By MIKE KASZUBA, Star Tribune
Last update: October 1, 2009
With an undefeated team, a mega-star quarterback and a big game coming up Monday, the Minnesota Vikings were back at the State Capitol this morning hoping to spark interest in the one thing they do not have -- a new stadium.
Lester Bagley, a team spokesman, said the Vikings were not interested in renewing a lease to play in the Metrodome, which expires after the 2011 season, and that owner Zygi Wilf was battling pressure from other National Football League owners.
"They don't ask how's [star running back] Adrian Peterson doing, they ask him how is the stadium doing, because the NFL is subsidizing this market to the tune of $15 million to $20 million a year," Bagley said.
While Vikings and Metrodome officials acknowledged there had been no breakthrough on how a new stadium would be financed, Thursday's legislative hearing was an attempt to use a fistful of statistics to capitalize on the team's current popularity and show how Minnesota would benefit economically from a massive remodeling of the Metrodome.
Stadium officials said that the economic benefit study they showcased had been previously released to legislators last February, and there was scant evidence Thursday that public subsidies for a remodeled stadium were gaining new traction at the Legislature.
The Vikings instead spent much of a hearing before a legislative panel talking football and not financing -- reviewing quarterback Brett Favre's game-winning touchdown pass last Sunday, the team's always-high TV ratings and the interest in Monday night's game against Favre's old team, the Green Bay Packers. Legislators were also briefed on how Vikings players had helped with a campaign to distribute flu shots.
Mike Kaszuba • 651-222-1673
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