Minnesota Viking fans get a slap across the face

[ddaryl]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2012/02/11/vikings-owner-slaps-taxpayers-for-offerinig-to-make-him-much-richer/?partner=yahootix


They offered to build him a new, $1.1 billion, cash-rich stadium that would allow the team owner to make hundreds of millions of dollars from new stadium revenue and possibly much more from developing nearby real estate. The plan offered by Ramsey County would have the Vikings contributing $425 million (including a substantial loan from the National Football League), the state $350 million and $336 million from the county.


The StarTribune reported (http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/139100284.html) yesterday that the Vikings rejected the plan, the third one presented to the team, essentially because the Vikings will not make enough money from the new stadium as they would have from the previous proposals. The latest plan delivered to Gov. Mark Dayton (http://www.forbes.com/places/oh/dayton/) shifted from using county sales taxes to user fees at the proposed stadium site in Arden Hills. Lester Bagley was direct about the third effort, saying, “Our view is the earlier proposals were more viable.”



this is really bizarre, and such an ugly reality. Looks to me that Zygi Wilf wants to move to L.A.

[Ed]

The rich are never rich enough.

[ddaryl]

The rich are never rich enough.

in most cases, yes, the never ending pursuit for more money and the bulilding of empires at the expense of many

[Skooby]

If you make poor business decisions, you don't get to own a NFL team.

[Night Train]

They are a prime candidate to move, IMO.

Anong with San Diego, St. Louis & Jacksonville having obvious problems, the " Bills are moving " concerns never mean a damn thing to me.

[Ed]

If you make poor business decisions, you don't get to own a NFL team.
You mean if you don't gouge the fans and tax payers as much as possible you're not worthy of being in the exclusive fraternity of NFL ownership.

[ddaryl]

They are a prime candidate to move, IMO.

Anong with San Diego, St. Louis & Jacksonville having obvious problems, the " Bills are moving " concerns never mean a damn thing to me.

they might have been, but with the deals that have been put on the table, I fail to see why they should even be a candidate...

Minnesota and NFL have stood up and offered a damn good incentive to stay... All this ******* wants is what's best for his increased wealth and empire building.

that's the point where I get turned off by our capitalistic systems.... How much is enough, and why toss some of the best and loyalist NFL fans under a bus, especially after agreeing to massively fund a bad ass stadium, for the benefit of a few over many. This guy will profit quite nicely from any one of the deals offers, but it simply is not enough... Add in the fact that LA fans are no where's near as passionate or loyal judging by the amount of teams that have continually failed there.

If Minnesota would of said no new stadium, then I could understand, but Minnesota has stepped up and done their part.

[mrbojanglezs]

Ralph would have done the same

[ddaryl]

Ralph would have done the same
He has not done the same... And we only offer him upgrades to an old stadium and continue to do so and he doesn't threaten to take the team elsewhere.

The situation isn't even close, in fact it's polar opposite.

now the whole not finding a local successor thing when he does sell sucks, but that is not the same

[Goobylal]

Ralph would have done the same
Quite possibly one of the dumbest things I've read today, if not in awhile.

[Skooby]

You mean if you don't gouge the fans and tax payers as much as possible you're not worthy of being in the exclusive fraternity of NFL ownership.

Business is business, you don't tilt the table away from yourself during negotiations. It's like walking into a restaurant & self-doubling the cost of their posted prices, not a bright move.

Buying a ticket & watching a game is a choice, no one is forced to do it. We as consumers are gouged at the gas pump, electric plant & grocery store.

[ddaryl]

Business is business, you don't tilt the table away from yourself during negotiations. It's like walking into a restaurant & self-doubling the cost of their posted prices, not a bright move.

Buying a ticket & watching a game is a choice, no one is forced to do it. We as consumers are gouged at the gas pump, electric plant & grocery store.


this makes no sense in regards to the topic at hand.

The Vikings owner has been given 3 really sweet deals that would net him plenty of profits over the lifetime of the contract. He has turned down all 3

He continues to turn them down. A huge part of these deals is TAX PAYER MONEY.

So what you are saying is that Business of football deserves to extort money from tax payers by holding something they have associated with their city/state for decades HOSTAGE, until they get the profit margins they crave.

and people wonder why the world is going to poop, it's this exact mentality that those who can deserve to control and manipulate everything to their extreme favor.

[Skooby]

this makes no sense in regards to the topic at hand.

The Vikings owner has been given 3 really sweet deals that would net him plenty of profits over the lifetime of the contract. He has turned down all 3

He continues to turn them down. A huge part of these deals is TAX PAYER MONEY.

So what you are saying is that Business pf football deserves to extort money from tax payers by holding something they have associated with their city/state for decades HOSTAGE, until they get the profit margins they crave.

and people wonder why the world is going to poop, it's this exact mentality that those who can deserve to control and manipulate everything to their extreme favor.

Obviously Ziggy feels there is not enough on the table, whether it be an attempt to move the team to LA or what have you. I have zero sympathy for the owners in the NFL & feel like they're power hungry. It's just hard for me to blame a guy when I don't know the whole situation, that's not really fair for me to decide.

[ddaryl]

maybe so.. but I see a deal on the table that would provide solid profit margins.. and I think Ziggy is willing to piss on Minnesotans / Viking fans if he does not get the profit margins he craves. So basically he is an extortionist, and he sees bigger $$$ signs in LA, but he will see what he can extort from Minnesota 1st. To me that's not business, that's the ugly head of plutocracy.

[Night Train]

maybe so.. but I see a deal on the table that would provide solid profit margins.. and I think Ziggy is willing to piss on Minnesotans / Viking fans if he does not get the profit margins he craves. So basically he is an extortionist, and he sees bigger $$$ signs in LA, but he will see what he can extort from Minnesota 1st. To me that's not business, that's the ugly head of plutocracy.

That's the difference between him and Ralph. Ziggy want's a group from LA or parts unknown to swoop in and offer him big $$ to move his team. That's obvious.

Ralph is a lot of things but he's not trying to sell his team to the highest bidder, regardless of location.

The other teams I mentioned above have far more problems with actual local interest/support than the Bills. People that wish to periodically post " we're moving ! " are just attempting an attention grab and little else.