Spectator Sports Sector

Vikings unveil stadium design: Top 10 tweets

In what will go down as one of the most ringing first-take endorsements of the Vikings new stadium design, Greg Jennings called it "serious."THE BACKSTORY: New Vikings stadium design revealed [IMAGES]So yeah, in general, folks weren't thrilled to learn that the east end of downtown will soon be occu ... More >>

Mpls unveils $400 million plan to convert Star Tribune land into downtown's biggest park

Zygi Wilf isn't the only one whose wallet got fatter as a result of the Vikings stadium deal. Another big winner was the Star Tribune, as the paper stands to make a pretty penny selling the right-next-to-the-new-stadium property it owns for redevelopment.SEE ALSO: New Vikings stadium design revealed ... More >>

New Vikings stadium design revealed [IMAGES] [UPDATE]

:::: UPDATE :::: Vikings unveil stadium design: Top 10 tweets Following months of speculation, the Metrodome's $975 million replacement got its big reveal in a special ceremony at the Guthrie Theater on Monday night.In front of a crowd that included Governor Mark Dayton (wearing a Vikes-appropriate ... More >>

Vikings tweak logo to make Norseman look slightly more pissed off [IMAGE]

Forty-seven years after he debuted on the NFL scene, the Vikings' Norseman has gotten a haircut and is looking more pissed off than ever. We suppose it stands to reason he's looking a bit haggard in light of all the heartbreak he's endured.SEE ALSO: Vikings have one of the ugliest uniforms in pro sp ... More >>

Dayton's angry letter to Wilfs means "Vikings could be back in play for L.A.," NBC writes

Think the Vikings stadium drama ended last spring when the Minneapolis City Council signed off on a stadium bill? Think again, apparently.SEE ALSO:-- NFL: No Los Angeles Vikings in 2012-- ESPN's Mike and Mike still unaware of Vikings stadium deal, think team might move to L.A.Last week, the Vikings ... More >>

Minnesota Vikings' one-year value increase largest in NFL

SEE ALSO: ESPN's Mike and Mike still unaware of Vikings stadium deal, think team might move to L.A.Unless you're Mike and Mike, this won't come as a surprise -- Zygi-land means $$$ for the Wilfs.That's on display today as Forbes released its annual NFL team values ranking. And the biggest one-year w ... More >>

Vikings stadium receives final approval from Minneapolis City Council on 7-6 vote

Kevin Reich, in the end, didn't want to risk going down as the man who ran the Vikings out of Minnesota.The drama is done, folks. This morning, on a 7-6 vote, the Minneapolis City Council gave final, official approval to a funding plan that will construct a new Vikings stadium on the Metrodome site. ... More >>

Lowertown plans for new bars, bakery, and restaurants

It's a Saturday morning after a successful trip to the St. Paul Farmers Market. You got your fresh flowers, snap peas, and bunches of basil, but now you've worked up an appetite and are craving a sit-down breakfast that doesn't leave grease on your spoon. Sorry, Mickey's -- not always in the mood to ... More >>

Taxpayers League's poll says majority of Minneapolis opposes Vikings stadium plan

Would you want to go down in history as the city official known for running the Vikings out of Minnesota? Probably not. But what if a majority of your city's residents stood behind you when you voted "no"?This morning, just two days before the Minneapolis City Council is expected to rubber-stamp the ... More >>

Vikings stadium bill receives final legislative approval; Mpls City Council vote last step

Rejoice, Vikings fans! A bill for a new NFL stadium in Minneapolis today surmounted its last legislative hurdles -- final approvals by the House and Senate following the completion of the conference committee's work early this morning.The bill now heads to Gov. Mark Dayton, who, as one of the new st ... More >>

Stadium bill deader than Vikings' postseason chances, but Dayton hopeful for another shot

Remember that Vikings stadium bill? That thing now looks like it's in worse shape than Adrian Peterson's knee.The bill was sacked last night by the House Government Operations and Elections Committee, which killed in with a 9-6 vote. Afterward, the chief author of the House bill, Rep. Morrie Lanning ... More >>

Majority of Minneapolis City Council now supports Vikings stadium

​Today, after months of backdoor negotiations and hemming and hawing, a majority of Minneapolis City Council members pledged support for a new Vikings stadium at the Metrodome site.At a news conference, Mayor R.T. Rybak told Gov. Mark Dayton: "We want to hand you the signed letters of seven city c ... More >>

Pro-Vikings stadium group releases pro-stadium poll, sparking Twitter controversy

​Today, a pro-stadium group named Home Field Advantage released an opinion poll showing that 61 percent of Minnesotans support construction of a new Vikings stadium at the Metrodome site. 72 percent of 1,000 Minnesotans polled say the new stadium is "somewhat or very important" to keeping the Vi ... More >>

Vikings stadium proposal isn't for the "people"

