Why Replace the Dome? Here’s Why.

Recently a battle was started in the Opinion Editorial section of the Star Tribune. Craig Cox had the ignorance and audacity to write his piece asking “Why Replace a Perfectly Fine Metrodome?”

Well that pretty much threw down the gauntlet as far as I am concerned. I then wrote a counter piece answering the absurd allegations he was making stating the Metrodome was a great place to play, didn’t need replacing and that Zygi Wilf was extorting us.

Having only been given 700 words to come up with a response, below is what was published in the Star Tribune on February 9th, 2010. After reading, please go on StarTribune.com and post favorable comments about the response.

The original article by Cox is at the very bottom…

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Craig Cox’s recent commentary, “Why Replace the Perfectly Fine Metrodome?” asks some pointed questions about whether the Vikings need a new stadium. I was disappointed that he left out crucial information about the reality of the stadium situation.

Cowboy’s owner Jerry Jones recently stated that 93% of all NFL fans have never stepped foot inside an NFL stadium, and I can understand why the Metrodome seems sufficient to someone who has never been there. But for those of us fortunate enough to attend Vikings games, it’s clear that the Metrodome is not “perfectly fine” or “exactly fitting the need or purpose of the Minnesota Vikings,” as Cox says.

Why does the Metrodome need to be replaced? Let’s look at the issue from a fan’s perspective and the team’s financial perspective.

At almost 30 years old, the Metrodome is one of the NFL’s oldest non-refurbished stadiums and ranks among the worst according to a Sports Illustrated fan survey. It was built on the cheap even by 1970’s standards, and was designed to meet the building codes of that time.

Since then, demographics have shifted and more females attend games than ever before. Today, lines for the women’s restrooms snake for nearly 2 blocks through the already congested hallways. The men’s restroom lines are almost as challenging. Concession lines extend to the back of the hall, blocking through-traffic. Fans frequently leave in frustration, never to make their purchases. The Metrodome concessions can’t take their money as fast as fans want to spend it.

Perhaps these issues are tolerable for the average fan. But what if you are in a wheelchair? I recently received a letter from a disabled veteran who had attended his first Vikings game at the Metrodome. He called it old, inadequate, cramped and even scary. He said he understood why there is a “desire for a stadium that better represents not only the Vikings organization but for Minnesota as well.”

Cox makes the absurd claim that fans aren’t asking for a new stadium. Perhaps he’s not aware that fans sent over 20,000 supportive emails to their legislators and Governor Pawlenty over the NFL’s wildcard weekend. I invite Mr. Cox to visit the Facebook pages for two fan groups, “Save the Vikes” and “Keep the Minnesota Vikings in Minnesota,” where more than 25,000 have joined in support of the stadium effort.

From a financial perspective, Cox points out the millions of dollars the franchise earned in 2008. While it is a sizeable sum, Cox fails to mention that out of 32 NFL teams, the Vikings were 31st in profit. The NFL has actually subsidized the team to keep it financially competitive. Unfortunately, the league recently indicated that those subsidies are coming to an untimely end.

Among the options for increasing revenue, raising ticket prices is often one of the first ideas offered. Unfortunately, because the fan experience is so poor, the Vikings ownership cannot raise ticket prices every year like the rest of the league. The Vikings were unable to do so last year and most likely won’t be able to again, putting them at a serious financial and competitive disadvantage compared to the majority of NFL teams.

Cox also mentions that the business community “seems uninterested” in a stadium. In reality, the Vikings have a board of advisors consisting of 24 key business leaders from some of the state’s largest employers. They have a vested interest in maintaining a culture that attracts business partners, tourism, events and top talent to Minnesota.

Cox closes with the insulting accusation that Zygi Wilf is extorting us fans, but again leaves out some important facts. Wilf started negotiations by offering a large portion of his net worth to cover 30% of stadium costs. That is for a stadium that would be publicly owned and used by his team 10-12 times a year. The venue would be used another 200 times for national, community, cultural and high school events.

This is not extortion, it’s a partnership. It’s a negotiation between the team, our elected officials and the citizens of Minnesota. All parties stand to gain by building a stadium and keeping the team in Minnesota. Let’s work together to find a reasonable stadium resolution this legislative session.

Cory Merrifield is founder of the grassroots fan group SavetheVikes.org and an IT consulting Account Manager in Minneapolis.

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Frankly, there’s only one reason we’re talking about this: We’re afraid that Zygi Wilf will pack up the Vikings and move.

The Star Tribune raises some interesting questions as it seeks to jump-start a debate over the Vikings’ desire for a new football stadium (“It’s game time for a stadium debate,” Jan. 31). And, given the admitted financial incentive the newspaper has for making a new stadium a reality near its current site, it’s admirable that the editors are, for the moment, officially withholding judgment on the merits of the team’s argument for public funding.

Yet, in order to enter into this debate, we first must address a fundamental question: Why do the Vikings need a new stadium? What exactly is the problem with the Metrodome?

There has been no demand from Vikings fans for a new venue. In fact, the Metrodome was built for football, and the team sells out each of its eight home games every year. Similarly, the local business community seems uninterested in a new stadium. The Dome never spurred the kind of economic development its promoters promised back in the 1970s, but its wide range of events attracts millions of people downtown every year. For all practical purposes, then, the Dome is doing its job.

The editors take pains to congratulate Vikings owner Zygi Wilf for “playing down” the threat of moving the team if he doesn’t get a new, state-of-the-art facility, but that threat is really the only reason why we’re discussing this at all. In other words, the Vikings need a new stadium not because the Metrodome has outlived its usefulness, but because Zygi Wilf wants to make more money.

Let’s be clear about this: The Vikings earned a profit in 2008 of $8.2 million, according to Forbes magazine. And Wilf, after five years of operating in a stadium that he says doesn’t generate enough revenue to compete in the NFL, has seen his initial $600 million investment grow to $835 million. This, while paying top dollar for NFL talent and assembling one of the best teams in the league.

So, let’s review: The team is profitable; Wilf’s investment is growing by nearly $50 million a year, and the team can attract top talent and compete at the highest levels.

And the problem with the Metrodome is what? Oh, yeah — Zygi isn’t making a big enough profit.

It’s great to have a civil debate about whether taxpayers should pony up several hundred million dollars to build a new stadium. You can talk about the team as a community asset, about its ongoing economic impact, and even about what a great jobs program a new stadium would offer. But we need to begin the debate by stating the real reason we’d even consider replacing the Dome:

Zygi Wilf might move the team if we don’t.

“In a perfect world, owners would build their own NFL stadiums,” the editors write. “Our world, unfortunately, is not perfect, and there’s nothing Minnesota can do to make it so.”

Actually, there is. Like taxpayers in the Los Angeles area, where a new football stadium is being built with private investment, we can refuse to cave in to extortion. And, yes, there may be consequences: The Rams fled to St. Louis, and there are plenty of people who will tell you that the Vikings could land in L.A. if we don’t pony up. But that’s Wilf’s prerogative. It’s his team.

But it’s our money he wants. And our elected representatives get to decide whether to give it to him. So, by all means, let’s debate. But let’s address the only question that really matters: Are we OK with extortion or not?

Craig Cox is a Minneapolis writer and editor.