The Commisioner Weighs In... Wants Us To Stay?

by FarvaForTheVikings on Jan 31, 2009 10:08 AM CST

I thought there was supposed to be a conspiracy.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfcnorth/0-7-170/The-commissioner-weighs-in.html

From Kevin Seifert at ESPN:

Goodell backed Minnesota's pursuit of a new stadium to replace the Metrodome and noted the Vikings have been patient in waiting for the Minnesota Twins and University of Minnesota to get facilities approved first. There have been strong indications that the Minnesota Legislature isn't interested in dealing with this issue in 2009, but Goodell said: "I think we have to continue to work with the governor and the leadership in that community to understand those priorities and figure out how we get a new stadium built. That is necessary for the Vikings. We all want the Vikings to be there in the long term, successfully. They need a new stadium, that's clear. I think it's recognized by all parties and we need to get down to the difficult business of figuring out how to do it."

Then again, the devil is the father of lies... ;D

This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.

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LIAR!

I don’t know why… but I don’t have the most trust for Goodell. Or respect.

But if he’s serious, I may re-assess him. Until then… he rules the No Fun League with an iron fist.

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by Andersklasen on Jan 31, 2009 11:19 AM CST reply actions

He is just raising the profile of the issue

With the state of minnesota looking at a massive budget short fall, there is no way that the government is gonna find money to help build a new stadium. I believe that it is an attempt to keep Minnesota fans interested in the team, while they make plans to move. They want to look like they are doing good by the fans, but ultimately its just so they can say “Hey, we tried to keep the Vikes in Minnesota, but it just didn’t work out.”

by njcathey on Jan 31, 2009 2:36 PM CST reply actions

A cynic might say...

that Goodell would prefer that the Vikes stay in Minnesota, but I think his comments make it clear, in an unsaid way, that if there isn’t one they’ll have no problem moving the franchise. When you say

“blah blah blah…how we get a new stadium built. That is necessary for the Vikings.”

I think you can reasonably assume that a new stadium is the priority, be it Minnesota or somewhere else.

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by Ted Glover on Jan 31, 2009 4:12 PM CST reply actions

That’s what I got out of it too. That the NFL has been more than patient, waiting while other teams in Minnesota got brand new stadiums, and now they expect the exact same, fair treatment for the Vikings. And if they don’t get it, he’ll be happy to endorse the Vikings moving to a locale that considers them more important than the local college team.

After reading a lot of the comments at the Trib, though it shocks me to say it, Minnesota doesn’t look like a big fan of NFL football any more.

by DCPurple on Feb 1, 2009 3:29 PM CST up reply actions

The Strib

That is the absolute last place you should go to get an idea of what Minnesota thinks of football. Access Vikings is a total cesspool of some of the biggest morons on the internet.

Believe me, Minnesota still does actually love the Vikings, but with the Gophers and Twins getting stadiums, its going to be really tough for the state to want to fork over the cash for another one until those first two are finished and they can see if it really does help.

by cheaptoy on Feb 1, 2009 5:04 PM CST up reply actions

The Last Place?

Really? The Strib and Access Vikings a “total cesspool of some of the biggest morons on the internet”? Nah man. That’s just ignorant.

by cutlassbob on Feb 1, 2009 5:11 PM CST up reply actions

There is A LOT of anti-stadium sentiment

in Minnesota. The reason the Twins pressed the legislature for the no referendum vote is because they knew if put to a vote in Hennepin County, the 0.15% sales tax would probably fail.

So to say the Strib is the last place where you should go to get a feel for the pulse of the Vikings is a mistake, IMHO.

Thoughts on the Vikings, Buckeyes, and Cardinals

www.purplebuckeye.blogspot.com

by Ted Glover on Feb 1, 2009 5:15 PM CST up reply actions

I can only assume he’s reading the comments section to base the anti-Vikings sentiment off of. As I said, that is where the biggest morons on the internet lurk. As for the columnists, Patrick Reusse has never had anything good to say about any Minnesota sports team, nor has Mark Craig. The Access Vikings guys are not Anti-Viking and Sid Hartman is a homer of epic poroportions.