Six myths the mainstream media perpetuates

Vikings, Rybak, Dayton, pro-Vikes legislators finally unveil stadium plan

​After months of hearing lawmakers carp that they couldn't speak to whether they support using public money for a new Vikings stadium without seeing a detailed proposal, a plan has finally emerged.During a news conference earlier today, Gov. Dayton and the Vikings unveiled a $975 million stadium p ... More >>

The Sports Show

NFL: No Los Angeles Vikings in 2012

​We've been hearing for months about how the Vikings' expiring Metrodome lease means it's urgent for lawmakers to get a stadium deal done early this legislative session.Los Angeles is ready and willing, so goes this logic, to have the team play in the Rose Bowl for a couple years while a new stadi ... More >>

Dayton to Vikes: Metrodome site or bust

​The train wreck that is the Vikings stadium drive went a little more off the rails Monday afternoon.Governor Dayton told Zygi Wilf that the only workable site this session for a new stadium is the Metrodome, which happens to be the site least favored by Vikings ownership.With the team's Metrodome ... More >>

Vikings stadium: Minneapolis, Ramsey County release final funding proposals

​As far as the Vikings stadium controversy is concerned, the time for talk is nearing an end.Today, Minneapolis and Ramsey County -- the two leading contenders to serve as the site of a new public-private NFL stadium -- submitted their final stadium funding proposals, less than two weeks before th ... More >>

Shakopee, out of nowhere, announces Vikings stadium bid

​Maybe the the mayor of Shakopee simply misread his calendar by a year.That's because today -- one day before the Governor Dayton-imposed deadline for final stadium proposals -- Shakopee Mayor Brad Tabke plans to hold a news conference at the State Capitol to announce the suburb is "going after th ... More >>

Vikes stadium: Dayton asks city, Ramsey County to play hurry-up

Minneapolis leaders are mounting a last-minute drive to keep the Vikings in town. ​Governor Dayton wants Minneapolis and Ramsey County to deploy hurry-up offenses in hopes of bringing closure to the Vikings' stadium drive.Today, he sent the Ramsey County board and Mayor R.T. Rybak letters setting ... More >>

Vikings warming to idea of staying in Minneapolis

​After months of insisting that Arden Hills is the team's preferred site for a new Vikings stadium, it appears ownership is warming to the idea of staying in downtown Minneapolis.During meetings with state political leaders yesterday, owner Zygi Wilf reportedly displayed maps showing how a new sta ... More >>

Vikings stadium won't get a special session

This stadium will have to wait until the legislature's New Year's hangover wears off.​The Minnesota Vikings are, putting it kindly, not a very special football team right now. Fittingly, the team won't get a special session from the legislature to rule on its new stadium(s?), and will have to wait ... More >>

Minnesota might sell Zygi Wilf the Metrodome for $1

The Metrodome is for sale: Can anyone lend Zygi a quarter?​In the hectic lead-up to the proposed special session that will or will not approve a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings, all things are on the table. The latest proposal is no crazier than the other ones -- for example, gettin' in the ... More >>

Gambling on football: How the Block E Casino might build the Vikings stadium

Want this stadium? Fine, just keep dumping quarters in that slot machine.​As of this morning, Minneapolis is a city with one professional football team, and zero casinos. Some day soon, that could be the other way around.The new push for a special session to finance the Vikings stadium in Arden Hi ... More >>

Vikings stadium won't go to a vote

Who cares if you want to pay for the new Vikings stadium?​The Minnesota Vikings new stadium will be a $1.1 billion monument dedicated to the death of democracy. That's what taxpayers learned last night, when the Ramsey County Charter Commission voted not to allow a vote on the tax that will build ... More >>

Fran Tarkenton: Treat teachers like quarterbacks

​Fran Tarkenton made his name as a scrambler and a gambler in a Vikings jersey. The quarterback winged risky passes into traffic and ran like his life was in danger -- which, at only 6 foot, 190 pounds, it probably was. But because Tarkenton's risk-taking paid off, he got paid, to the tune ... More >>

Minneapolis wants $30 million cut of Metrodome sale

R.T. Rybak says the city has shelled out more than $30 million on the Dome over the years.​This isn't going to help the Vikings on that whole new stadium plan idea thing. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak sent a letter to Gov. Mark Dayton earlier this week claiming the city is entitled to a $30 millio ... More >>

St. Paul City Council opposes Vikings stadium tax [UPDATE]

Pictured: The proposed stadium in Arden Hills. Some assembly required. ​A resolution on the tax to fund the Minnesota Vikings stadium in Arden Hills looks headed for a 7-0 shutout in the St. Paul City Council today. If it's approved by the state Legislature, the current proposal would raise sales ... More >>

Vikings stadium supporters, opponents post dueling online petitions

The Ramsey county stadium being fought over with cyber-clipboards.​After Shoreview city councilman Blake Huffman posted an online petition asking government officials to block plans for a new Vikings stadium in Arden Hills, the online backlash was swift and angry. "It's insulting to me that Blake ... More >>

