I saw this article last night but didn't link it. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell talks about the Vikings stadium situation.
This is a big issue for Vikings fans. But I've tried not to pontificate on it too much because it's not my fight. I don't live in Minnesota and so whatever happens, it won't affect my tax rate.
However, if I were a Minnesota resident (and a better writer) I'd have written something like this. The Artist Formerly Known as Pacifist Viking sums up how Minnesotans should view the stadium issue when Zygi Wilf or Goodell lobby for public money to be used to build an extremely expensive facility that will be used 10-12 times a year.
Using taxpayer dollars to build sports palaces that don't really contribute to the common has become commonplace in North America. It's also wrong.
Somewhere out there, there is some advanced lifeform keeping tabs on our civilization that's very puzzled by this trend.
In happier news, Randall McDaniel has been named to the Hall of Fame. Cris Carter and John Randle were not.
I have no issues with who did and who did not make it in. The other players who made it – Bruce Smith, Rod Woodson and Derrick Thomas – were all dominant players at their positions. It was a tough year to be on the ballot.
However, Carter and Randle were also pretty dominant at their positions for a long time. I'd like to hear the rationale from the football writers who didn't vote for them on why they weren't Hall of Fame worthy this year.
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2 comments:
The implied threat of moving the Vikings to LA leads me to think one of two things:
1. The league would never allow it because Minnesota has been a storied franchise and part of some of the league's best rivalries. There are certainly weaker franchises (Jacksonville) that would make more sense. The LA vacancy is a strong-arm extortion tool to get every team a new stadium, thus maximizing profits. Also, moving the team in the midst of today's economic crisis would be considered cold and money grubbing.
2. The league would PREFER to move the Vikings because they think Minnesota will build a stadium eventually, bringing a franchise back Cleveland Browns / MN Wild expansion style, thus creating two new stadiums for the league (one in LA, one in Minneapolis) which is actually even better than just having a new stadium in Minneapolis.
Either way - even as a die-hard fan, I could not in good conscience vote for a stadium (not like it would ever be voted on by the public) when there are much more serious issues at hand in the world today. I could not do so in good economic times - to even suggest a stadium project now is grossly perverse.
Travis:
All good points you've made. I'd be interested to see what the results would be if the Star Tribune or the Pioneer Press did a poll on this.
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