As Vikings Stadium Goes Up, L.A. Looms for Other Markets
Sep 28, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Construction progresses at the new Minnesota Vikings Stadium in downtown Minneapolis on the site of the former Metrodome. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn USA TODAY Sports
In what was a seemingly never ending saga to secure payment options to replace the Metrodome with a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings, one thing always loomed over the proceedings.
Los Angeles.
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The NFL has not had a team based in the country’s second largest market since the 1994 season, after which the Raiders moved back to Oakland and the Rams moved to St. Louis. Despite the failure to keep the two franchises, the Los Angeles market has been used as leverage to pressure local municipalities to help build NFL teams new stadiums ever since.
For over 10 years, Vikings fans had to deal with rumors that the Vikings were a possibility for relocation to the Los Angeles area (as well as San Antonio while Red McCombs owned the team). The reasoning was pretty straight forward. The Metrodome was dated almost from the moment it was built. The state of Minnesota is a difficult climate politically to get public funds to go towards private endeavors. It is understandable that some people do not want to help billionaires fund stadiums for their millionaire players to play in. The fact is though, the climate is what it is when there are markets outside of the NFL country club who are interested to get in.
Make no mistake, I am thrilled the new stadium is going up. The city of Minneapolis has already secured a future Super Bowl and Final Four and is in the running for a College Football National Championship Game. Besides that, it will simply be one of the finest public gathering places in the world, which I consider to be a huge feather in the cap of both Minneapolis and Minnesota as a whole.
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Now that the Vikings are officially off of the market, other cities are now on the clock. After years of inaction, the owners of the St. Louis Rams, Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers seem to be racing to Los Angeles. Stan Kroenke, owner of the Rams has been the most aggressive. As Albert Breer points out for NFL.com, Kroenke has purchased a huge swath of land in Inglewood with the intention of building a stadium. Meanwhile, the Raiders and Chargers are in discussions to team up to build a shared stadium.
I can’t say I would be too bothered with the Rams ending up in Los Angeles. After all, that is where they were from until they relocated to St. Louis. Still, relocation is no fun, as Minnesotans well know due to the North Stars, and way before my time, the Lakers.
As cold as this sounds, I’m mostly just glad we aren’t the ones on the chopping block anymore.