Vikings will "likely play" at TCF Stadium

[Iceland12]

gopher1956 is trolling y'all why the hell are you bothering with him

Quite true however, the way Pro teams are extolled for "making the playoffs" and College teams are written-off for "making a minor bowl" drives me nuts. Haven't there been 9-7 teams in the Super Bowl? One may have even won it.

That's why I hate the idea of a Playoff with Conference Guarantees. I don't want to see a 3 or 4 win Conference Champion get a chance to play for the National Title.

 

[AhliBobwa]

This will never happen in a million years. The Vikings will have no interest in sharing a 50,000 seat stadium. They can't generate enough revenue in the 60,000 seat stadium they have now - how would they do that with diminished capacity?

As much as it pains me to say, the Vikings will be gone if they do not break ground on a new stadium within the next 3 years. And I, for one, will never watch the NFL again.

I would add the caveat that I honestly think the only way the Vikings stay in town is if they win the Super Bowl in the next two years. There is no public money that anyone is going to be willing to put towards the monstrosity that is a pro football stadium. And I for one will not miss the Vikings when they go. Is it a coincidence that the Gophers fell from glory AFTER the Vikings moved to town?

In conclusion, pro football is lame and the Vikings should probably leave!

 

[Khaliq]

I would add the caveat that I honestly think the only way the Vikings stay in town is if they win the Super Bowl in the next two years. There is no public money that anyone is going to be willing to put towards the monstrosity that is a pro football stadium. And I for one will not miss the Vikings when they go. Is it a coincidence that the Gophers fell from glory AFTER the Vikings move to town?

In conclusion, pro football is lame and the Vikings should probably leave!

Yes it is a coincidence and attitudes like yours help fracture what is already a troubled fanbase. Most of us here are also Vikings fans.

 

[Iceland12]

Wrong! The Vikings won an NFL Championship.

Many of us are fans of both teams. To compare the Vikings' success to the Gophers' lack thereof is pointless. You don't need to bring down the Vikings to boost the Gophers up. It just doesn't work that way.

No you're wrong, but I like the exclamation mark! The Vikings did win a NFL Championship (Rose Bowl entry?) but at the time the Super Bowl (National Championship) already existed. Which they LOST. The Gophers went on to lose the Rose Bowl but at the time the National Champion was crowned for the regular season.

The Vikings have had far more success then the Gophers from the 70's on. He was just factually wrong. Like yourself. If you read the post before your constant silly little games of "gotcha" you would notice the credit given.

Just once you should be right before you jump on somebody, or apologize for your idiocy.....both beyond you I'm afraid.

 

[Hates Monikers]

Where is my head slamming into wall emoticon when I need it? For the thousandth time...this is NOT going to happen.
- There are not enough suites
- There are over 9000 block M's throughout the stadium
- There is no Viking's locker room...the Vikes aren't going to be housed in a locker room with a giant Block M in it.
- The visitor's locker room isn't up to NFL standards
- They wouldn't get to control the revenue streams like parking, suites, etc
- The U already said a shared stadium runs counter to their mission YEARS AGO. There is no way to force them to change their mind.
- The seats are maroon and gold and spell out Minnesota and a block M.
- etc, etc, etc.

This is a college stadium. Adding more seats and replacing the benches with seatbacks doesn't change that. It is NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. Jeebus!

I hope you're right. It's amazing how easily $400 million can help overcome obstacles like these, especially if you can justify it by saying you're saving taxpayers $350 million. The Wilfs have already said that not partnering with the U was a lost opportunity.

Anoka County got burned, and they're not coming back to this discussion. Hennepin County is paying for the Twins stadium, and they have said they have no interest in helping. The state ain't paying $750 million. I worked in politics for seven years, including two at the state capitol. It's been a while since I've been there, but I can guarantee you the issue will be raised. And the longer that time goes on without a reasonable answer to where we find $750 million, the more fearful Jeebus and I will get.

 

[AhliBobwa]

Yes it is a coincidence and attitudes like yours help fracture what is already a troubled fanbase. Most of us here are also Vikings fans.

The point isn't whether you think the Vikings or Gophers are doing better, have more potential. The issue is that professional football is soulless. The regular season is a joke (ask last year's NFC representative Arizona Cardinals, who took a dominant 9-7 record into the playoffs and made the Super Bowl!@#$#@$)

In college football Every Single Week has National Title and conference title implications. The campus atmosphere is electric. The kids who play the game are hungry in a way that pampered top tier pro athletes rarely are, and momentum plays a huge role in all games. The styles of football played are complicated and varied, successful teams have drastically different philosophies. Who isn't excited to watch the triple option of Georgia Tech then flip the channel to Mike Leach's crazy mad genius wide open passing attack?

