The Vikings are "saying they would like a retractable roof" on their new stadium, and the team "should know by this spring whether it's affordable" within the venue's $975M budget, according to Charley Walters of the ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS. A stadium construction manager is "expected to be hired within the next few weeks, after which costs for design options, including a roof or a retractable window or retractable wall, will be determined." Also to be determined by a construction manager "as early as this spring is for how long the Vikings will have to play in the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium -- one or two seasons (a portion of 2014 or all of 2015)." Features for the new stadium that the Vikings are considering include "restaurants, a hall of fame, a merchandise store and a personal favorite of owner Zygi Wilf: a fantasy football league lounge with TVs on the walls." Potential naming-rights partners for the stadium include U.S. Bank, "which is considered the favorite," Target, General Mills and Cargill (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 12/31). The Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE lists its "top 12 Minnesota sports stories -- positive or negative," and ranks the Vikings' stadium bill passing as No. 2. It was a "huge story that dominated discussion for many months in 2012 and filled up online comment sections with spirited debate (a kind term) on both sides" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 12/31).
