Minnesota Media Law and the Scandal of the Map
by Skol Girl on Nov 10, 2011 1:32 PM CST
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PrintBack in September our esteemed Mr. Gates wrote an interesting piece about an incident that occurred between the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and the Minnesota Vikings. I like to think of it as the Scandal of the Map.
The Strib published an article on September 4, 2011 that appeared to suggest the Vikings had plans to build a hotel/convention center as the proposed stadium site in Arden Hills. A map (hence the Scandal of the Map) shown at a St. Paul Rotary luncheon was said to have a red circle on it marking a suggested site for a potential convention center/hotel on the 260-acre prospective stadium parcel in Arden Hills. If a convention center was built in Arden Hills it would compete with the convention centers in Minneapolis and St. Paul for business, something that members of St. Paul and Minneapolis City Councils would not want.
About a week after that article was published in the Star-Tribune, Vikings VP of Public Affairs and Stadium Development, Lester Bagley responded to the article. According to Bagley, the Minnesota Vikings have no plans, past or present, to build a convention center in Arden Hills. Not only have the Vikings never planned to build a convention center in Arden Hills, but the map that started the entire convention center brouhaha was not one created by the Vikings. Bagley said the map was created by Ramsey County officials, which is what the Star-Tribune reporter was told when she contacted the Vikings for comment. But, despite the fact that the Vikings said that they not only did not/do not have plans to build a convention center, but that the map that sparked the controversy was not generated by the team, the Strib reporter asked various city officials to comment on the map, and framed the Vikings' assertions that they had no plans to build a convention center as backpedaling.
Even though this dust-up between the Vikings and the Star-Tribune occurred back in September, recent events in the Twin Cities have me thinking about it again and the possible legal implications.
More Minnesota media law and how the Strib might get its comeuppance after the jump.
Just this week, Twin Cities broadcaster KSTP was hit with $1 million in damages for a story the station aired in 2009. The story was about a holistic healer who had "de-prescribed" and anti-anxiety medication for a client. The patient told KSTP that she had a suicidal episode as a result of that treatment plan. However, in the holistic healer's defamation suit against KSTP, it was revealed that in medical records that the patient's own physician had reduced the amount of anti-anxiety medication the patient was on and that there was no evidence that the patient had tried to commit suicide. The reason that the jury in this case awarded $1million in damages (possibly the highest amount awarded in Minnesota) to the holistic healer was because they felt KSTP had shown "actual malice" to air the story when the station had knowledge that the information being aired was false but proceeded with the report as if the information was true. According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press:
Minnesota media might be more careful when reporting news, media watchers said after a jury ordered KSTP-TV to pay $1 million in compensatory damages as part of a defamation verdict concerning a story about a holistic healer.
Well, well, well, that account of KSTP's reporting sounds remarkably similar to what the Star-Tribune is said to have done to the Minnesota Vikings in the Scandal of the Map. If what Lester Bagley said in his rebuttal is true and the Star-Tribune knowingly published something false and misleading, then, legally speaking, things could get interesting.
How interesting?
To start with, when a reporter knowingly prints something untrue it's called libel. Libel is essentially slander in print form and the legal defense against an accusation of libel (or slander) is that the information in question is true. But, since the information printed regarding the Vikings stadium was said by Lester Bagley to be false, it would appear that the Star-Tribune has no legal defense for what it did. Oh, and since that Star-Tribune reporter asked people to answer questions about the Vikings' Arden Hills stadium proposal based on information the Vikings publicly refuted as false, we can also throw in a good argument for the Star-Tribune committing false light defamation of character against the Vikings. Because, while the people answering the Star-Tribune's questions didn't lie, if the reporter knew the basis for those questions was false, then going forward and printing responses based on information known to be false puts the entire stadium issue in a false light that is damaging to the Vikings. A good lawyer, and I would guess the Vikings know a few, might even make an argument for conspiracy too if that reporter communicated at all with a supervising editor. In light of the recent award of $1 million in damages in the defamation suit against KSTP, if the Vikings were to take the Star-Tribune to court and it is proven that the Star-Tribune's reporting was maliciously false, it is conceivable that the Vikings could be awarded financial damages as compensation.