Has there ever been an NFL football game half as interesting as the 2007 Fiesta Bowl game between Boise State and Oklahoma, complete with successful hook and ladder and statue of liberty plays on the final drive?

True football purists love the college game. There is a reason why NFL announcers possess the intelligence of dim-witted monkeys while smart analysts flock to the collegiate ranks. College football is simply superior in every conceivable way, and that is why I could not care less about the Vikings.

 

[dpodoll68]

No you're wrong, but I like the exclamation mark! The Vikings did win a NFL Championship (Rose Bowl entry?) but at the time the Super Bowl (National Championship) already existed. Which they LOST. The Gophers went on to lose the Rose Bowl but at the time the National Champion was crowned for the regular season.

The Vikings have had far more success then the Gophers from the 70's on. He was just factually wrong. Like yourself. If you read the post before your constant silly little games of "gotcha" you would notice the credit given.

Just once you should be right before you jump on somebody, or apologize for your idiocy.....both beyond you I'm afraid.

Nothing I said even remotely approaches idiocy. Good try though. And actually, I'm right waaaaaaay more often than I'm wrong. Good try again.

We're actually both wrong. You said that the Vikings have never won a national championship. However, that would be impossible for them to have ever done, because the NFL does not award national championships. It's like trying to blame the Gophers because they've never won a Super Bowl.

Please also note where you gave the Vikings credit for anything, outside of your "they're more entertaining to watch than the Gophers this year," which is a backhanded compliment if I ever saw it. My old high school's 9-man football team was more entertaining to watch than the Gophers this year. What you actually said about the Vikings was your own (completely misguided) view that somehow seriously equates making the NFL playoffs with making the micronpc.com Toilet Bowl.

 

[snackeru]

I agree that the Vikings won't stay long term in TCF Bank Stadium. They've already said it won't work for them. I also agree that the Vikings will play in TCF Bank stadium while their own is being built (fingers crossed). However, I also think the Vikings will play in TCF Bank Stadium even before they have a stadium deal in place.

Think about it, the Vikings have already said they will not renew their lease in the Metrodome. They have been rather vehement about it. I'm thinking they will play in TCF Bank Stadium starting in 2012.

There is no way a stadium deal in the legislature will be worked out by then. The effect this move has is to deny the Metrodome a major tenant. Without a major tenant, the Metrodome cannot survive. Numerous news stories have already been written that without the Vikings (or the Twins or the Gophers) they Metrodome will essentially shut its doors and maybe even need to be torn down.

So, moving to TCF Bank Stadium before a stadium deal is in place will force the issue. The Vikings will say they can't stay in TCF long term, and the Metrodome/MSFC will say the Dome can't survive. The legislature will be forced to make a decision: do we want to have a domed/roofed stadium for year round activities and keep the Vikings? Or do we want to give up the Vikings and essentially any chance at building a new facility to host year round activities?

Quite frankly, it is a good move by the Vikings. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this "break-up" with the MSFC isn't all staged just to set the stage for the first Vikings home game of 2012 to be at TCF Bank Stadium.

 

[Khaliq]

dim-witted monkeys

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[dpodoll68]

College football is simply superior in every conceivable way

Yes, superior in every way except for that small little detail in which even the worst NFL team would beat the best college team quite handily.

You like the college game far more than the pro game, and that's fine. But don't try to make blanket asinine comments like "true football purists love the college game" as though it is somehow superior. There is a reason why the NFL is the most popular sport in the US, and why no one else is even remotely close, including college football.

 

[GoAUpher]

I hope you're right. It's amazing how easily $400 million can help overcome obstacles like these, especially if you can justify it by saying you're saving taxpayers $350 million. The Wilfs have already said that not partnering with the U was a lost opportunity.

Anoka County got burned, and they're not coming back to this discussion. Hennepin County is paying for the Twins stadium, and they have said they have no interest in helping. The state ain't paying $750 million. I worked in politics for seven years, including two at the state capitol. It's been a while since I've been there, but I can guarantee you the issue will be raised. And the longer that time goes on without a reasonable answer to where we find $750 million, the more fearful Jeebus and I will get.

