vikings/nfl

The Vikings might need corporate intervention to avoid a television blackout of Sunday's regular-season opener against Atlanta.

In the seven days since acknowledging a dangerous ticket surplus, the team had sold about 2,300 tickets — less than half the total they must move by Thursday at noon. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Vikings had 3,500 tickets available, according to Vice President of Sales and Marketing Steve LaCroix.

LaCroix acknowledged last week the team has had discussions with local companies that might have the resources and interest in making a bulk purchase. The Vikings benefited from a similar arrangement in 1979, when General Mills agreed to set aside $1.5 million to purchase unsold tickets.

That arrangement with General Mills expired in 1994. One possibility this year might be KMSP (Ch.9), which is scheduled to air the game but would lose 16 units of 30-second advertising spots should it get blacked out.

Asked Tuesday if the Vikings are close to entering into a corporate agreement, LaCroix said: "At this point, there is no plan for that. But certainly as we get closer to the deadline and have discussions with the league office, we'll pursue every option possible."

The Vikings previously had decided to donate more than 1,100 tickets to the families of Interstate 35W bridge victims. The donation is not included in the count of available tickets.

LaCroix said there has been a "good response from our fan base" during the past week but acknowledged the Labor Day long weekend left the Vikings "with a lot of work to do in the next 48 hours."It has been consistent over the last week," LaCroix said. "The holiday weekend, State Fair closure and school starting has garnered people's attentions. There are obstacles there, but [Tuesday's update] will help put it back on the radar down the stretch."

The NFL occasionally grants extensions, and the Vikings could be eligible for one based on Labor Day weekend. If granted, the decision would not come until Thursday.

If the game is blacked out, no one in the Vikings' primary or secondary television markets — those roughly 75 miles from the Twin Cities — would be able to watch the game.

Although nearly 65,000 can squeeze inside the Metrodome, the NFL considers 62,000 tickets there a sellout. The Vikings narrowly avoided a blackout for last Thursday's preseason finale against Dallas, announcing 62,938 tickets sold — a figure that included 4,000 discounted for area youth football players as part of an annual NFL program.

The game qualified as the smallest announced attendance for a Vikings game at the Metrodome — preseason, regular season or playoffs — since the 1998 preseason, when their 96-game sellout streak began. Their last blackout was Dec. 21, 1997, when 54,107 tickets were sold for the Vikings' 39-28 victory over Indianapolis.

Complicating matters have been thousands of discounted tickets available on eBay and through StubHub and other distribution companies. Those tickets already have been sold, and therefore don't count as part of the 3,500 remaining, but the prices and location are in some instances better than tickets the Vikings are offering.

Tuesday night, tickets were available for as low as $3 from StubHub, the cheapest ticket available from StubHub for any NFL game this weekend.

On eBay, a pair of tickets in the upper corner of the Metrodome sold for $10.20 ($2.25 plus $7.95 for shipping). At TicketMaster's website, the cheapest price for two tickets, also in the upper corner, was $110.45 ($46 per ticket, plus taxes and convenience and processing charges).

Ticket King's Mike Nowakowski said he has unobstructed views for $15; face value for those tickets is $19.61.

"Sales are soft," Nowakowski said, "but the opener is historically soft here because it's still nice out and people generally use this weekend as a last chance to go to their cabins or just be outside. ... In years past, they bottomed out at face value for the opening game."

Kevin Seifert • kseifert@startribune.com

Judd Zulgad • jzulgad@startribune.com