Because so much of our legal system is based on legal precedence, the ruling against KSTP could have long-reaching implications for other local media, specifically, the Star-Tribune. I have no idea whether the Vikings have any intentions of taking the Star-Tribune to court, but this recent ruling seems to suggest that the courts are not likely to be lenient if they find the reporting was maliciously false. While such a ruling might be a nice blow for justice, it seems unlikely to do anything to mitigate the negative perception that has been created about the proposed stadium site in Arden Hills. Stadium supporters will probably have to hope that it simply deters future attacks.
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Interesting idea :)
But considering the rate at which newspapers have been going out of business in the last ten years, the chances that the Star-Tribune has the cash to cover hefty damages might be slim. Probably like trying to get blood from a stone.
Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge.
- Paul Gauguin
http://www.dailynorseman.com/
good one!!! that sounds like a little bit of a sabotage effort to me.
i really want to know who came up with that idea and got it put into the mpls. star-trib.
warcraft, you are my guitar hero !!!
Good question.
If you read the Star-Tribune regularly, you know that their attitude toward an Arden Hills stadium has seemed petty for quite awhile. Back in May when potential stadium sites were being mentioned the Strib seemed reluctant to even acknowledge that Arden Hills was under consideration. And, I don’t expect the Minneapolis paper to be happy about a lucrative business wanting to relocate to Arden Hills. That said, there is still a legal obligation to make sure that what is printed is true. If the Star-Tribune let their editorial prerogative influence the veracity of their reporting, then they should be held accountable for it.
Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge.
- Paul Gauguin
http://www.dailynorseman.com/
Here is some more speculation on my part.
The Star Tribune owns plenty of land very near the Metrodome. The value of their land probably takes a hit if the Vikings move away from that site. It is called a potential conflict of interest.
Your fantasy football expert since Jerry Rice's rookie year.
well, here is some interesting news to add to the mix...
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-vikings-wilf
.
Wilf: Vikes stadium contribution decreases in Mpls
.
By JON KRAWCZYNSKI, AP Sports Writer 1 hour, 40 minutes ago
.
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP)—Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf tells The Associated Press that the team would significantly drop its financial contribution to a new stadium if it is built in Minneapolis instead of its preferred site in the suburbs.
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The Vikings have committed more than $400 million to a stadium plan in Arden Hills, north of the Twin Cities. State lawmakers have shot down the idea of a sales tax hike in Ramsey County that would have generated $350 million for the project. That’s led to speculation that the new stadium would end up at one of several possible sites in downtown Minneapolis.
.
Wilf says he has been frustrated at times, but remains optimistic that a stadium deal will be struck despite recent pushback from key state lawmakers.
warcraft, you are my guitar hero !!!
and also this...
Ramsey County Ready To Buy Stadium Site <<< (click link)
.
Posted at 3:13 PM on November 10, 2011 by Tim Nelson
.
Ramsey County says it has struck a deal with the federal government to purchase the land for an Arden Hills Vikings stadium— and that it’ll be under budget and cleaned up when the deal gets done.
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County officials delivered a letter to Gov. Mark Dayton’s office this afternoon. It says the county has a formal Offer to Purchase from the General Services Administration for a 430 acre Arden Hills stadium site, and that it’s “within the $30 million budgeted for the acquisition and clean up of the property.”…(article continues)…
warcraft, you are my guitar hero !!!
Thanks Danny, interesting development.
Can’t really blame Wilf if he did decrease the Vikings’ contribution to a site other than Arden Hills. Those sites provide much less opportunity for team revenue.
I thought it was interesting when the governor’s feasibility study said it would be so complicated to procure the Arden Hills site. The possibility of unloading the largest super fund site in Minnesota seems like a nice deal for the federal government. Most of the sites in Minneapolis would have required negotiating with multiple owners.
Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge.
- Paul Gauguin
http://www.dailynorseman.com/
You mean Wilf revenue
Not that it matters.
