Vikings reject Metrodome lease extension
by VikesFaninNM on Nov 18, 2009 9:09 PM CST
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PrintLooks like the State may have tried to pull a fast one and now everyone is pissed. This just popped up within the hour
"By DAVE CAMPBELL, AP Sports Writer
MINNEAPOLIS (AP)—The Minnesota Vikings vehemently rejected a proposal from their landlord to extend their lease at the Metrodome, telling the stadium’s operator in a letter on Wednesday its plan threatens the team’s future in the state.
The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission’s finance committee, chaired by Paul Thatcher, approved on Tuesday a resolution it said would buy time for the Vikings to secure a new stadium. The lagging economy and a state budget deficit have clouded the political prospects of allocating public money for a rebuilt facility.
The team’s lease expires after the 2011 season, and the MSFC’s proposal would keep the Vikings in the dome at least two more seasons with year-to-year renewal options after that. The commission has not charged the Vikings rent since 2002 to help their bottom-of-the-NFL revenue situation, the Star Tribune reported Wednesday in a story about the resolution, but if the team doesn’t agree to the plan it could be asked to resume paying.
Clearly, the team doesn’t agree.
“What happened yesterday sent a chilling message to the (team owner) Wilfs, the NFL and the other owners about how serious we are about solving this issue,” vice president Lester Bagley said in a phone interview Wednesday evening shortly after the team shared the letter with reporters. “Granted, we have economic challenges but we need to move the discussion forward.”
Bagley said the team didn’t see the proposal coming.
“All of a sudden out of the blue, they’ve chosen to focus on a lease extension rather than solving the long-term problem,” he said. “We need a real conversation and engagement by state and local leadership to move the situation forward.”
MSFC executive director Bill Lester didn’t immediately return a phone message.
Owner Zygi Wilf and president Mark Wilf co-signed a sharply worded letter addressed to Thatcher, saying the organization was “shocked, exasperated and extremely disappointed” by the “flawed revenue relief” proposal. It was delivered Wednesday, Bagley said.
“This action was a cynical attempt to advance a ‘proposal’ that you know is totally unacceptable to the Minnesota Vikings and fails to address the issues important to both the short-term and long-term success of this franchise in Minnesota,” the letter read.
The Wilfs, in the letter, touted their efforts to invest in the team without guarantee of a revenue-enhancing new stadium. The Vikings are 8-1 for the first time since 1998 behind new quarterback Brett Favre(notes),
“As the last tenant in the Metrodome, we would expect to be treated fairly and with some minimum level of respect. Your actions yesterday leave us confused and questioning the future of this franchise,” the letter read. “As a result, we have instructed our management team to suspend any further engagement with the MSFC unless and until the Commission gets serious about resolving the near-term revenue issues and acting like a partner with us to retain this valued franchise in the Minnesota for the next generation of fans. The time for more political games on this issue has expired.”
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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HMMM the posturing begins
Now its time to lay out the ridiculous positions.
1) MSFC- You are getting free rent. We want you to pay rent now.
2) Vikings- We are winning and the fans love us. Give me a new stadium today or we leave.
The MSFC and the Vikings are in constant contact. Don’t even believe that they received a letter, without warning, asking for rent. However I believe that this exchange is designed to prompt legislators ( elected by fans) to give a thumbs up vote on a new stadium.
It is time to move forward and make a decision. Even if the Vikes move I need time to reorder my life and try and figure out what to do on football Sundays with no team.
This isn’t going to be easy.
lol!
These 2 entities are not at odds with each other… they are on the same team.
The MSFC would like a new stadium as much as the Vikings!
I BELIEVE...
by ArizonaVikingsFan on Nov 19, 2009 8:44 AM CST up reply actions
; ) Think you are right on this!
I would rather be IN the Arena than watching from the stands...That is my life!
* Read Teddy Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena" if you need further explanation...
by vikingfanfrom afar on Nov 19, 2009 9:45 AM CST up reply actions
I think you misread
The MSFC did not ask for Vikings to start paying rent. The MFSC said that they MIGHT do that IF the Vikings don’t agree to this extension plan. IF the Vikings DO agree, they still do NOT get charged rent.
Wow
Seems to me (an outsider) the vikes owner is really looking to move the team.
I undertstand he wants a new stadium but with the economy like it is and the fact he’s not paying rent right now,you would think he would take the extension and give it more time to work out.
