MN Vikings Situation A Replay Of MN North Stars Fiasco

The similiarities are many between the current Minnesota Vikings situation and that of the FORMER MN North Stars. In 1991 the North Stars went all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins. They were also seeking state help with renovations for the aging Met Center of $20 mil. The state took a hard ball stance and said no, if you want it pay for it yourself and if you don't like it leave. It didn't help that at that time the North Stars were owned by Norm Green who had legal problems with staff members and had no less than 7 banks if memory serves me correctly pursuing him for money owed. The end result was that in 1993 Norm took the money and ran and oh yeah he took the North Stars with him all the way to Dallas and immediately sold the franchise down there.

It took Minnesota 7 VERY LONG years and rediculous amounts of money, over $20 mil, to convince the NHL we were worthy of another chance and an expansion franchise. So we were forced to start over (not a rip on the Wild they rock) with a new team. All of our previous money, hard work and tradition was lost and in 1999 Dallas won a Stanley Cup with our team. Our new expansion team opened up in 2000 with a bunch of cast offs, albeit hard working ones with a lot of character and grit. The total cost was over $300 mil for expansion fees and a new arena in downtown St. Paul.

Here we are just shy of 20 years later and Minnesota has not learned a thing. We know the damage done and the cost of replacing a team that departs and both are high!

In 2009 the Minnesota Vikings were 1 dropped pass, 1 interception, 1 fumble, 1 too many men on the field penalty, 1 not going for a field goal, or.... oh well you get the picture we were that close to the Super Bowl then lost in OT.

The Vikings have been trying for better part of a decade or more to get the attention of the legislature for a #vikingsstadiumsolution to no avail. In 2006 they graciously stepped aside at the request of the legislature so that bills could be finalized resolving the Twins and Gophers poor stadium situations which the Vikings recognized as also important. They were team players doing what was best for Minnesota as they realized the value of those important assets. The legislature PROMISED the Vikings situation would be addressed. Here we are in 2011, which by the way is the last year of the Vikings lease tying them to Minny, and still no resolutuon of the issue. It just keeps being pushed to the backburner because of other issues. These issues are also important, but the legislature is elected and tasked with handling all the states issues and if necessary multi-tasking, not just handling the politically easy footballs. We need to handle this and keep it as affordable as possible for Minny. Not ignoring the issue and have the costs go up exponentially and lose the team like we did with the North Stars.

The Vikings are a valuable asset for Minnesota and a proven team player in what is best for the state, lets resolve this VERY important issue and keep the Vikings where they belong, here in Minny!!

LA is salivating over our team right now ready to make an offer! Let's treat them like the dogs they are and tell them no prime rib today, go get your ground chuck and pick up a team like the Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers or Oakland Raiders!! Two of which already have had LA ties and the other two, well blah....what does NY state need 3 teams for anyway?

The time is now Minnesota!! The #biginflatabletoilet is not a viable option for the Vikings or for us. Look what the Xcel Energy Center has done for St. Paul and what Target Field has done for Minneapolis! Both of which by the way were in the top 5 as named by SI for fan game day experience nationwide in all pro sports, with Target Field #1 and Xcel Energy Center #3. When we do it, we can do it right and cheaper than many other lower quality venues.

Please visit the sites below for more information. Also PLEASE contact Gov. Mark Dayton and your legislators and urge them to support this vital legislation. Additionally you can follow and contact for more info on Twitter as listed below:

Minnesota Momentum - www.minnesotamomentum.com or on Twitter @mnmomentum
Save The Vikes - www.savethevikes.org or on Twitter @savethevikesorg
Minnesota Vikings - www.vikings.com or on Twitter @vikingsfootball

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