To think like a lawyer
You need to read between the lines of what people are saying. Bagley said the Vikings didn’t create that map and that the Vikings never had any plans for a convention center. Note that he did not say that the Wilfs never had any plans for a convention center, or that the Ramsey County officials put that idea on the map without any consultation with the Wilfs.
Also note the contrast between Bagley’s third point, which refers to the scope of Zygi’s development plans, with the rest of his response, which limits itself to the Vikings.
Also, this is a bit of fun speculation but libel and defamation require statements that harm the reputation, and I’m not sure that speculation about real estate development plans counts. I rather doubt anyone thinks less of the Wilfs or the Vikings because they might want to build a convention center/hotel.
Which is not to say it isn’t irresponsible journalism.
Damages are harder to prove for public figures...
And the Vikings certainly qualify as public figures. However, the Star-Tribune reporter made sure to speak with a St. Paul official which could be construed as an attempt to erode the Vikings support within Ramsey County. But, the Vikings don’t necessarily need to sue the Star-Tribune for libel or false light defamation of character, the threat of a lawsuit might be enough, in light of the damages KSTP incurred, to prod the Star-Tribune to a somewhat less incendiary editorial stance regarding the Vikings’ proposal to build a stadium in Arden Hills.
Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge.
- Paul Gauguin
http://www.dailynorseman.com/
Not much of a threat
Because this “an attempt to erode the Vikings support within Ramsey County” does not sounds like libel to me. That has an impact on politics, but I don’t think that erodes the Vikings’ or the Wilfs’ reputations.
If I print, “Skol Girl has flowing blond hair,” and that’s untrue, you have no basis for libel unless the audience for my speech would think less of your reputation because of what I said. Contrast that to, “Skol Girl drowns kitties and then drinks their blood.”
Printing that Zygi Wilf wants to build a hotel and convention center in Arden Hills is basically the equivalent to printing the Skol Girl is a Vikings fan.
Let's leave my cooking out of this :)
I went vegetarian so the kitties are safe. And my hair is currently sporting purplish highlights, but if you want to imagine me with Aphrodite blond locks, that’s cool too. I’ve always suspected blonds have more fun and I would love to find out. Yeah, yeah, not the point, I know.
The attempt to erode support in Ramsey County isn’t the possible libel, it’s the possible defamation because the implication that the Vikings stadium and surrounding development will be detrimental to both of the Twin Cities puts the project in a negative light. Then, not only is a proposed Arden Hills stadium taking the Vikings out of Minneapolis, but it’s also taking major conventions too. It makes the Vikings look like Wal-Mart, building outside of a city and contributing to the death of Main Street businesses, except in the case of the stadium it would be Minneapolis and St. Paul that would suffer.
Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge.
- Paul Gauguin
http://www.dailynorseman.com/
I'm blonde
And definitely do not have more fun that non-blondes. That might be because i’m a guy though and that only applies to women. I was never clear on the specifics of that.
I don’t know how much MSP will actually “suffer” because of the stadium moving. Sure the bars and stuff will lose money on Sundays and Hotels will see a drop in their booking but if you built your entire business around the Vikings playing every Sunday, well, you’re doing it wrong.
There’s the whole “growth” argument too, like putting the Casino up in block E to reinvigorate that area and the stadium in the Farmer’s Market to do the same but Arden Hills could use some development too and there’s a lot more land to develop.
The difference between libel and defamation
Is whether you are speaking or printing.
I still don’t see the harm to reputation. Strib didn’t say the are cheap bastards, but only that they want to be competition. Or did before they changed their minds.
But I’m a blonde, so maybe you don’t want to trust me. Purples have all the fun, but maybe not the law degrees?
That's the difference between libel and slander
Defamation is any communication of a statement that makes a claim, expressly stated or implied to be factual, that may give an individual, business, product, group, government, or nation a negative image.
This statement must be false.
Close
Actually, “product disparagement” is a different tort from defamation. They are similar, but different in many important ways.
As for defamation — the test is generally stated as such: a statement is “defamatory” if it “tends” to cause injury to a peron’s reputation, expose him to public hatred, cojntempt, ridicule, shame or disgrace, or affects him adversely in his trade or business."