I understand why you fear it. But in order to make it work for the Vikings the stadium basically has to be redone in many respects. Heck, here's another one: The open end. That's a great design feature for a college team but not one that a pro team would appreciate. Character and charm in stadiums is a college thing. NFL stadiums are about packing in the most people possible for the most money. And even if TCF was completely remodeled, it will never fit the bill.

And you'd still have to get the U to agree. I know that the legislature could try to hold them hostage over funding, but that's a PR battle the U should win. "State tells public university that its funding will be cut unless it caves to private developer/owner of a pro team" is a winning hand for the U. Plus I'm betting Dems won't be too keen on holding secondary ed funding over the Vikings. DFL'ers might be willing to pander about beer, but telling the flagship school that they're f-ed unless they cave doesn't seem likely.

The other thing to consider is that while the Wilfs might say that the partnership with the U was a lost opportunity I'm not sure I believe that sentiment when it comes to a Stadium Village site. Ziggy is a developer and a big part of all of his plans up to this point is to own and develop much of the land next to the eventual Vikings stadium. Again, not a possibility with TCF.

 

[GVBadger]

I don't know anything about the lease or situation, so feel free to jump down my throat here, but the only way I see the Vikings playing in TCF is if they rebuild on the Metrodome site. If something rematerializes with Anoka county, why wouldn't they play in the Dome while the new stadium is built? Or have the Vikings said that they need to have the new stadium downtown?

They will only play at TCF if the rebulid on the Metrodome site, as far as I know. Otherwise, a short term Dome lease until the new place is done.

 

[gopher1956]

Gophers better thanks Vikings?

Onlya fool would say the the Gophers are better that the Vikings over the past 40 years. The Gophers are headed in a better direction with the new stadium, but they have a long way to go.

 

[GoAUpher]

I agree that the Vikings won't stay long term in TCF Bank Stadium. They've already said it won't work for them. I also agree that the Vikings will play in TCF Bank stadium while their own is being built (fingers crossed). However, I also think the Vikings will play in TCF Bank Stadium even before they have a stadium deal in place.

Think about it, the Vikings have already said they will not renew their lease in the Metrodome. They have been rather vehement about it. I'm thinking they will play in TCF Bank Stadium starting in 2012.

There is no way a stadium deal in the legislature will be worked out by then. The effect this move has is to deny the Metrodome a major tenant. Without a major tenant, the Metrodome cannot survive. Numerous news stories have already been written that without the Vikings (or the Twins or the Gophers) they Metrodome will essentially shut its doors and maybe even need to be torn down.

So, moving to TCF Bank Stadium before a stadium deal is in place will force the issue. The Vikings will say they can't stay in TCF long term, and the Metrodome/MSFC will say the Dome can't survive. The legislature will be forced to make a decision: do we want to have a domed/roofed stadium for year round activities and keep the Vikings? Or do we want to give up the Vikings and essentially any chance at building a new facility to host year round activities?

Quite frankly, it is a good move by the Vikings. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this "break-up" with the MSFC isn't all staged just to set the stage for the first Vikings home game of 2012 to be at TCF Bank Stadium.

Interesting thought. I disagree only because the Vikes would take a HUGE financial hit in the meantime in TCF. I can't see an NFL team volunteering to play in a college stadium and take less money unless it was so a brand new stadium could be built on the Dome site. I also doubt that the NFL would allow it. They're very brand conscious and this tactic smacks of desperation. The big card the Vikes have always had is LA and its even more true now that the privately funded LA stadium can skip past any environmental delays and go directly to Go should a team be ready to move.

 

[GophBen]

There is a reason why the NFL is the most popular sport in the US

Gambling.

 

[gopher1956]

No one bets on College Football?

Are you kidding.

The best way to get rich would be take the gophers oppenent every week.

 

[bassy123]

Are you kidding.

The best way to get rich would be take the gophers oppenent every week.

gophers are 4-6 ATS. so unless you're betting 10000 dollars a game you would only be up 2 units. but then again, if you had 10000 dollars to bet a game you would already be rich.

 

[gopher1956]

which bookie do you use?

I am ahead much more than that with my bookie - Johnie "the nose" Schwartz

 

[WilliamsArenaGuy]

Gopher fans bashing the Vikings is pretty much misdirected frustration. I like both and it would be nice if the dick waving between the two could be kept to a minimum. :|

gopher1956 is trolling y'all why the hell are you bothering with him

That's all that needs to be said. Thank you.