We had the same problem in new orleans and the owner finally worked something out with the state about a year ago
It would seem like that, but there is a big key factor. Ziggy (Owner) has been buying up land around the Metrodome. He is envisioning a new studium on the current site of the Dome as well as office and retail buildings and I believe Condos as well. The area where the Dome sit’s is largly open around with the exception of a few parking garages and small businesses. Of course, I am giong by what I remember as the time we left the Twin Cities was 1990. Also, why the investment in Favre, Harvin, A.P. and many others? He could have easily had a fire sale of the team already. In all honesty, I think he will accept a couple extra years, but I think he is wanting the State to know, enough is enough. Either way, it will mean the Vikings will be spending a few years playing outdoors in the University’s new Stadium. Target Field is just set up for baseball only with 40,000 seating. It is postering, but Ziggy appears to be more committed to the long term health of the VIkings here, not elsewhere. Now, if this still was Redneck McCombs, there would be no more talk of a new stdium or anything, he would have already pulled up shop or made known his intentions. He really had no intentions of wanting to stay in Minnesota, Ziggy is making an effort.
"If you're gonna shoot, shoot, don't talk."
"That is the craziest sonofabitch I ever saw, how many more like him do you think are up there?"
"We have clearance Clearance. Roger Rodger, what's our vector Victor?"
by VikesFaninNM on Nov 19, 2009 9:46 AM CST up reply actions
Ziggy is seeking options...
Get the public to pony up the cash to pitch in, or make concessions on property/revenue tax, land/stadium ownership, etc.
If the ‘state’ doesn’t think the economic times will be favorable to a public funding option… then they should think about selling the dome/property to the Vikings for ‘$1’ and let the owner move forward… the ‘state’ should also not expect as big of a piece of the pie going forward.
I BELIEVE...
by ArizonaVikingsFan on Nov 19, 2009 10:25 AM CST up reply actions
Now there's a good idea...
The Metrodome can’t be worth more than the Pontiac dome, dumping it all into the Vikings hands isn’t a bad notion at all. Obvious the state of Minnesota isn’t that interested in being represented by the Vikings, so why should they be given a significant piece of the future pie?
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
i’m not sure but i thought i remember reading somewhere that the state wouldn’t allow the wilfs to build their own stadium because the state wants in on the revenue and use of a new stadium.
by iseepurplepeople on Nov 20, 2009 11:41 AM CST up reply actions
agreed.
that’s why we are seeing this play out…
The State wants their cut, to which the owners say, ‘buy in’.
The Vikings are not moving. The owners will get their ‘public support’ or the metrodome/land in a ‘fire sale’.
This is just business.
I BELIEVE...
by ArizonaVikingsFan on Nov 20, 2009 1:34 PM CST up reply actions
Not so
Zygi would have to sell out major interest in the franchise to Ed Roski if the Vikings are to move to California. Roski wants to become major owner in both the new stadium and the NFL team. Roski can probably come up with the funds to do it. He is on Forbes list of the richest people in America. He has to sell out of his gambling casino interests in order to become an NFL owner anyway.
Zygi is not trying to move the Vikings out west, but he is a smart businessman. If he finds the best way left open to make a profit is to sell out to Ed and Ed’s offer is attractive, just remember that Zygi didn’t gain his wealth by being stupid. His father taught him about good business practices. Sure, he really loves football, going back to the days he cheered for the Giants as a kid, but he is not the kind of guy you slap in the face and tell to go stand in the corner year after year with no progress nor any promise of it, and that’s what is going down in Minnesota right now.
Some Minnesotans smugly comment they won’t help any billionaire. Ed will probably laugh at them all the way to the bank.
this seems like a behind the door deal
They write extreme letters to each other (both want a new stadium apparently) and then it makes the law makers pay more attention to it…clever if thats actually how it is
I would have a signature... but it could cause a schism on this site
If you lose the Vikings
You lose the $ money Zigi plans to invest in the stadium.
Economy or not it is cheaper to do it now (inflation) plus the fact you have the team chipping in.
A 5 dollar state tax per person for 5 year only. Then a lotto ticket with all proceeds going to the purchace of a stadium.
A small downtown area sales tax.
I don’t know. I just think if you spead this out plus Zigi’s gift we could get it going.
Then you ask the Vikes for the 2 year extension til enough $ is in the kitty to start the project.
Again I say. They do not get to take the Vikings name if they move (ala Cleveland). Let’s not let it happen. I am struggling to move home and I would be lost in my retirement plan to buy season tickets and not be able to see my Vikings.
by CitrusFLViking on Nov 19, 2009 12:14 PM CST reply actions
Zygi has a great plan
His plan would bring a world class stadium to Minnesota for less money than other comparable stadiums cost. There would be a retractable roof for year-round events. It would be awesome. The Wilfs will personally invest over $200 million in the stadium alone. That would be new money coming to Minnesota. The state’s contribution would be about $700 million and would give the state an economic boost for the construction, etc. Again, the Wilfs will be paying a significant amount of the bill and that is new money coming into the state.