The question here is whether the statement tends to affect the Vikings organization adversely in its business — ie, the business of attracting fans to attend games, watch them on TV, and/or buy licensed products.
You could try to construct an argument that says the story adversely affects the Vikings’ efforts to get a new stadium built by generating opposition to the stadium proposal among those in Minneapolis and St. Paul who don’t want a competing covention center built. You could try, i guess. You would lose, though. It is just too attenuated to support a defamation suit. Especially in the context of a public institution in a public/government controvery about taxpayer funding of a new stadium project. It just won’t fly.
TiggerSr
Oh, and technically
It’s not that damages are harder to prove against a public figure, it’s that the standard for what counts as libel is actually different. If you are a public figure you have to show malice — knowledge or willful recklessness that the statement was false — where you would not if you are not a public figure.
Libel 101
I don’t want to come across as too much of a know-it-all here, but I have practiced libel law for 27 years and know a bit about the subject. amiller92’s points are generally correct for the most part. Some cauti0onary points for Skol Girl:
1. There is no such thing as “false light defamation.” False light is a variant of an invasion of privacy of tort, NOT defamation, and it is not recognized in many states as a valid cause of action. Even in those states that do recognize it, it is an action that can be brought only by an individual. Companies/corporate entitites do not have a privacy interest protected by the law and cannot sue for “false light” invasion of privacy — so the Vikings can’t assert such an action, even if Minnesota recognizes it.
2. Companies can sue for defamation, but they rarely succeed, for a wide variety of reasons. Here, amiller92 is 100% correct — there is NOTHING defamatory about stating that the Vikings want to build a convention center and/or a hotel someplace. Even if the statement is false, it does not defame the company. It certainly is not what is called “defamatory per se.” One could try to argue it is defamatory “per quod,” which essentially means that while the general public would not recognize the statement to be defamatory, some of the recipients of the statement would understand it to be defamatory in light of other facts (eg, saying “Mary and Bob are the proud parents of a new baby girl” is not defamatory about either Mary or Bob — unless you happen to know that Mary is the wife of George and not Bob; that is “per quod” defamation). But here, even if you know all the facts and context, it is still not defamatory to say that someone wants to build a complex that will compete with someone else — it just isn’t.
3. “Actual malice” requires proof of a lot more than just being aware that the plaintiff has denied the truth of the statement. You have to prove that the Strib actually believed the denial (or believed the denial was “probably” true) and still went ahead and made the false statement. If that map with a red circle WAS actually displayed at the Rotary luncheon, it must have come from somewhere. Good luck proving that the Strib “knew” that the Vikings had not discussed that possibility with reps of Arden County and that it “knew” that the county reps just put that circle there without any input of any kind whatsoever from a Wilf representative.
4. The full context here is a stadium controversy that is a controvery precisely because the taxpayers are being asked to help fund the project. This is at the very core of the 1st amendment, a clearly political dispute. Any judge who had this complaint come across her bench would dismiss it the first chance she got.
There is no lawsuit here. Trust me on this.
Never pick a PR fight with someone who buys his ink by the barrell.
TiggerSr
by TiggerSr on Nov 11, 2011 2:10 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Devil's advocate....
I chose maybe and here is why…
When youre looking for extreme public support, is bringing a lawsuit against a newspaper really a good idea?
Were they wrong, oh hell yes. Should they offer a full page all in color public apology, yes, if they havent already.
But right now, possibly putting people out of work because if there is a lawsuit and they win, the newspaper will “cut back” or even worse, go under, and then there is a mixed feelings crowd.
I dont see them filing right now TBH, but thats just me.
2011 Vikings, keeping the liquor industry in the green ALL YEAR LONG!
You really think they were wrong?
My guess is that the only thing that’s wrong about that map is that they will never call it a “convention center” but rather a hotel with “event facilities.”
by printing false information they knew to be false...
Im going with sure….
2011 Vikings, keeping the liquor industry in the green ALL YEAR LONG!
What was false?
There was a map. It was circulated. Bennett say they were planning a hotel. The article doesn’t say the Vikes made the map.
So youre under the impression the paper did nothing wrong.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion.
