I was lucky enough to be able to attend a handful of Minnesota Twins games this opening season. One game, while sitting in beautiful new “Target Field” stadium I realized that there are very, very few stadiums left that are named after actual individuals. Most of them are named after large corporations. Thinking further into Minnesota sports teams, I remembered that this 2010-2011 football season is the last contractual year the Vikes have left to play in the Metrodome, err.. oops, I mean the newly (corporate) titled “Mall of America Field.” A lot of folks are worried that if we don’t publicly help subsidize the building of a brand new stadium for the Vikings, as the ownership is pushing for, – that we’ll lose the team to L.A. or some different other salivating city.

Dear Mr. Owner, I say go for it. I’m calling your bluff. Good riddance to you and your uncreative, carrot-dangling goons and macho threats.

Now, I fully understand that owning a sports team is a business like any other and that businesses need to make money. When a sports franchise ends up leaving a city, it’s usually due to consistently poor marketing attempts and “damage mode” short term investments on the ownership’s behalf. The Twins are usually successful due to their farm league depth and long-term prospect cultivation system in place.

When Norm Coleman brought hockey back to Minnesota, it wasn’t really Norm Coleman who did it, he just nudged over an already teetering momentum log. It was inevitably going to happen, Democrat, Republican or Independent in office. When a team leaves a city it only opens up a new door for a new political figure to ride that “Let’s bring the team back!” wave all the way to a spot in office, or in Norm’s case, try to retain his office.

Hey Mr. Owner, you’re going about it all wrong. So listen up. (continued in Pt. 2 below)

LIKE THIS BLOG? HATE THIS BLOG? Leave a comment, re-post these and follow me on Twitter (@JPeddycoart)

Be Sociable, Share!

•