Posted by Brian
on 4/20/2012, 10:06 pm, in reply to "I am mysified, but you all already know my Minnesota lawn mower analogy."
The Twins play 81 games at home every year. That means they bring rather large quantities of people to the area 81 times a year. When you bring a large crowd into an area 81 times a year, that gets some serious money into the area surrounding the stadium. Lots of those people will pay for parking, go to restaurants, and spend their money in and around the stadium. That's over 22% of the days each calendar year.
For an NFL stadium, you are talking only 8 days a year. Yeah, those will be 8 very good days in the area the stadium is in, but 8 doesn't compare to 81, now does it? The owners of the NFL team are enriched primarily from a TV contract that has nothing to do with the city or stadium they're playing in. 8 days a year of crowds can't support the nearby area for an entire year. Basically, having an NFL team doesn't do much for the local area except enrich the owners of the team. The politicos know this and that's why they don't like it. As much as I love rooting for the Vikings, it only makes sense to have an NFL team for the esteem of fans in this area and the taxes that NFL players pay when they play here. It does not make economic sense, since Zygi will make lots more money from the team than anyone from Minnesota will if there is a new stadium built, and Minnesota will have to pay for more than a third of the stadium.
That being said, I hope a solution will be figured out. I can't imagine Minnesota without the Vikings and Sundays in Fall/Winter will never be the same if they leave. I might actually be productive on those days instead of watching and hoping they can find a way to win. Winning a Super Bowl would make this town feel fulfillment unlike any other local team winning a title (although the Goodell pass-happy rules are making everything feel a bit fleeting and luck-based).
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