[Speed Gibson,
Tuesday September 20, 2005 at 4:00pm]
Price of Poker Going Up
Wow, that didn't take long. The Vikings have their stadium proposal on the table now, just in time for the Special Session to strip Anoka County voters of their right to vote on it.
Of the three stadium deals on the table, this is clearly the best. The Gophers don't even need a stadium, i.e., building it would not fix the underlying problems of northern college football in general or the Gophers in particular. If anything, the U of M should make it official and drop out of Division I football. The proposed Twins stadium is in a terrible location, and has no roof that our climate requires given the extended MLB season.
The Vikings stadium has a roof, has a good location, and seems to have a good suite of related developments. The infrastructure required would help everybody by accelerating the expansion of the nearby Interstate and other roads in this fast growing area. The Vikings are throwing in a significant $280 million. The 0.75 percent sales tax (only 15 cents per double sawbuck!) sounds a bit steep, but it's honest. The Twins would soon be back asking for that roof.
If we must have another publicly financed stadium, I prefer this one. I'll like it still more when Mike Tice is gone. I like the fact that it isn't downtown. I like the fact that it seems to address the total needs of the team, unlike the other two.
I think this is a good first offer, but it may need some work. It should be made available to the Gophers, for example. But let Anoka County vote on it. They might surprise you.
Update: OK, OK, I just wanted to see how even a tepid endorsement would look like for a few hours. Do the math that King requests, figure out how many million dollars a game this is going to cost us.
Of the three stadium deals on the table, this is clearly the best. The Gophers don't even need a stadium, i.e., building it would not fix the underlying problems of northern college football in general or the Gophers in particular. If anything, the U of M should make it official and drop out of Division I football. The proposed Twins stadium is in a terrible location, and has no roof that our climate requires given the extended MLB season.
The Vikings stadium has a roof, has a good location, and seems to have a good suite of related developments. The infrastructure required would help everybody by accelerating the expansion of the nearby Interstate and other roads in this fast growing area. The Vikings are throwing in a significant $280 million. The 0.75 percent sales tax (only 15 cents per double sawbuck!) sounds a bit steep, but it's honest. The Twins would soon be back asking for that roof.
If we must have another publicly financed stadium, I prefer this one. I'll like it still more when Mike Tice is gone. I like the fact that it isn't downtown. I like the fact that it seems to address the total needs of the team, unlike the other two.
I think this is a good first offer, but it may need some work. It should be made available to the Gophers, for example. But let Anoka County vote on it. They might surprise you.
Update: OK, OK, I just wanted to see how even a tepid endorsement would look like for a few hours. Do the math that King requests, figure out how many million dollars a game this is going to cost us.