The big inflatable toilet took a turn for the worse on Saturday evening as 17 inches of snow dumped over the Twin Cities area.
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, former home of the Minnesota Twins and current home of the Minnesota Vikings, deflated as Mother Nature took a huge dump on it's roof tearing holes and giving the blue seats inside of the dome it's first view of the sun since 1983. That would have been great...had the stadium had a retractable roof.
Much like the other teams that had made the Metrodome its home, the Vikings have found that although it is functional, it's falling apart. Both the Twins and the University of Minnesota have new homes and have moved out as both got their public funding approved in the same legislation session.
The Vikings were left out of that, and the Minnesota legislature is under pressure to make that happen. A lot of the public has made their disdain for a new Viking stadium public, mainly because it would use taxpayer money to fund a private business. Well, I have a problem with that.
A new Viking stadium would bring many things to the table. The most relevant on this day is the safety issues that are starting to arise at the Metrodome. Apparently, staff workers were on top of the dome roof on Saturday night pouring steam and hot water on top of it to melt the piling snow. Remember, this was during a blizzard. They took the workers down, and as the pressure mounted, the roof finally gave way at about 5 am CST. What if the game continued to be scheduled at noon and BOOM! There goes the roof! The video of the collapse showed speakers swinging wildly and snow pouring in from every angle. If 64,000 people were crammed in there at the time of collapse, how bad would it have gotten.
Also, the tight concourses at the Metrodome pose another hazard. Had this happened during a game, people would have been running for their life through an incredibly tight concourse. If you've been to a game at the Dome, you know what I mean.
But people who do not go to Viking games are still screaming "What does this do for me?"
Football stadiums are probably the most important type of stadiums to improve the economy and make a metropolis area a place to be. Look at the new addition of Target Field in downtown Minneapolis. Many businesses have seen an uptick in business thanks to 81 home dates a year. People go downtown to what is a beautiful ballpark and they spend money at bars, restaurants, etc.
It also enhances the look of the downtown area. Next time you drive by the Dome, when it's inflated of course, look at how ugly the big slab of concrete and teflon looks against the Minneapolis skyline. Then follow I-94 a little bit further and see how beautiful Target Field looks against the same skyline. It makes a pretty big difference.
A new stadium would also bring many different events that could not be hosted in the Metrodome or any other sporting venue. For example, the Super Bowl requires that there must be a seating capacity of 70,000 to be considered. The Dome holds 64,000. The NCAA has similar requirements for the Final Four. Both events would bring big bucks to the Twin Cities Area.
"But why do I have to pay for something I'll never use?"
Why did many Minnesotans have to pay for the Guthrie with public funding? How is professional sports different from a performing art. Last time I checked, the athletes in the game are performing for many people around the world. Unless I find a really hot date that wants to go, odds are that I will never set foot in the Guthrie, but it makes the Twin Cities a better place, which is what the new stadium would do.
If you are still dead set against this stadium, I have one smug, arrogant jab to offer: It's going to happen. If not now, in 10 years.
If the Vikings move to Los Angeles, there will be a huge void in the Twin Cities area, especially among sports fans. They'll want a hometown football team to cheer for. They'll talk to their representative who builds a task force to "Bring Football Back To Minnesota." They'll wind up getting an expansion team and will build the stadium that would have kept the old team (and their tradition) there.
Think I'm wrong? Well, the Minnesota Wild would have something to say about that...
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