In 2002, I wrote the following in my book The Minneapolis Story, Through My Eyes: “The Plan of the movers and shakers of Minneapolis is to move the Vikings out of Minnesota (p. 253).
“These powers…have created the false notion that the Twin Cities can’t support four teams. As you will see, they don’t want to. …But the powers do love the University of Minnesota Gophers, so they will be the ones to get a new stadium…[and] the Twins.” (p. 254)
Henry Savelkoul (January 8, 1997), Metropolitan Sports Facility Commission chairman, wrote “The Viability of Four Major Sports Teams in Minnesota,” concluding that “Minnesota can’t afford four major league teams” (p. 259).
“Economic data demonstrate that all four teams can be supported.” (p.262)
“…[T]he lazy wealthy, with the money, didn’t want four sets of luxury boxes [and thus] major corporations are not sponsors.” (p. 255)
“…[T]he so-called great families of Minneapolis: the Bingers, the Cowleses, the Cargills, the Dyers, the Junts, the Maases, the McKays, the McMillans, the Pohlads, the Taylors, the Whitneys, are about to do one of their worst collective takeaways: sending the city’s beloved Vikings out of state.” (p. 38)
“The University of Minnesota…is an 800-pound guerilla that sits anywhere it wants. Most of the powers in business and politics in Minneapolis are graduates of the University of Minnesota… Whatever the University wants, the University gets… The University is the only Big 10 team that has to contend with an NFL team. But soon the Vikings will be gone…and the last attendance competitor will be gone, and the University will finally get its own campus football stadium, at taxpayer expense.” (p. 159)
“The legislature appointed a task force. They were provided with ten models and 8 different ways to finance new stadiums without new taxes, and they never contacted the person submitting these models, even though he gave them not only to the task force but also to key legislators, the governor, the Mayor, the Twins and the Vikings… Not one person from any of these entities contacted him.” (p. 259)
On December 3, 2003, I published the “Roll Call” of all who want the Vikings to leave. No one has denied it. Get rid of the Vikings. It’s what the corporations and the wealthy want, fans be damned.
The Star Tribune and local media won’t talk about it: They don’t want you to know the truth, which is why the Star Tribune “shelved” my book (their term) and refused to acknowledge it. One of their writers, in 2000, in his book Stadium Games, already declared that the “leaders” of the city and state want the Vikings to move.
There are two movements abroad in the land, the Tea Party Movement and the Occupy Wall Street Movement. Both are expressing their contempt for the contempt shown them by the political and corporate elites, elites who will make both parties and all the fans the scapegoats.
The Metrodome was never the property of the Vikings or Twins or their owners. It is community property of the people, a Commons for all that our taxes built.
Remodeled, it can be as good an NFL stadium as any, and do four things:
(1) cost less than half of what is now proposed,
(2) enable the Vikings to earn two to three times more, a profit margin they seek to remain competitive,
(3) stop the NFL from interfering with Minnesota and stop Cincinnati and Cleveland and Indianapolis and Kansas City, etc. from voting to steal our team, and
(4) enable the NFL to recognize that there is much more money for all 32 teams by expanding in Los Angeles with two new teams, rather than shrinking the pie by taking two teams away from their fans and putting them in the same stadium in L.A. Expansion creates a far greater pie for NFL owners to share.
Any who deny any of these four points is a liar.
WHAT TO DO: Become a part of the Save the Vikings Movement. Tell five people about this column and have them tell five and have them tell five, etc. Tell them to read it and then, IF THEY WANT TO SAVE THE VIKINGS, join the movement to contact the governor, legislators, mayor, the Vikings, Star Tribune, WCCO, etc. and tell them to hold a family meeting, resolve this, and keep the Vikings.
Stay tuned.
Ron Edwards hosts “Black Focus” on Channel 17, MTN-TV, Sundays, 5-6 pm; hosts “Black Focus” on Blog Talk radio Sundays at 3 pm; and co-hosts Blog Talk Radio’s “ON POINT!” Saturdays at 4 pm, providing coverage about Black Minnesota. Order his books at www.BeaconOnTheHill.com. Hear his readings and read his solution papers for community planning and development and “web log” at www.TheMinneapolisStory.com.
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