Roger Goodell says NFL would pitch in for Vikings stadium

Wiki.Could this man be the answer to Vikings fans' prayers?​With less than a week left to go in the legislative session, the Vikings stadium proposal is still showing some signs of life. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell now says the league is willing to chip in on a new stadium, which in theory ... More >>

Cory Merrifield, SaveTheVikes.org leader, boosts new stadium plans

Courtesy Savethevikes.org.Vikings superfan Cory Merrifiled, right, has been lobbying for a new stadium since 2009. ​On Tuesday, a lot of Vikings fans celebrated a victory when team owners struck a deal with Ramsey County to build a new stadium in Arden Hills. But even with a location suppose ... More >>

Ted Mondale is the latest Vikings stadium party pooper

Ahem. About that $175 million?​Ted Mondale, the governor's point man on steering a stadium deal that will keep the Vikings in Minnesota, pointed out today that all this self-congratulatory backslapping between Ramsey County and the Wilf brothers (and SaveTheVikes) over a new stadium in Arden H ... More >>

Ramsey County wins Vikings stadium bid war

minnesotavikings.comThe Vikings' new schloss will sit on the laqrgest Superfund site in the country.​If the Vikings stay in Minnesota, they're going to do it in Arden Hills. Ramsey County won the bidding war against Minneapolis to help finance the construction of the team's new stadium on what ... More >>

St. Paul federal judge Susan Nelson rules to end NFL lockout

The NFL is none too pleased with the ruling of St. Paul judge Susan Richard Nelson.​A federal judge in St. Paul has agreed with NFL players and ruled to stop a lock-out imposed by team owners. In the decision released this afternoon, Judge Susan Richard Nelson agreed with football superstars ... More >>

Vikings need more than one boring new stadium: Comment Of The Day

What's wrong with the Metrodome? (Oh, wait.)​The new Vikings stadium bill dropped on Friday, posing in part as a jobs bill, and with the requirement that the team pay for just one-third of the facility's construction cost is already grating on our commenters' nerves. "Yeah...they should build ... More >>

Minnesota Vikings stadium proposal published

The Legislature will take another shot at making a new Vikings stadium a reality.​Here we go again. Now that the Legislature appears to be nearing the end of debate on some seriously draconian bills that slash spending on education, health and human services, it's going to take up the matter ... More >>

Downsize the Army NASCAR sponsorship: Comment Of The Day

Your tax dollars at work.​Rep. Betty McCollum isn't backing off her efforts to defund the U.S. Army's NASCAR sponsorship. Booyah, says commenter commonsensebroad. "If some business wants to waste their money "sponsoring" some sports thing, that's their problem - they have to answer to their ... More >>

Betty McCollum guards Sesame Street and Republicans go Gonzo

Big Bird: Not worthy of your tax dollars?​Rep. Betty McCollum and some other House members stood on the Capitol steps with Elmo and Big Bird yesterday, deriding Republicans for trying to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's $451 million operating budget. PBS is an oasis in the va ... More >>

Mark Dayton, Tom Emmer and Tom Horner pledge new Vikings stadium

Horner's wit earned the biggest applause and laughs last night at the expense of his opponents.​Gubernatorial candidates Tom Emmer, Mark Dayton and Tom Horner don't agree on much. And with Election Day fast approaching, none wasted much time with pleasantries at last night's debate. Independe ... More >>

U of M students not paying to fill their own TCF Bank Stadium

TCF Stadium ticket sales are weak​Swanky new stadiums only go so far: The University of Minnesota is reporting that it's having a hard time selling tickets to students to watch their very own Golden Gophers ahead of the 2010 season, just a year after the same seats sold out well in advance. Th ... More >>

Vikings stadium bill is dead

No one's going to see this view any time soon​Fans of giving the Minnesota Vikings another shot at the public trough to finance a new stadium saw their dreams die on Monday as the Legislature adjourned for the biennium without moving on a last-minute bill. Under the plan as it was introduced, ... More >>

New Vikings stadium bill again relies on public trough

Who pays for the new Vikings stadium?​They want to call it a "multi-purpose facility." They insist, "no state money for schools, roads, healthcare, or any other state programs can be used to build the new stadium." But state lawmakers pushing a new home for the Minnesota Vikings do indeed wa ... More >>

New stadium plans unveiled - with a Vikings twist

Rebuilding the Metrodome would cost $870 million, less than previously estimated, according to a report presented today.

Sports commission fights idea that MN too poor for new stadium

Fresh on the heels of a report that found the Twin Cities can't afford four pro sports teams, the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission is set to release a report tomorrow making the case for a new stadium.

Coming Soon: Kieran's moves to Block E

Bye-bye Bellanotte, hello Kieran's!

Forbes to Vikings: You're Still Worthless

Vikings Among Top 10 Most Endangered Teams?

Minnesota Thunder vs. Rochester Rhinos

North Carolina Triplets?

Columnists at the Twin Cities' newspaper of record just can't seem to ask tough questions about Twins owner Carl Pohlad's plans to sell.