Tuesday, February 15, 2005

We don't need no steenking private stadiums 

I'm hoping that Phil Miller is wrong about this with the Vikings sale to Reggie Fowler, but he might be right.
Fowler's group, according to this St. Paul Pioneer Press article, may end up paying around $635 million for the franchise if they indeed get it. A sticking point with Fowler's group will be Fowler's net worth and his liabilities. He is reportedly worth "only" $400 million, possibly not enough to buy an NFL franchise (there goes my dream of being the next Dan Snyder!). But here's a really interesting quote regarding another sticking point from the Pioneer Press article:

Some people speculate that Fowler's trio of New Jersey real estate partners are so well-heeled that the group might not need public funding for a new stadium on 700 acres in Blaine and instead would try to develop the area on their own.

However, other NFL owners might frown on such an idea because it could set an awkward precedent for stadium building. Because Taylor would want public approval for a stadium, NFL owners might favor a bid for the Vikings by him, among other reasons because it might be in their best interests.

Yuck! We sure wouldn't want to send a signal that team owners could make do with private funding. Heaven forbid.

Somehow I think Stromie is going to get into this one.

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