Additionally, the Wilfs plan an urban development project all around the new Metrodome. This investment is above and beyond the stadium. The whole area is going to be attractive to tourists and businesses and people who just want to go someplace fun and interesting.It will generate lots of tax revenue for Minnesota. The Metrodome paid for itself many, many times over. So will this new stadium.
Zygi’s plan is a great plan. It’s too bad that this board wants to force a longer lease term for the jalopy of the Old Metrodome when they have this unique, awesome opportunity just waiting for them to take it.
More I think of this, I am starting to think that there is no riff and this may actually be a way to get the state political morons to get their collective heads out of their arses and do something. From what I have read/heard, people want this done, MSC wants this done along with the Wilfs and the State is just acting like they know what is best for the little people.
"If you're gonna shoot, shoot, don't talk."
"That is the craziest sonofabitch I ever saw, how many more like him do you think are up there?"
"We have clearance Clearance. Roger Rodger, what's our vector Victor?"
by VikesFaninNM on Nov 19, 2009 3:55 PM CST up reply actions
With the realization of the work around the stadium
I really am having a hard time seeing the states issue with this now. Seriously you get a stadium and a bunch of new businesses for a $700M price tag. Yeah it’s a bit steep but it will pay off in the end.
exactly
And some of the lease money would also be going back into the team as well from those office/retail buildings. I could see a new stadium being paid off and the state recooping the investment in record time along with the income in property taxes and taxes on the leases aside from the businesses themselves that would be housed in the buildings.
"If you're gonna shoot, shoot, don't talk."
"That is the craziest sonofabitch I ever saw, how many more like him do you think are up there?"
"We have clearance Clearance. Roger Rodger, what's our vector Victor?"
by VikesFaninNM on Nov 20, 2009 10:32 AM CST up reply actions
It makes sense
And you can’t get something, for nothing. That seems to be the way the state of Minnesota is thinking, that they can have the franchise and the stadium and the new development and the steady revenue from said same, without putting in a significant investment of their own.
Personally, I’m already sick of this. I’m a Minnesota Viking fan from way back, but suddenly the “Minnesota” part doesn’t seem as valuable a marquee as it once did. Being associated with this degree of stupidity is not an asset.
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
Yeah, I just blame the idiiots in the capitol building for making it more of an issue then it would have been if they would have let Wilf build the stadium when he wanted too with his own funds
"If you're gonna shoot, shoot, don't talk."
"That is the craziest sonofabitch I ever saw, how many more like him do you think are up there?"
"We have clearance Clearance. Roger Rodger, what's our vector Victor?"
by VikesFaninNM on Nov 20, 2009 1:46 PM CST up reply actions
Election Time is Coming
2010, Vikings fans should take a hard look at who’s in office in Minnesota, and let them know that if they don’t get started on a new Vikings stadium before the election, they’ll vote in someone who will.
Seriously. Are there enough Vikings fans in Minny who feel strongly enough about keeping the team there, to make a difference? If so, now is the time to be heard to your Senators and Reps.
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
Fans & Citizens To Rally At State Capitol Thursday, December 3rd From 2pm-6pm
Don’t hold back! Cause there’s a party over here, so you might as well be here, where the people care…
Don’t hold back! If you think about it too much, you may stumble, trip up, fall on your face…
Don’t hold back! It’s time that you get up, crunch time, like a sit up, come on keep pace…
Don’t hold back! Put apprehension on the back burner, let it sit, don’t even get it lit…
[Minnesota], you’re holding back, the time has come to… GALVANIZE!!! –the Chemical Brothers, Galvanize
So you say you bleed purple…
I’ve heard that phrase countless times through the years. Hell, I’ve said that countless times through the years.
"I bleed purple."
1998: I bled purple. More accurately, I cried purple at the hands of defeat and a premature knee, courtesy of Dennis Green and the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game.
"I bleed purple."
2001: I bled purple. The NY football Giants defeated my team, my Vikes, 41-0 in the NFC Championship game.
"I bleed purple."
2005: I bled purple. On February 25, Randy Moss was traded to the Oakland Raiders for Napoleon Harris and a few draft picks.
"I bleed purple"
I know I am not the only one who bled purple on those days. I know generations before me bled purple during fumbles that turned to interceptions, bad calls that cost us games, and, of course, lost Super Bowls.
