We have heard it on a few occasions in our discussions with people about the Minnesota Vikings’ stadium situation, and we have sensed it from some people when we’ve promoted our fan rallies and other events. With some Vikings fans, there is a lack of understanding when it comes to the Vikings’ stadium situation that is leading to complacency.
I’m sure we’ve all heard the comments…
They won’t leave – they’re just trying to strong-arm the state”
They’ll extend their lease at the Dome if something doesn’t get done”
There are other teams in the league who are in more jeopardy of moving”
We’re here to tell you that the Vikings’ stadium situation is serious, and that if you are banking on any of these assumptions to keep the Vikings in Minnesota, you are being misled.
In case you haven’t heard, the Vikings have consistently ranked near the bottom of the league in revenue for a number of years now. To make matters worse, the league recently voted to change its revenue sharing policy, which could end up costing the Minnesota Vikings an additional $15-20 million a year.
Why have they ranked so low in revenue, you ask? While the team has seen lots of success on the field, the venue they play in is causing them all kinds of problems.
The inadequacy of the Metrodome has prohibited the Vikings from raising ticket prices for a number of years, the long concession lines and shortage of concession stands has hampered their ability to generate an adequate amount of revenue from concessions, and the Metrodome has severely limited the amount of revenue they can generate with signage.
What does this all mean? It means that the Vikings are having a very difficult time staying competitive in the Metrodome and the league’s new direction on revenue sharing will only compound that issue. The Vikings realize this, and for good reasons have no intentions to extend their lease when it expires after the 2011 season.
Despite what some may want to believe, the Vikings are serious about their intentions not to extend their lease of the Metrodome, and this has become glaringly obvious recently.
The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission (MSFC) recently passed a plan that threatens to reinstate the $4 million in annual rent they have recently foregone if the team doesn’t extend its lease of the Metrodome for another two years. The Vikings response to this threat was not to give in, but to cut its ties with the MSFC. Even though they face the possibility of losing an additional $4 million a year (on top of the $15-20 million they will lose in revenue sharing) starting next year, and they are already second to last in the league in revenue generated, they chose not to extend their lease to avoid this penalty.
On top of this, the team has recently taken the position not to sign or extend any contracts past the life of their lease on the Metrodome. Why is this significant? In case you’re not familiar with how contracts work, the longer the terms of the contract, the smaller the payment is usually the case. For a team that is struggling with revenue, that seems odd. That is, unless they are serious about their intentions not to play in the Metrodome past the life of their lease and don’t want to get tied into any long-term contracts.
That brings us to the assumption that there are other teams out there that are more likely to move, or as we like to call it, the “not us” mentality. Let us ask you this question – Why not us?
Of all the teams being discussed as likely candidates to move to Los Angeles, the Vikings have the least amount of obstacles in their way. Their lease is about to expire, so it would be far less costly to move them.
It is also doubtful any of the California teams move to LA, considering Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently said he doesn’t want to see one of them make the move. After all, he’s the guy responsible for fast-tracking the possibility to develop a new stadium in Los Angeles. Would you ignore what he says if you’re Ed Roski?
That leaves us with three teams who have been most prominently discussed as candidates to move to Los Angeles – The Buffalo Bills, the Jacksonville Jaguars, or the Minnesota Vikings. Now you tell me – If you had to pick a team to purchase from this group, who would you pick? You’re being less than honest if you chose anyone but the Vikings. They have the most talent and would be the easiest to market for a team trying to attract fans in a new market.
And while Roski said in a recent article the Bills and Jaguars are his top targets, he states he will lay off the Vikings so long as they are “pursuing new stadium options”. Should we not act aggressively to keep the Vikings here by building a new stadium, we risk Roski’s group ratcheting up his pursuit of the Vikings.
As Vikings fans, I know this information isn’t exactly what we want to hear, but it is what we need to hear. There are too many Vikings fans out there that have a false sense of security, and have become far too complacent on the stadium issue because of that. If you don’t have a sense of urgency on this issue, you should.
We’re not asking you to devote large chunks of time or money. We’re happy to do a lot of the leg work, but we can’t do this without a little effort on your part. We’ve pledged to keep you up-to-date on the stadium situation, to organize the rallies, to start the discussions, and to make it as easy as possible for you to make your voice heard. All we ask is that you do your part to participate when we have events and discussions, and to spread the word!
www.savethevikes.org/huddle-up/
Josh Hewitt
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