Friday, December 18, 2009

SPECIAL EDITION: MLS In Minneapolis

Today there has been lots of scuttlebutt concerning MLS coming to the Twin Cities and sharing a new stadium with the Minnesota Vikings. The Minneapolis Star Tribune ran a story today.

dN

I live in Minneapolis, so let me shed some light on this story:

The owner of the Vikings is a liar. How’s that for a start.

Then we can go right to this: the stadium they are talking about in the article is one that the Vikings are on record as saying they have no interest in.

This stadium would be owned by the Metropolitan Sports Commission who would rent it out to the Vikings for 10+ games per year, and then the Commission would make money on everything else, just like they do now at the Metrodome (which is rented out nearly every single day of the year.)

Of course what the Vikings want is for the city, county, state to build them a stadium and then hand it over so the Vikings will make every penny on use above and beyond football games; naming rights, in-stadium advertising, parking, sky boxes, merch, food, beer etc etc

In their moves we also see the Vikings using the old ploy of saying “other sports” can be played in the stadium, just to placate politicians.

Across town the University of Minnesota built a new football stadium (that opened this Septmeber) saying international soccer would be played there, but in the end the field dimensions are too small for international soccer. Not to mention that it has fake turf. A good example of lies from people who need money to build stadiums

It’s not unlike the Seattle Seahawks using soccer as a tool when getting tax payers to pay for Qwest Field - they lied too - when in reality the Seahawks had no interest in MLS. Several years later when someone else put up all the money for a MLS team then the Seahawks jumped on the bandwagon to get their stadium used for 20+ more dates per year.

It’s all politics.

But I guess at least people are talking about soccer in my city, and I sure like that.

10 Comments:

Blogger Demko said...

Totally agree. Lies, lies, lies.

11:25 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

I agree with this point of view and Demko's single pair of shoes.

11:52 AM  
Blogger digchros said...

I think the MLS in Minnesota talk is much ado about nothing, really. The city has a long way to go to demonstrate a widespread interest in soccer. (Remember the failure that was Copa Minnesota a few years ago?) MLS expansion is also a long and arduous process; many cities have publicly begun this process, Minneapolis has not.

I've not heard before that the dimensions of TCF Bank Stadium are too small. It was definitely on the list of stadiums being considered for the World Cup bids as well as the Chicago 2016 bid though, so that has to say something.

Before Minnesota should even tease the idea of biding for MLS, we need to bring some friendlies to TCF Bank Stadium and see who and how many comes out.

12:27 PM  
Blogger brucio said...

digchros: "TCF Bank Stadium ... too small. It was definitely on the list of stadiums being considered for the World Cup bids as well as the Chicago 2016 bid though"

The initial lists, before anyone actually checked on those kind of details. The stadium was never on any 2nd lists. Again more bogus propaganda put forth by stadium builders.

12:40 PM  
Blogger Abbie said...

Clearly you have no idea what you're talking about in regards to Seattle and Qwest Field. Key people behind the process of getting public funding for the stadium and now a part of the Washington State Public Stadium Authority has been all about soccer from the beginning. Important design aspects of the stadium, such as the dimensions, the crown of the field, were chosen with soccer in mind.

I don't think there was any lies being told to the voters who approve the referendum the ultimately build the stadium. They were told that soccer would be played there. Any you know what? There is! And when the Sounders sell out their games it's one of the best places in the country to see a match.

The first athletic event to be held in the stadium? Soccer. First championship to be won on the field? Soccer---the USL Sounders in 2005.

2:33 PM  
Blogger brucio said...

MLS Commissioner Doug Logan went to Seattle and made a big big push for funding for soccer at Qwest Field and even signed a letter saying that a MLS team would begin playing at Qwest in the 2003 or 4 season. The Seahawks ownership used this as a very big piece of their presentation to get the stadium funded.

You can play a soccer game just about anywhere, but actually housing a full time professional team is a whole other story.

Hell, our crappy Metrodome has housed real soccer games.

2:45 PM  
Anonymous Brian said...

Doug Logan? I think you mean Don Garber?

As for the questions about field dimensions and the world cup bids, I'm pretty sure the committee didn't actually check things like that for the inital bid because Lambeau Field was on there as well, and it is also not larger enough to host soccer matches.

2:50 AM  
Blogger brucio said...

Hey Brian,

At the time public funding was being sought for Qwest Field in Seattle, Doug Logan was commissioner of MLS, and it is his signature on that letter.

And you are 100% correct on Lambeau. That initial list was made for impact with the press. They wanted the list to be huge, showing the extremely high number of big stadiums in America. And yes there was some bluffing going on with field sizes. As a matter of fact the field dimensions with the new Cowboys Stadium in Dallas are too small for World Cup games as well.

9:32 AM  
Anonymous bq said...

digchros, I actually dug into the issue of TCF stadium, dimensions and all. You can find that article here: http://is.gd/5w88S

I'm right with Bruce on this one on Zygi and the BS thats going on here.

The original WC list as Bruce said was so BS. Just all hype to stir excitement that a WC match could be coming to YOUR part of the US. When the reality was, the group pretty much already knew which towns and stadiums they would pick. It's all just part of the attention they are trying to created to get everyone behind the WC 2018 or 2022 push. The Metrodome was listed on there and as Bruce and I once discussed, chances are, there will be no metrodome by 2022. The facility would be 40 years old by then. Also, what new stadiums may be ready to go by 2022 which have not even had a groundbreaking yet?

7:27 AM  
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