In St. Paul, Charley Walters noted an "unresolved issue" regarding the Univ. of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium lease arrangement with the Vikings for the '14 and '15 seasons is "which soft drink -- Coke or Pepsi, or both -- will be sold during games." The school has an "exclusive deal with Coke, the Vikings with Pepsi." It will be "interesting which, or if both, get signage in the stadium." Certain to get signage is PepsiCo's Gatorade, "which has an exclusive arrangement with the NFL" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 5/9).
SKATING BY: In Edmonton, Catherine Griwkowsky notes a request for provincial funding for the Oilers' proposed C$480M downtown arena project got a "thumbs up" on Thursday from the Capital Region Board. The board voted 17-7 to "approve in principle a collaborative grant application" for C$25M to the province for the arena project, which had been short C$55M in funding. If the grant is "approved, the project would still need" C$30M (EDMONTON SUN, 5/10).
BULL DURHAM: In Raleigh, Harry Lynch noted the Durham City Council on Monday "renewed its operating agreement" for Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The agreement with the Triple-A Int'l League club, "good until 2033, with two additional five-year options for renewal," is projected to save the city about $7.4M "over the life of the lease." It also "restructures each party’s financial obligations, making operating costs and expenses the responsibility" of the team. The club also will be "responsible for maintenance and repair costs up to $200,000 as well as all utility costs" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 5/7).
HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE: In Indianapolis, Curt Cavin notes a three-year renovation to Indianapolis Motor Speedway now is "complete." There are now "two new wheelchair-accessible areas; the South Terrace near the Hall of Fame Museum and atop a mound along the inside of Turn 2." These are the "first steps toward compliance" with the Americans with Disabilities Act (INDYSTAR.com, 5/10).