2011 Vikings, keeping the liquor industry in the green ALL YEAR LONG!
I think he means
that the paper isn’t in violation of the law, ethically and morally, they might be wrong, but legally speaking, they might not be.
Actually
I don’t really see much of an ethical or moral issue here either. A little too much enthusiasm for hype for my taste, but that’s pretty standard these days.
Again, does anyone really think that the Wilfs weren’t (or aren’t) planing a hotel with event facilities in that location? It was probably a misnomer to call it a “convention center” but that’s what whoever made the map called it, so that’s what the Strib asked people about, and that became the baseline from which “the Vikings” backtracked. And Bennett confirmed it.
How about asking Lester Bagley to address whether or not the Vikings deem the Tribs actions to be (the term probably isn’t libel) illegal and whether they have any plans to use the courts to set the matter straight?
Good idea.
I wonder if they would comment?
Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge.
- Paul Gauguin
http://www.dailynorseman.com/
Withall due respect
This would make no sense. “Using the courts” NEVER sets any mattter staright. And here, it owuld be years before the matter ever got to trial — how would THAT set anyting straight in time for anything to matter?
There is NOTHING illegal or tortious about the Strib’s reporting — it may have been poor journalism, and it may have been motivated by ulterior and undisclosed financial interests. But that is life in the big city.
The Vikings would NEVER threaten the media with legal action. Period. It would be so counterpoductive to the Vikings’ goals that one would have to question the sanity of any decisionmaker within the Vikings organization who even contemplated such a course/.
TiggerSr
Seeing as this was included in the article...
Ramsey County Commissioner Tony Bennett, the Vikings’ key stadium ally, said that Wilf isn’t looking to build a “major” convention center that would compete with those in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Instead, there might be a “medium-sized convention center/hotel” at the stadium site, Bennett said.
I dunno, what is written in the article that is factually wrong? Also, check out this opinion piece by the same Ramsey County Commissioner Tony Bennet:
http://www.presspubs.com/shoreview/news/article_dcf828ca-9158-5126-b73c-e0f73b8759f7.html
It seems that the source of the problem is with a Vikings ally, not the newspaper reporting what happened which did include maps with a convention center.
If the problem is with Ramsey County...
Then why not lampoon Ramsey County rather than the Vikings? Seems like a reasonable angle to take. And, if the reporter was interested in controversy, having the County trying to divert convention business from St. Paul might have been interesting.
Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge.
- Paul Gauguin
http://www.dailynorseman.com/
Lampooning the Vikings?
Didn’t the article just report what happened at the meeting that was held jointly by Ramsey County Commissioners AND the Vikings? They handed out apparently old maps with a convention center on it and didn’t tell anyone at the meeting that the map was out of date and there was no convention center plan. It was only a day later that both the county and the Vikings said the convention center was no longer a part of the plans. There isn’t anything mocking or even factually wrong in the article, yet this is the second DailyNorseman post about it.
strib needs vikes to stay at dome location
the money they make off parking or selling off of land nearby means more to them so slinging mud at vikes for it would in my mind bring about a lawsuit . printing fiction as non fiction seems enough for a lawsuit. heck people are so sue happy you sneeze but cant cover up b4 it happens and someone will sue your for a 50 k snotter .
I have a feeling...
There could very well be a financial reason for the Star-Tribune’s ire toward the Vikings hopes for a stadium in Arden Hills. It is possible that there isn’t one, but it just seems like the Star-Tribune’s editorial stance on Arden Hills is a bit too biased to be for no reason and money is usually a pretty good reason.
Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge.
- Paul Gauguin
http://www.dailynorseman.com/
This is exactly why
it is always good to have multiple news sources in a city — to hold one media source accountable for its biases and mistakes and misrepresentations.
TiggerSr
seeing less and less of that though as the printed media is slowly dying.
Putting Ponder in isn't the question, it's the answer.
Funny thing to say
Here in the digital alternative media.
Honestly
I don’t see a problem with a convention center/hotel/whatever built on site provided that none of the money allocated to the stadium is used to build it. Whoever ends up owning the land, be it Wilf or Ramsey County, it’s their land to use to develop how ever they want and as long as the stadium money isn’t going to build something thats not a stadium, I don’t see a problem.
