesting thing from the Register might be that Anschutz would purchase a majority share of a team.

Those who know Vikings owner Zygi Wilf have said they are not sure he could ever bring himself to move the franchise if a stadium doesn't get approved. However, the feeling is that if Wilf does give up on getting a stadium -- and certainly he is hoping something gets done during a special legislative session this summer -- he might be willing to sell the club.
http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikin ... 33444.html
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Re: Stadium thread

Post by mefford76 »

question: retractable roof.
when would they put the dome on? i mean this is minnesota. I don't know of any teams in the north that have a retractable. The only ones that come to mind are in the south, where if it hits 40 degrees those pansies want to be inside. So at what temperature are they going to have this thing open in minnesota? if it rains will they put it up? what if there's snow?

i don't get the retractable in our case. most games will have bad weather when we play. so i imagine the "dome" part of it is for other events only?

Also I know that the retractable adds quiet a bit of money on top of it.
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Re: Stadium thread

Post by Eli »

Maybe the retractable roof is a bargaining chip. "Ok, we'll lose the retractable and save you $150M". Or maybe as a final, last ditch effort to get a stadium before selling or relocating the team, Zygi has decided to go for broke. Minnesota either goes all in, or the Vikings go elsewhere. Zygi has nothing left to lose at this point. He's done everything but get out a shovel and start building the damned stadium himself.
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Re: Stadium thread

Post by OJVIKE »

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Re: Stadium thread

Post by dead_poet »

OJVIKE wrote:is arden hills a smoke screen????
No. It's arguably the best option for everyone involved (your position on this may vary depending on how you feel about a partially-state-funded stadium). That doesn't mean there's not a drastic "Plan B." There have been people working extremely hard on this project for a long time. If Zygi wanted to sell to someone who would relocate the team he would have by now. He's had plenty of opportunities. I can't imagine he'd purposefully waste people's time, put on this charade just as a "smoke screen." In addition to the state and Vikings fans in general, he and his people have a lot to gain by this going through as well. I don't understand what you mean by "smoke screen" either. The article didn't seem to bring that up. It merely noted that the Vikings have spoken with representatives for the LA stadium on several occasions (for other projects and publicly admitting they've turned down any interest about selling or moving).
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Re: Stadium thread

Post by OJVIKE »

dead_poet wrote: No. It's arguably the best option for everyone involved (your position on this may vary depending on how you feel about a partially-state-funded stadium). That doesn't mean there's not a drastic "Plan B." There have been people working extremely hard on this project for a long time. If Zygi wanted to sell to someone who would relocate the team he would have by now. He's had plenty of opportunities. I can't imagine he'd purposefully waste people's time, put on this charade just as a "smoke screen." In addition to the state and Vikings fans in general, he and his people have a lot to gain by this going through as well. I don't understand what you mean by "smoke screen" either. The article didn't seem to bring that up. It merely noted that the Vikings have spoken with representatives for the LA stadium on several occasions (for other projects and publicly admitting they've turned down any interest about selling or moving).
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=A ... losangeles
if it doesnt pan out here then maybe there!!
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Re: Stadium thread

Post by Eli »

I don't know how many people have read the news story (linked immediately above) and realize this, but there are now TWO separate proposals for new NFL stadiums in Los Angeles, by two different ownership groups.

The one that had been in the news previously was by real estate mogul Ed Roski, to be built in the City of Industry, about 20 miles east of L.A. Much like the Vikings proposal, it includes a practice facility and some other development.

This newest story is that Philip Anschutz's Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), owners or part owners of a dozen other sports teams and facilities, including the Lakers and Staples Center, is proposing a stadium in downtown L.A., next to the Staples Center. According to Forbes, Philip Anschutz 123rd wealthiest man in the world.

This just doubles the pressure on the Vikings and on the Minnesota legislature. One of those groups will almost certainly be pulling a team to Los Angeles and building them a state of the art stadium.
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Re: Stadium thread

Post by purple guy »

Eli wrote:I don't know how many people have read the news story (linked immediately above) and realize this, but there are now TWO separate proposals for new NFL stadiums in Los Angeles, by two different ownership groups.

The one that had been in the news previously was by real estate mogul Ed Roski, to be built in the City of Industry, about 20 miles east of L.A. Much like the Vikings proposal, it includes a practice facility and some other development.