You morons that respond to obvious morons like gopher1956 are just as stupid as he is. Why is it so impossible for people to just ignore idiots like that?

 

[Iceland12]

Originally Posted by Iceland12
No, the Gophers were actually National Champions in my lifetime, though barely I will admit. Something the Vikings have never done.

Wrong! The Vikings won an NFL Championship.

Many of us are fans of both teams. To compare the Vikings' success to the Gophers' lack thereof is pointless. You don't need to bring down the Vikings to boost the Gophers up. It just doesn't work that way.

dpodoll68:
"You're actually both wrong. You said that the Vikings have never won a national championship. However, that would be impossible for them to have ever done, because the NFL does not award national championships"

So this isn't an idiotic statement? In your normal "rush to judgment" you proclaim that the idea of the Vikings never winning a "national championship" is Wrong! The Vikings have won an NFL Championship. Then when it was pointed out that the Vikings were short of a National Championship because the Super Bowl was already in place you come back with " that would be impossible". Rather then of course, admitting your mistake in the first place or seeing your mistake just letting it go.

Which, much like saying your wrong, is virtually impossible for you.

I know I've been asked not to respond to trolls, but screw it. Even though your posts overall are WAY on the correct side, you've got to be the most thin-skinned SOB that has ever posted here and you show it every time someone points out a mistake. This is the third time you've been a dick about being wrong at least to me. Put me on your ignore if you'd like, start drinking De-Caf or wait until someone is actually wrong before you jump in and try and get cute.

There. Happy?

 

[jovs]

I attended the one game that the Minnesota Vikings played in 1969 at Memorial stadium against Bart Star and the hated Packers. The Vikings killed them with a great front four. It was better than any gopher footbal game that I have attended in the past 40 years. Hopefully the Vikings will play at the bank again soon. It will be the only way we will see winning football any time soon at the U of M.

I attended most of the late season vikings games and all playoff games in the early 70's at met stadium. I cannot think of a worse experience. Complete pain and discomfort. I was a kid and crazy at the time. I would never attend a Vikings game that late in the season outside ever again.

Season ticket holders couldn't give away the tickets fast enough late in the season back then.

 

[gopher1956]

you are a wimp

Need to play outside - Like Bud Grant

 

[dpodoll68]

So this isn't an idiotic statement? In your normal "rush to judgment" you proclaim that the idea of the Vikings never winning a "national championship" is Wrong! The Vikings have won an NFL Championship. Then when it was pointed out that the Vikings were short of a National Championship because the Super Bowl was already in place you come back with " that would be impossible". Rather then of course, admitting your mistake in the first place or seeing your mistake just letting it go.

Which, much like saying your wrong, is virtually impossible for you.

I know I've been asked not to respond to trolls, but screw it. Even though your posts overall are WAY on the correct side, you've got to be the most thin-skinned SOB that has ever posted here and you show it every time someone points out a mistake. This is the third time you've been a dick about being wrong at least to me. Put me on your ignore if you'd like, start drinking De-Caf or wait until someone is actually wrong before you jump in and try and get cute.

There. Happy?

A) I already said I was wrong. Did you see the part where I said we were both wrong? No, I guess you must have missed it. And I did "jump in and try and get cute", because you WERE wrong. The fact that I was also wrong doesn't make you any less wrong. Capisce?

B) So now you're calling me a troll? That's rich. I can show you my U of M diploma, the ticket stubs from the 60 or so Gopher games I've attended, and my TCF Bank Stadium print given to season ticket holders, if you like.

C) I don't use the ignore function. People holding the opposite viewpoint from me don't bother me. It's when they use misconstrued facts and blatant falsehoods to prop up their viewpoint that bothers me.

 

[Iceland12]

[/SIZE]

A) I already said I was wrong. Did you see the part where I said we were both wrong? No, I guess you must have missed it. And I did "jump in and try and get cute", because you WERE wrong. The fact that I was also wrong doesn't make you any less wrong. Capisce?

B) So now you're calling me a troll? That's rich. I can show you my U of M diploma, the ticket stubs from the 60 or so Gopher games I've attended, and my TCF Bank Stadium print given to season ticket holders, if you like.

C) I don't use the ignore function. People holding the opposite viewpoint from me don't bother me. It's when they use misconstrued facts and blatant falsehoods to prop up their viewpoint that bothers me.