Here's the thing that makes me roll my eyes about the convention center tantrum...
Conventions can be held anywhere. Because conventions can vary in size, technically, any room that fits the group that is convening is, literally, a convention center. And, when you think about it that way, any hotel meeting room or ballroom is in competition with the convention centers in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Is Minnesota suddenly going to say the Best Western can’t have a meeting room because it would be in competition with downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul? No, because the only places that would run the risk of taking business away from those huge convention centers would have to be equally big. Unless the hotel/convention center that Ramsey County put on that map is the same size as the convention centers in Minneapolis and St. Paul, it would not pose any more of a risk to taking their business than any other hotel with a ballroom/meeting room in the Twin Cities.
Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge.
- Paul Gauguin
http://www.dailynorseman.com/
The distinction is...
…. that Best Western isn’t asking for taxpayer money to compete against an existing taxpayer funded convention center.
Well, to be fair
The plans would have Zygi buy the land and build the convention center itself, if he were to build one. I doubt there would be a huge amount of taxpayer funding on stuff that isn’t the stadium.
All that cleanup stuff would have been funded by taxpayers anyway, the only question is land rights and usage, and Wilf has indicated more than once that he would be willing to buy the land around the stadium and develop it himself.
A STATE GOVERMENT OF THE FANS FOR THE FANS FOR THE VIKINGS
OR MAYBE IT WAS LINCOLN THAT SAID IT BEST
A GOVERMENT OF THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE AND FOR THOSE OF YOU SKIPPED OUT OF HISTORY THATS A GOVERMENT ELECTED BY YOU THE PEOPLE AND POLITICIANS THAT CAN BE BOOTED OUT OF OFFICE IF YOU THE PEOPLE ARE NOT HAPPY WITH THEM !
Ok now my neighbors to the east its time for you to get off your buts and start BANGING DOORS with a P E T I T I O N That should read something like this
YO MINNESOTA PEOPLE LOOK AT THE BIGGER PICTURE
1, would you like to see 5000 to 7000 or more jobs brought to MINNESOTA for the next 3 to 5 years because after the stadium there will be few more hotels and a variety of restaraunts,gas stations and more than likely a couple more drinkinig establishments that will need to be built and a lot of existing business in the area that will want to expand and remodel
2,would you like to see a maybe a 1000 or more permanent jobs after the stadium is built .
3, would you like to see a lot of other communities border to border in Minnesota get a economic boost for a few years while in construction period as there will be a need a lot of material that a lot of in state companies can provide from concreat,stone,brick,plumbing,electrical and lumber along with all the local trucking that will be running untill all the material is delivered even the local groceries and food producers should see some boost [ i think it can be part of the building contract that they use as much in state material and labor as possible ] .
4.would you like to see the trickle down effect of #3 they figure 300 mil or more just in labor and most of that can stay in state for as many locals that have the skills and take a guess 500 mil or more could stay in state for material and thats just the stadium there could be a 100 mil more generated from businesses that will suround the stadium.
5. would youto see even more millions of $$$ come from out of state i dont think you people relize how many thousands come from out of state from NoDak,SoDak,Iowa,even down from Canada and i know you get a few bus loads from Montana and i bet you even get a good crowd from Wisconsin and there is a large majority of them like my self that make it a 3 or4 day weekend of as it can happen sometimes catch the Twolfs or the Wild on a friday the Gophers on sat last year able to catch the twins fri sat then vikes sunday while the ladies spend the day shopping at mall america , or with out this type of visits from maybe 10 to20 thousand or more that come from out of state you can say good bye to maybe a $100mill or more in a year local revinue that you take for granted.
6 as i look at this as a out sider it almost seems like you have a few working in your state capitol that will get great personal profits if they twist the Wilffs arm hard enough to stay in Minneapolis as if they are in the pockets of some type little maffia to keep them in Minneapolis ! !! !