This newest story is that Philip Anschutz's Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), owners or part owners of a dozen other sports teams and facilities, including the Lakers and Staples Center, is proposing a stadium in downtown L.A., next to the Staples Center. According to Forbes, Philip Anschutz 123rd wealthiest man in the world.

This just doubles the pressure on the Vikings and on the Minnesota legislature. One of those groups will almost certainly be pulling a team to Los Angeles and building them a state of the art stadium.

If MN fails to resolve the issue in the special session, Wilf would be crazy not to entertain the LA thing. He has been patient and never used the "we could move" threat. But if the special session ends with no movement on the Vikings stadium front, he needs to be aggressive and at least consider a move, as it seems thats what it will take to make MN lawmakers do something. Im not saying I think MN should give Wilf a dime, but if he ever wants anything to happen here in MN, its gonna have be when it comes to the end and they either HAVE to do it or the state loses the team. Until then, politicians will just continue to be politicians.
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Re: Stadium thread

Post by Eli »

Two things I've been wondering about a possible relocation:
  • If either stadium in L.A. is going to be built, it will only be _after_ an NFL team commits to move there. The AEG stadium has a time frame of being finished in 2016. So what would the Vikings (or any other team) do between the date that they make the decision and the 2016 season? Say the team announces the move during the next off season... where would they play in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015? Do they play four lame duck seasons in their current city? How strange would that be? Or do they move to L.A. and play in the Rose Bowl or somesuch?
  • What happens in Minnesota if another team, say the Chargers, commits to moving to L.A? It's really the only feasible city for a relocating team at the current time. Does Zygi lose most of his leverage for a getting new stadium in Minnesota? His only choices at that point are to either stay at the Met and continue his futile stadium quest, or else sell the team.
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Re: Stadium thread

Post by TrenchGoon »

Eli wrote:Two things I've been wondering about a possible relocation:
  • If either stadium in L.A. is going to be built, it will only be _after_ an NFL team commits to move there. The AEG stadium has a time frame of being finished in 2016. So what would the Vikings (or any other team) do between the date that they make the decision and the 2016 season? Say the team announces the move during the next off season... where would they play in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015? Do they play four lame duck seasons in their current city? How strange would that be? Or do they move to L.A. and play in the Rose Bowl or somesuch?
  • What happens in Minnesota if another team, say the Chargers, commits to moving to L.A? It's really the only feasible city for a relocating team at the current time. Does Zygi lose most of his leverage for a getting new stadium in Minnesota? His only choices at that point are to either stay at the Met and continue his futile stadium quest, or else sell the team.
Those are good points. Zygi can use the move to LA to try to get some traction on a resolution to the stadium issue, but there is also pressure on him, that his plan B could vanish if he doesn't jump on it soon. If plan A isn't going to work out, he needs to know that sooner rather than later. If I HAD to bet, I think the Vikings will be sold and will be leaving MN. They'll probably be forced to play in the coliseum or, as you suggested, the rosebowl for a couple few years. I hope I'm wrong but I can't blame zygi. Bottom line is its a business.
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Re: Stadium thread

Post by Raptorman »

I don't see Zygi moving them. But I do see him selling to someone who would. And when they do, MN will be on the list of states begging for a new team from the NFL for the next 15 years. No city that has lost a NFL team in the last 50 years has not tried to get one back, and it always cost more than it would have if they had just ponied up the money to keep the first team. So how do you do it without making every taxpayer mad?

BEER

MN currently has 15 cent tax on each gallon of beer. Raise that to 20 or 25 cents per gallon. Use that money to help pay for a new stadium were they sell more......beer. Then continue to use it to upgrade the other sports venues were they sell more....beer. It is a win win for everyone. Beer is one thing that people don't have to buy, but will buy no matter what the price. After all, when was the last time anyone had a serious discussion about the price of beer? We talk about the price of a gallon of gas, gallon of milk, how much food has gone up but beer?

Now I'm sure non Viking fan beer drinkers will be up in arms over it but I think it would be one of the more practical solutions available. It distributes the cost over the whole state not one county or one area. And really, don't most beer drinkers support at least one sports team? Or am I out on a limb with that?
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Re: Stadium thread

Post by Greg »

fine with me :rock:
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