We both know that the Super Bowl is the National if not(?) World Championship of Pro football. You were wrong but it absolutely kills you to admit it. You tried to weasel out of it by saying "We're both wrong". When you were just plain wrong. "NFL Champion" indeed. No you were wrong the first time and you just can't let it go.

Troll? I thought it was sarcastic. You're obviously a big Gopher Supporter but if you'd read your own responses....

Here you go: I enjoy watching the Vikings, but not nearly as much as I like college football. The Viking's success can't detract from Gophers success because the Gophers have only had 3 or 4 successful years since 1967! Even so, pretending that just getting into the NFL playoffs is somehow far superior to getting into a Bowl Game is and has been for awhile, laughable.

As for the "thin-skinned" part

I left in a grammtical error so you can respond to that rather then just saying that you made a mistake or moving on.

 

[Swede]

Happy trails....

Impressive video.

Seems like LA stadium ideas pop up every few years and fade away. I also think the NFL likes having an empty LA market in some respect. They've got teams in St Louis, San Diego, Oakland, Jacksonville and of course, Minnesota, that are in "need" of new facilities. Take out LA, and what metro area would put the kind of pressure on an existing NFL market (Portland, maybe?) to get the job done?

Is the NFL serious about LA? If so, why not promise an expansion team if a stadium is built? Surely there's some lunatic out there that would pay the expansion fee. LA obviously couldn't support the teams they've had, and those were before the days of lavish entertainment facilities that are an apparent NFL necessity now.

Vikings will not play in TCF unless a stadium is built on the dome site. Frankly, I don't care to use my tax dollars to build a stadium. That said, there are plenty of expenditures our state government makes that I don't agree. I don't like this idea of beauracrats driving up costs by suggesting a roof. If a deal could be done with an open air stadium (as the Wilfs have indicated they'd like) get it done. Who ever sat under the opening of a retractable roof and thought they were outside?

 

[GoAUpher]

Seems like LA stadium ideas pop up every few years and fade away. I also think the NFL likes having an empty LA market in some respect. They've got teams in St Louis, San Diego, Oakland, Jacksonville and of course, Minnesota, that are in "need" of new facilities. Take out LA, and what metro area would put the kind of pressure on an existing NFL market (Portland, maybe?) to get the job done?

I think the difference is that this "bid" already has full private funding for a stadium. I do agree that the "LA Card" is a big help to teams in other markets who want to improve their stadium situation though.

 

[Bronko Nagurski Gopher]

I have very little doubt that the Vikings will ultimately share the stadium with the Gophers permanently. The Vikings are not going to come up with the $750 million in public money they are looking for to build their own stadium. The Legislature will pressure the U of M, threaten their academic funding and give them just enough money for their troubles to be convincing. And that will suck.

never going to happen. even the state legislature is not dumb enough to tie the U of M's general funding to whether or not they allow an NFL team to permanently play in the gophers stadium.

the key difference here that some seem to be forgetting: this is not like with the metrodome ,where the facility was owned essentially by the state. the gophers football stadium is owned by the university and therefore the legislature has very little power or leverage overe the day-to-day use of it. it is the u of m who has leverage against the state now, not the other way around.

 

[washgopher]

69 game

As I recall, that game was in a driving rain storm and the final score was 6-3. Swell game. I went back to the dorm and stayed dry.

 

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

Although I guess it was a reasonable assumption, I had not yet seen it in print that the University is acknowledging that the Vikings will "likely play" at TCF Bank stadium during construction of a new stadium (if it occurs).

http://www.startribune.com/local/70429162.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUUs

I particularly liked Richard Pfutzenreuter's (CFO for the University) quote at the end of the article:

"We're not dumb here," he said. "They're going to need to play" at the university. "There's been no discussion of terms and conditions -- and there will be terms and conditions."

Ja think the U might let a little alcohol be served during a Vikings game?

I can think of several "conditions" that the U needs to impose on the Vikings - nothing too drastic just the same deal that the Vikings game them at the Metrodome:
- no suite revenue
- minimal percentage of concession stand revenue (including Vikings jerseys, etc.)
- no parking revenue
- no use of the stadium for practices

Any others??

On alcohol:

I don't think Illinois served alcohol in the main seats while the Bears played there.

 

[13 Lined Ground Squirrel]

No roof = No Final Fours. Bad idea

No roof = great football.

No Final Fours = no problem.