7 IN THE NEXT ELECTION WILL YOU VOTE AGAINST EVERY POLITICIAN THAT FORCED THE VIKINGS TO LEAVE AND COST YOUR STATE MAYBE MORE THAN 5 BILLION $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ OVER THE NEXT 10 TO 20 YEARS just a rough guess but if you did the math it might not be far off if you look at every thing else you could miss out on like a maybe a couple SUPER BOWLS AND THE NCAA MARCH MADNESS AND ALL THE OTHER NATIONAL SIZE EVENTS FROM DIRT TRACKS TO RODEOS AND HUGE CONCERTS
8. WITH THAT IN MIND I SAY BUILD IT AS BIG AS YOU CAN , BUILD IT BIGGER AND BETTER THAN THE ONE JERRY JONES DID IN TEXAS GO FOR 110 OR120.000 SEATS AND THEN YOU COULD BE IN A POSITION FOR MAYBE A SUMMER OLYMPICS i know it sounds funny but think about with the rivers and lakes you got the water events covered you build this new stadium 100 to 120.000 and they manage to keep the dome up i think you would have enough venues may build a pool or two and the twin cities could have the SUMMER OLYMPICS . well i just like to think out of the box something some of your state leaders should try sometime instead of acting like an ostrich sticking their heads out of sun .
9 . SO YES IT IS OF THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE
SO GET OF YOUR BUTS AND BANG ON DOORS AND EDUCATE EVERY ONE THAT DONT UNDERSTAND THE BIG PICTURE THAT THEY DON T JUST LOOSE THE VIKINGS THEY WILL LOOSE BILLIONS OF $$$$$$
JUST BECAUSE SOME POLITICALS ACT LIKE THEY WANT TO LINE THEIR OWN POCKETS BECAUSE I HAVE YET TO HEAR ONE DAM GOOD REASON NOT TO BUILD IT IN ARDEN HILLS ALL I HAVE HEARD IS DOUBLE TALK AND SOMEONE THAT SOUNDS JEALOUS OF THE WILFS AND THEY KNOW ZIGY HAS A GOOD PLAN BUT THEY CANT GET A PIECE OF IT
MAYBE YOU GUY S CAN SET UP A ONLINE PETITION ONE FOR IN STATE AND ONE FOR OUT STATE FANS
GOOD LUCK FROM A NODAK FAN
by THORS BLOOD THIRSTY HAMMER on Nov 11, 2011 7:16 AM CST reply actions
Appreciate your enthusiasm!
Keep it up!
Have you written a letter to Dayton, Zellers, or Koch? I think out of state letters can still be impactful.
Please, just write the letter and put an address from Minneapolis on it...
Putting Ponder in isn't the question, it's the answer.
False and misleading?
That’s what the Strib is being accused of. Not that Thor’s Blood Thirsty Hammer is a journalist, but promises of “maybe a 1000 or more permanent jobs after the stadium is built” and “MAYBE MORE THAN 5 BILLION $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ OVER THE NEXT 10 TO 20 YEARS” seem pretty over the top. Or maybe it’s just my “class envy” talking….
Bleh the Strib is just doing the same thing every other rag does
and that is printing news that interests the person printing it, and not trying to create an impartial newspaper. Happens all over the place and is a sad sad state of affairs (hell look at FOX). The real problem is that people can’t read between the lines and make up their own minds about these things and just follow whatever is pushed in front of them.
Oh well human nature I guess. Suing the Strib won’t do much unless they want a bunch of publicity (which can easily be swayed as negative) and I doubt they want to tick off a newspaper in their home city.
By the way to answer a conversation that was happening above, people with brown hair have the most fun, God made it that way because we’re perfect. :D
Putting Ponder in isn't the question, it's the answer.
In the context of how this issue originally came to light
If the city of Minneapolis (and the greased politicians) felt threatened because of a competing convention center in a nearby suburb changed the way they went about their business, there is a problem.
Another interesting plot that could have caused the delay that helped the Vikings leave Minnesota. The delays of the politicians are poorly timed at best
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- Alex Smith gets blown up by Jon Beason over Cam Newton comments
- Having finally landed, Kellen Winslow looks for a fresh start in Seattle
- Tim Tebow teased with chants of ‘Lolo!’ in Jets locker room