But for every heartbreak, there are those times that keep us coming back: Tarkenton, Rashad, the Purple People Eaters, AC, Cunningham to Moss, Culpepper to Moss, Carter (‘cuz all he does is catch touchdown passes), Robert Smith, Moss’ lateral to Mo Williams, Chester Taylor and ADRIAN PETERSON, Kevin Williams, Pat Williams and Jared Allen, Percy Harvin, Antoine Winfield and Brett FAVRE!
But no previous amount of bleeding purple will even begin to match what I will bleed if we lose our team, our culture, our history, our major downtown economic source 10 Sundays a year. I know you will bleed too.
CITIZENS OF MINNESOTA & MINNESOTA VIKINGS FANS: THIS IS YOUR WAKE UP CALL!
Over the last 6 months my technical team and I have built a platform for you, the fan and citizen, to stand on and voice your opinion. Where the media wouldn’t give you a voice to express your sense of urgency, SavetheVikes.org has. When nobody wanted to start conversations about a stadium issue, SavetheVikes.org did. Where there was an opportunity to bring you a single source of answers around the Minnesota Vikings stadium issue, SavetheVikes.org delivered just that. SavetheVikes.org has given you, the Minnesota Vikings fans, the citizens of Minnesota and beyond, a conduit to the media, community and State Legislature to stand up and LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD.
Now the time has come to put a face to that voice. I am asking all of you to bleed purple with me. I have invested thousands of dollars of my personal income to finance this effort. I am stretched just as thin as the rest of you. My technical team has spent countless sleepless nights making my vision a reality. We have bled purple, WILL YOU?
Will you leave work early to come and show your support at the Capitol? Will you make plans to have somebody pick up the kids so you can come to the Capitol on Thursday December 3rd? Will you prove to me, the State, the Minnesota Vikings and the NFL, that fan support isn’t just about joining a group on Facebook or pushing some tweets and emails around? Will you stand with me at the Capitol and have your support be seen and voice be heard?
NOW is the time to act. NOW is the time to get behind Edwards, Williams, Williams and Allen. Now its 4th and 1 on our goal line. Will you stand behind them, along with me and fellow fans, to defend one of our state’s cultural and economic resources? Will you stand up for more jobs, more contract opportunities, and increased revenue to the state and its economy? Will you stand shoulder to shoulder with me and look the State Legislature in the eye and prove once again that this is America? And will you help me show that in America the people speak loudest and not some self-serving facilities committee?
Now is your time to prove once and for all that you bleed purple. You can prove it by making the extra calls, sending the extra emails to make it down in numbers to 75 Martin Luther King Jr Drive, St Paul, MN. You can prove you truly bleed purple by inviting your neighbor, your friends, your family, coworkers, church and children. YOU can make the difference, because without you, it’s only me.
On Thursday, December 3rd, will you make the statement to the media, to the Midwest, and to the Legislature by coming down and proving through a force of numbers that we WILL BE HEARD? Will you shut out the opposition and keep the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission (MSFC) from railroading this project another 2 years, exponentially driving up the cost of the project and delaying jobs and economic growth? Will you step up by bringing everybody you can fit into your car or truck? Will you stand with me and prevent the MSFC from running another team out of town?
WILL YOU PROVE DEFINITIVELY, THAT, ONCE AND FOR ALL, YOU BLEED PURPLE? THEN BE THERE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3rd FROM 2pm-6pm.
STAND UP AND DEFEND YOUR MINNESOTA VIKINGS!
What you can do RIGHT NOW to make this a successful and impactful event:
Mark your calendar with the following:
-State Capitol fan rally Thursday, December 3rd from 2pm-6pm.
-Tuesday, November 24th and Tuesday December 1st , 8am is the day to post and ask all of your social networks to post exactly this in your/their status: REPOST IN YOUR STATUS: Vikings stadium rally MN Capitol Thurs, Dec 3rd from 2-6pm! Come show your support! www.SavetheVikes.org for details!
-Copy this post/forward this email to everyone you know and ask them to do the same!
-Email your reps by going to www.savethevikes.org/huddle-up/ to find their contact info, and let them know you will be at the Capitol to show your support for the Legislature to work with the Vikings to find a way to build a stadium and keep the team in Minnesota!
-Post this entire letter onto your blog, print off and post in the office break room, and anywhere else you can post it.
-Make preparations now to be able to attend the event (e.g. time off request, babysitter, transportation, etc.)
Can’t wait to see YOU there!
Cory Merrifield
Founder/Fan Advocate
SavetheVikes.org
cory.merrifield@savethevikes.org
Cory Merrifield
Founder/Fan Advocate
SavetheVikes.org
by SavetheVikes.org on Nov 21, 2009 12:48 PM CST reply actions
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