If You Build It, They Will Stay

When Zygi Wilf first bought the Vikings I remember hearing an interview with him on the radio. I can’t say what he said word for word, but I can paraphrase. He said that he’d like to get a new Vikings stadium but if it couldn’t be done then he’d find a way to make things work in the Metrodome. Well, apparently “making things work in the Metrodome” means threatening to move.

As many of you know there are rumblings that the Vikings are simply not financially viable as long as they’re in the Metrodome. Part of me wonders how true this really is but at the same time the truth doesn’t really matter. Regardless of financial viability, the Wilfs want a new stadium and will try to leave if they don’t get one.

I’d rather the Vikings not leave town, so let’s look at some ideas to raise the necessary money for a new stadium.


Raising Sales Tax: This is the most intrusive method to get money. The Twins got away with this though, for Hennepin County anyway. Now, to me, something like a one cent addition to sales tax isn’t a big deal. But I understand that it could be a big deal to some people and, to others, even if it is a little deal if you don’t like football you probably don’t one to pay a single cent for a new stadium to keep the Vikings here.

Raise Ticket Prices: I was crunching some numbers and if the Vikings raised their ticket prices by $10 for the regular season that would mean over five million dollars per year. Not sure that would be quite enough, even over like 3 years, but I suppose you could also raise concession prices by like 50 cents per item. Heck, why not set up a donation bucket for a new stadium outside the Metrodome gates?

This could get a little expensive for attendees of Vikings games but to me it’s already expensive to go to a game. At least this way it’s the Vikings fans that are paying for a new stadium. Of course, this is dangerously close to the Vikings paying for their own stadium and we can’t have that, can we?

Hotel and Rental Car Tax: This one is interesting. It’s basically the let-the-out-of-towners-pay plan. I know this has worked to some success in other cities (I believe in Indianapolis). The way I see it, if you’re coming to Minnesota on business you’ll come regardless of the tax and I doubt tourists let hotel/rental car taxes determine where they visit. So it sounds like easy money.

Heck, this could even be passed as a referendum since out of state people aren’t eligible to vote. Of course, that’s assuming that when people in Minnesota go to vote and see the words “increase taxes” they don’t automatically vote no. That’s a big assumption.

Slot Machines At Canterbury Park: Set up slot machines at Canterbury Park and the profits can go to a Vikings stadium. Once the stadium is paid for, I don’t know, the profits can go to schools? There’s already poker and black jack at Canterbury, what’s the big deal with adding one more form of gambling?

Who could be against this idea? Well, except the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux. I’m sure their giant wallets have some influence over the politicians in St. Paul. Gotta love politics. But I feel like there’s enough gambling money to go around, so the Mdewakanton Sioux should get over it.

Vikings Lottery Scratch-Off: There are already seemingly a hundred lottery scratch-off tickets, what’s one more? This would be similar to the slot machines plan except it would be more accessible to the public. Still, it’s very non-intrusive. If you don’t want to pay for the stadium then don’t buy the scratch-off ticket (or don't play the slot machine as the case may be).


So I can’t see why one or all of the last 3 ideas can’t work. They aren’t intrusive and only people willing to fork over the money do so (or in the case of the Hotel/Rental Car tax, it's only visitors who pay and who cares about them?). The only real argument against the ideas is that it just doesn’t feel right that the government would go out of its way to help the rich get richer. (I mean, why not set up a scratch-off lottery ticket game to help me get a bigger house?) I understand that argument and kind of agree with it.

But the way I see it, Minnesota’s back is against the wall. Either the state government helps the Vikings get a new stadium or the Vikings leave. (And really, the state government has no legs to stand on when arguing against publicly financed stadiums. They just helped the Twins, who have a much more miserly ownership than the Vikings, get a stadium.) I’m not sure a new stadium would create the economic boom some hypothesize it will but I do know that the Vikings leaving would hurt the economy. There's taxes on tickets, taxes on Vikings paraphernalia, players' salaries being taxed, etc.

So I don’t know if there’s a great, realistic solution, but I say the state should just bite the bullet and try one of the non-intrusive ways to fund a stadium. Otherwise, I don’t see the Vikings staying and that would make me sad. Although, I suppose it would make Packer fans happy...which would make me sadder.