Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton yesterday "officially announced Minneapolis’ bid" for the CFP National Championship Game in '20, to be played at the new Vikings stadium, according to Amelia Rayno of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. Willis of Minnesota Inc. President & CEO Scot Housh, who also is the co-Chair of the campaign to land the game, said that the bid "will require" an $8-12M fundraising effort. He added that the cost is "roughly equivalent" to the bid that Minneapolis secured in November to host the '19 Final Four. Rayno notes the city also will host the Super Bowl in '18. Housh: "I think it will be the trifecta that we all appreciate." Rayno notes some of the requirements necessary to host the event include "having 10,000 hotel rooms in the immediate area, as well as identifying space for several ancillary events," including "Playoff Fan Central" at the convention center, two concerts at Target Center; "Taste of the Championship" and "A Night of Champions." This bidding cycle "is for the three championship games in the Januarys of 2018-2020, but Minneapolis is only targeting the final year." The list of competing cities "is not yet complete" with bids due May 27 (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 5/6). In St. Paul, Marino Eccher notes Vikings COO Kevin Warren and Univ. of Minnesota football coach Jerry Kill were "among those on hand" for yesterday's announcement. Dayton said of the city's bid, referencing the '18 Super Bowl and '19 Final Four: "It's worked twice. Why not go for the trifecta?" Eccher notes a successful bid "will require the kind of tax breaks that stirred controversy when the Super Bowl bid was approved last fall." The state Senate on Monday "voted down an attempt to repeal tax concessions already promised to the NFL" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 5/6).
BRIDGING THE GAP: In Minneapolis, Janet Moore notes a publicly financed pedestrian bridge at the Downtown East light-rail station near the new Vikings stadium "is provoking protest from critics, who say the team should foot" the $6M bill. But Vikings Exec VP/Public Affairs & Stadium Development Lester Bagley said the bridge is “not just a Vikings issue." He said "It’s a safety issue," given the impending influx of converging office workers, residents and stadium-goers. The Metropolitan Council is "working on the project with the Vikings and the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority (MSFA), which is overseeing construction of the stadium slated to open next year." Met Council member Jennifer Munt said that she "isn’t opposed to a pedestrian bridge -- she just thinks that the Vikings should pay for it." Munt: "The Vikings play eight games a year, and we’re spending $6 million for this?” (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 5/6).
