Vikings Spending Even More On Stadium

U.S. Bank Stadium, the future home of the Minnesota Vikings, is now approximately 85% complete, and pretty much the entire outside of the stadium has been completed. As it turns out, the Vikings are going to be spending significantly more on the stadium than initially planned.

On Friday, the Minnesota Sports Facility Association approved an additional $50 million in private funding for the stadium, which will open in mid-2016. (Yes, they had to get approval to spend private money. Politics, am I right?) What's the money going to be used for?

"For instance, the ship," Mondale told Minnesota Public Radio (MPR). "Maybe the bridge," referring to the ceremonial boat planned for the plaza outside the stadium and a pedestrian bridge to keep people off nearby light rail tracks.

That's from Ted Mondale, the MSFA Executive Director.

Now, you might be saying, "Ship? What is this ship that Mr. Mondale was referring to?" Well. . .glad you asked.

One of the plazas near the new Vikings' stadium is going to have a big ol' Viking ship built on it. . .you can see an initial rendering of said ship in the picture above there. The "sail" of the ship is going to be a giant LED video screen, approximately 2,000 square feet in size. It, just like the rest of the new stadium, promises to be freaking awesome. I know that I can't wait to see it.

The Vikings' contribution to the stadium project is now over $630 million. The stadium has also been selected to host Super Bowl LII (52 for you non-Romans) in 2018, as well as the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four. There have also been a lot of rumors circulating that the stadium will host Wrestlemania 33 in April of 2017.

I wonder if the anti-stadium crowd out there is still working to get this shut down. They probably are.