NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue used his visit to the
Vikings training camp Monday "as a bully pulpit on behalf of
the team's quest to share a new dual-purpose stadium with
the Twins," according to Don Banks of the Minneapolis STAR
TRIBUNE. During his visit, Tagliabue also floated a
possible Super Bowl "host assignment" as a "plum enticement
to the area, should it decide to build a dual-purpose
facility (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/22). Tagliabue said
that the NFL "has been prodding" design firms for the last
18 months to design dual-purpose blueprints, according to
Jim Wells of the St. Paul PIONEER PRESS. Vikings and Twins
execs will see "such designs" Wednesday at a meeting with
the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission (St. Paul
PIONEER PRESS, 7/22). In St. Paul, Charley Walters writes
that "the fundamental issue with a dual-purpose stadium ...
is what to do with the extra 25,000 to 30,000 seats that
would exist for football games." Meanwhile, the Vikings
sold 40,000 season tickets for this season, compared to
58,000 when they moved from Metropolitan Stadium to the
Metrodome 15 years ago (St. Paul PIONEER PRESS, 7/22).
PUBLIC OUTCRY: The Minneapolis Charter Commission will
meet July 31 "to reconsider an effort to change the city
charter to limit the amount of public funding that can be
committed to professional sports facilities," according to
Jay Weiner of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. A political
party called Progressive Minnesota wants to place a charter
amendment on the ballot "that would require any sports
funding measure that uses" $10M in city money to be approved
by voters (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/22).
