SavetheVikes Now

Welcome Vikings fans!
The time for action is now!

In the 2008 season the Minnesota Vikings were ranked dead last in revenue. In 2011 the Vikings contract with the Metrodome will expire, meaning the NFL and/or ownership has every right to move the team to another city.

Stadium talk is heating up again. Recently, the Vikings took our pitch for a new stadium to the state capital. Spouting economic metrics that haven’t changed too much since their economic impact analysis done in February, the response from our representatives was typical of the climate here in Minnesota: Chilly. I know what you’re thinking: the Vikings are an institution, they are one of the oldest teams in the NFL, and they have a legacy in Minnesota. Well folks, so did the Lakers and the North Stars. In the early 90’s Minnesota didn’t want to invest 20 million in renovating the Met Center. The result was Norm Green moving the team and leaving the state of hockey without its team for 7+ years. Only after spending hundreds of millions of dollars were we able to get an arena and an NHL franchise back in Minnesota.

The Vikings declined to renew their lease with Mall of America field beyond the 2011 season. And why would you renew? If your office location was keeping you from living up to your business potential, you would move offices or build a new one. Football is no different. Long lines in the bathrooms means people aren’t spending money at concessions or with the vendor’s in the seats. Congested hallways means people can’t move around enough to see and purchase all the merchandise the Vikings have to offer. Limited concession stands mean that people are waiting in line longer instead of increasing transactions through more availability. All of these things are keeping the Vikings revenue at the bottom of the league and fans from their seats.

We have seen the NFL do this before. Houston, Cleveland and Baltimore are all cities where the NFL has taken a team to only return later to award one back. If we let the Vikings go now, the cost of a new stadium and a new team would be well over a billion dollars.

With ownership willing to contribute and things winding down with the Gophers and Twins stadium, there will never be a more cost effective time to build a new stadium.

Dallas North Stars, Los Angeles Lakers, the California VIKINGS? Not again… Don’t let our cold economy lose yet another Minnesota team to a hot market!

YOU can make the difference. It will cost you nothing. It will take less than 5 minutes. Click here to KEEP the Vikes in Minnesota: www.savethevikes.org Please post this on your home page and forward to all of your friends!..