Vikings owner takes stadium case on the road

AUSTIN, MINN. -- Making his most expansive comments yet on the need for a new stadium, Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf chastised politicians Tuesday for dodging an issue that "doesn't serve their political purposes" and said they should not "run away" from a project many Minnesotans want to see happen.

Calling himself not only the owner but the "guardian" of the state's most popular sports franchise, Wilf posed for pictures with fans clad in Vikings jerseys, autographed footballs and, in general, took on a public persona he has largely avoided as the team's principal owner.

Greeted with loud applause as part of a community visit to southern Minnesota by team officials, Wilf entered a large hall with Vikings football stars Sidney Rice and Visanthe Shiancoe, beneath a banner that read, "Rice -- Shiancoe -- Zygi Rocks".

Later, Wilf sat on a stool and answered a series of pointed questions, saying he favored a stadium with a retractable roof, did not think "retrofitting" the team's Metrodome home made sense and felt that politicians who ducked the stadium issue were not providing "an acceptable answer to us." Wilf seemed to save his bluntest remarks for the state's elected officials.

"It's unfortunate that many people don't want to get engaged in it because it doesn't serve their political purposes," Wilf told a sold-out Chamber of Commerce luncheon. "This team belongs to the fans and the people of Minnesota."

Going on the offensive

Wilf's comments were another sign that the team senses an opening to push the stadium debate, as players pile up wins on the football field.

Barely a week ago, the team maintained that Wilf would have little to say about a new stadium until the season is over. But on Tuesday, he appeared almost eager to talk about it.

The change comes just days after the Vikings began feuding publicly with the Metrodome's owners over an unwelcome attempt to extend the team's lease past 2011.

While Wilf acknowledged that he was advocating for a stadium that would almost certainly need taxpayer money in a "difficult economy," he brushed aside the notion that Minnesotans might see it as another government bailout of a wealthy professional team owner.

"I think he's a great guy," said Ben Rushton, of Austin, moments after posing for a picture with Wilf. Rushton said he attends one Vikings game a year, but "I would vote yes" for a new stadium. It was "inevitable," he said, that taxpayer money would be involved. "It's going to cost [everybody] money, no matter what."

Monica Dahlen, a mother of three, arrived with purple-painted fingernails, each nail featuring a letter that spelled out "V-I-K-E-S, 4-E-V-E-R." Standing in line as a large crowd filed into a hall to await Wilf and the players, Dahlen said that "as far as taxes, I don't think that should be a problem." She held a purple-and-gold mask, which she said she had just bought on eBay and called "my new addition."

"Hopefully they'll be able to sign my mask," she said.

Though Wilf and Vikings officials repeatedly highlighted the team's TV ratings and on-field performance, Wilf backed away from assertions that he was using the team's 9-1 win record to boost the stadium's chances.

"I'm not concerned about a tie-in to performance," Wilf said.

Asked whether the Legislature needs to act in 2010, Wilf simply said that "we got to do it now," and said that "seeing the outcry" from fans regarding the Vikings showed that "the team is something that makes everyone's quality of life that much better." Wilf said the team has no plans to leave Minnesota.

Wilf was, however, vague on funding specifics. "We're doing all our homework [in] making sure we come out with a plan that can work," he said. "It's not an easy solution."

Retractable roof? Yes

In another departure, Wilf said he now wants a retractable roof stadium. The Vikings have said in the past that the team did not need a retractable roof -- a feature that would add an estimated $200 million to the price of a stadium. Not everyone was ready to join the stadium bandwagon Tuesday, including Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Brandon Talley, an Austin resident who listened to Wilf speak at the YMCA.

"I don't think the economy is ready in this day and age for that," said Talley, who wore a Vikings jacket and admitted he is "glued" to the team's Sunday games. Talley said the Vikings should instead remodel the aging Metrodome.

At the State Capitol, Pawlenty said the Vikings "need a solution in the not-too-distant future," but noted that the stadium "has to be put in the entire context of lots of other stuff." The governor said the state's next economic forecast, due next week, will show that "we are going to have much more of a challenge this session than people realize."

During much of his visit to Austin, Wilf appeared relaxed and at one point joked openly with Shiancoe about player salaries. Sen. Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin, who sat near Wilf at the luncheon, said Wilf taking center stage would aid the Vikings' cause. "I think it certainly is not going to hurt him," Sparks said.

As the crowd began arriving for a luncheon, Sandy Forstner, the executive director of the Austin Area Chamber of Commerce, said it was difficult to tell whether Tuesday's visit by the Vikings would help sell local people on a stadium.

But looking at the large crowd, he added: "I should have had a bigger room. I wish I could sell all my events out this quickly."

Staff writer Baird Helgeson contributed to this article.

Mike Kaszuba • 651-222-1673