So, the actual Vikings bloggers there are pro-Vikings, and the rest are either old curmudgeons or the guy assigned to cover the Packers. The rest are barely literate commenters.

by cheaptoy on Feb 2, 2009 6:09 AM CST up reply actions

That's what he meant

He was talking about the comments section and ONLY the comments section.

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by joeiscool12 on Feb 3, 2009 12:48 PM CST up reply actions

Trib and Pioneer Press

And yeah, I read the comments, sometimes toss in my 2 cents. I started counting the number of pro-Vikings comments versus anti-Vikings comments, and the anti- comments tend to run about half, which is the majority. Many of them are far beyond just not wanting to pay for a new stadium in their hostility to the Vikings. Maybe this isn’t a fair representation of Minnesotans in general, but from outside that native fan base, that’s all I can see.

by DCPurple on Feb 2, 2009 1:48 PM CST up reply actions

That's what I'm saying

It’s not a fair representation of Minnesotans or Viking’s fans in general and I’m telling you as a non-outsider to not base your opinion on them based on the Strib (or Press). Believe me, its not as bad as it sounds there.

by cheaptoy on Feb 2, 2009 8:56 PM CST up reply actions

Well of course he wants to keep the Vikings in Minnesota...

Unless of course we can’t get a new stadium here in the cities. Then he’ll have no problem screwing over a formidable fan base for a few extra million dollars.

by Eric J. Thompson on Feb 2, 2009 11:48 AM CST reply actions

Don't really understand

I dont really understand why the Vikings need a new stadium. Dont get me wrong. I love the team, but what is the Metrodome missing or doing so wrong that we should invest soo much money into a new stadium?

Personally, I go to the Dome’ for several games a year and havent had any issues. You sit and watch the game. There’s a field, seats, vendors, and a roof. What more do you want? Little LCD’s on the back of every seat? Heated seats?

Granted, the Xcel is a WAY better facility in my opinion. But there is nothing that would change my decision to go to a game. Is it nice having a full bar with tables and a well organized/layout for routing people during the games. Absolutely. Engough to tear down the Dome so the Vikings can make more advertising revenue. Nope.

Dont kid yourselves guys……..this is all about money. Period.
One of the Vikings PR reps was cornered a couple months ago by a reporter from the StarTribune and asked why the Vikings couldnt just move in with the Gophers. There stadium was designed to be expaned to accomodate a larger team *cough*Vikings*cough*. The Vikings response: We wouldnt make enough advertising revenue………That’s it……….Nothing about the facility itself impacting fan experience or the teams playing the games. Nothing about location or anything else. Just…..money.

I wish I could find the link to the article. Ohhhh well. But I would seriously like to know why the FANS want a new stadium?

by MinnesotaRage on Feb 2, 2009 5:59 PM CST reply actions

Of course it is about money

That is the point. The NFL is an industry. Ziggy Wilf is a businessman. The ROI with the acquisition of a stadium would likely be nea 50%. Purchase price $600 million, selling price $1 billion.

by LoveHate on Feb 3, 2009 12:10 PM CST up reply actions

I can't figure that out either...

I can’t figure out why the fans want one either. I could for baseball. It seems perfectly fine for football as a fan though.

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by joeiscool12 on Feb 3, 2009 12:50 PM CST up reply actions

Baseball v. Football Stadiums

The best baseball stadiums enhance the fan experience. Baseball can be a pretty slow game sometimes. Baseball is also meant to be played outdoors. A pretty outdoor stadium really would draw more fans. There are websites out there devoted entirely to visiting different ballparks.

The best football stadiums do nothing to enhance the fan experience. The best football stadium is the one in which you can cram the most amount of people into. The best football stadium I have ever been to was in Seattle . . . a wonderful beautiful stadium, did not notice it half the time because there was a game being played.

On the other hand the best baseball stadium (KC in my opinion) makes the game 100 times better. I hate watching games in the dome, I have had to watch games in the old Kingdome and it completely ruins the experince. But when football is played . . . nobody notices the crappiness.

Minnesota does not need a new stadium . . . it just needs to renegotiate its crappy deal with the city/state/vendors to make more money.

Mr. Weatherstone

by Mr. Weatherstone on Feb 4, 2009 10:57 AM CST up reply actions