I hate to ruin the MN fellowship on this thread, but I'm a Packers' fan. ;>( Nonetheless, the posturing by politicians and the operators of Professional sports leagues - to disband the Twins franchise or move the Vikings to LA - is an insult to the folks up here. They know it, and they're telling the fat cats and bullying pols to "stick it".
Stadiums are boondoggles, and increasingly taxpayers are rejecting their forced involvement in the funding. Even if I pay a levy to build a new Twins park or Vikings stadium - just because I'm a resident of Hennepin County - I still can't get in unless I have a ticket. The Packers went to the taxpayers and received $250 million to renovate Lambeau Field. Even in that one-horse town, the special tax referendum only received 56% support of Brown County voters. Folks know they are getting jobbed - most Brown County residents will never have the opportunity to see a game in the new Lambeau Field they are funding.
Minneapolis has too many large-money ticket entertainment options right now. It has the equivalent of 7 major league (as far as ticket pricing) teams ... the Twins, Vikings, Wolves, Wild, and the Gopher football, basketball and hockey clubs. It has the Guthrie, Ordway and Orpheum theatres. It has the MN Zoo, Valleyfair, Canterbury Downs racetrack, Indian Casinos, myriad golf courses, a behemoth State Fair and countless festivals. That's too many venues chasing too few dollars. Add in the costs associated with recreational snowmobiling, fishing and boating, and the supply - especially lousy supply (i.e. Gopher football) - will far exceed demand.
Miller Park in Milwaukee is facing the largest decrease in attendance in the year following the opening of a new stadium this year ... they are on pace to be nearly 1,000,000 fans short of the 2.9 million they drew last year. The Brewers stink, and people will visit a stadium once to check it out, but it's the team that puts "asses in seats". A new stadium isn't a panacea to solve baseball's ills. The Yankees have a $120 million payroll, the Twins are at $35 million. The Yankees have been in 5 of the last 6 World Series'. The Twins teams that won Championships in 87 and 91 could never keep that nucleus of Hrbek, Harper, Puckett, Gaetti, Knoblauch, Mack, Bush and Gagne together for 7 years in today's baseball economic climate.
Stadiums are boondoggles. Unlike roads, courts, police, fire, libraries etc., they can't be used equally by all the taxpaying citizens. If a new stadium is a good buisiness investment, a vital business investment, for the owners of pro sports franchises ... they can raise capital the same way every other business does when investments in critical plant and equipment expansions are warranted - stock and bond sales, debt instruments etc. It's not a good private investment. It's a scam.
got long winded there,basically what I wanted to say was the Twins and Vikes can go as far as I'm concerned,watching pee-wee or high school games are much more fun anyways.
The Onion writer has spoofed this perfectly,politics and professional sports,perfect combo!