Major Protests Expected At TCF Bank Stadium On Sunday

If you're planning on going to TCF Bank Stadium to watch this weekend's contest between the Minnesota Vikings and the Washington Redskins, you might want to plan on getting there a little bit earlier than normal.

There is going to be a major protest outside of TCF Bank Stadium on Sunday that will be centered around the Redskins' team name. Organizers say that they're expecting around 5,000 people to show up to take part.

This isn't the first time that this has happened in the state of Minnesota. There were protests around the Metrodome in 1991 when the Minnesota Twins took on the Atlanta Braves in that year's World Series, and there were protests when the Redskins played in Super Bowl XXVI at the Metrodome a few months later.

There was a push to prevent the Vikings from using the Redskins name leading up to the game, but the city of Minneapolis has stated that it lacked the legal ability to prevent the team from doing so. University of Minnesota general counsel Bill Donohue has also stated that the portion of the Vikings' contract with TCF Bank Stadium dealing with denigrating language only covers advertising and sponsorships. The team has also said that the NFL expects this game to be treated like any other Vikings home game, and so they will be putting the Redskins' name on the scoreboard and signs in the stadium, despite requests from protesters not to do so.

According to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the protesters are set to meet at the University of Minnesota's Northrop Plaza between 8:30 and 9 AM, after which they will march to TCF Bank Stadium at approximately 10 AM.