The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome is one of the worst sporting venues in all of professional sports. It has air conditioning, seats, and that’s about it. As an Arizona Cardinals fan once told me, “This place is a dump.” The Metrodome is leased until the end of the 2011 Vikings season, which means Minnesota will have to make a decision on what to do with the team, or else it will be moved to California. To make matters worse, the inflatable dome collapsed this past December, thus prompting the Vikings organization to spend $18.3 million dollars on a new roof. Politicians, fans, and citizens of Minnesota have been debating what should happen to their favorite Minnesota team. Here are the possible outcomes

Renew the Existing Lease
This is pretty much impossible as Vikings
officials have already stated that they will
not consider signing a 2-year extension
on the current lease. However, nothing is
ever guaranteed in the world of sports.
Build a New Stadium
This option is ideal for most lifetime
Vikings fans, as it would guarantee that
the Vikings would not move to California
and will forever be in Minnesota. The
problem still remains: Who is going to
pay for it? As of right now, there are only
a couple of privately-funded professional
venues in the country, and it would be extremely
difficult for the Vikings to come
up with enough money. If that cannot be
raised privately, the majority of the costs
for the new stadium would fall on taxpayers’
shoulders. The new dome will cost
anywhere from $700 to $900 million.
Even if taxpayers would never attend
Vikings games at the new stadium, they
would still have to pay taxes on it, which
is sure to create plenty of controversy and
resentment. The new stadium would be
built where the current Metrodome is at,
or possibly in Arden Hills, which is
about 20 minutes northeast of Minneapolis.
Play at the TCF Bank Stadium
The Minnesota Vikings ran a trial run at
“the Bank” last season against the
Chicago Bears, after the dome incident
and during a winter storm. The TCF
Bank stadium was not winterized so it
took $800,000 and hundreds of workers
to prepare it for the game. Despite the
extreme labor and
cost, the game
was considered a
huge success by
many fans. Currently,
“the Bank”
houses just over
50,000 people, but
can be expanded
to 80,000 if
needed. This is
more than enough
to house the great
fans of the Minnesota
Vikings.
The main problem
with playing at TCF Bank is that the
events that need an indoor venue like the
Metrodome to take place cannot take
place. These events bring tremendous
revenue for Minnesota.
Move to California
This is the worst option for the Vikings.
This happens if none of the above things
happen. It is quite possible and should
really be considered a big threat. Minnesota
would lose its most popular franchise
and the jobs that come with running
the team.
The reality is, something needs
to happen fast, or else the Minnesota
Vikings may become the California
Vikings.