MINNEAPOLIS—Of the two Midwest-based NFL teams this year that threatened to leave their hometowns in stadium disputes, one has been resolved while the other battle is just beginning. The Minnesota Vikings and the state have reached an agreement to tear down the Metrodome here and build a new $975-million stadium. The St. Louis Rams are just starting their battle over a $700-million renovation of the Edward Jones Dome—or a possible move away.
New Jersey-based developer Zygi Wilf, the owner of the Vikings, applauded the mid-May signing by Gov. Mark Dayton of a bill authorizing the new stadium.
However, Wilf also said it's now time to go to work. "Now we have to build it," he said during the signing ceremony at the state capital.
"It's a great day for all Minnesota, that all generations can keep on cheering for the Vikings," said Wilf, referring to the bill's guarantee that the team will stay another 30 years. The fight started seven years ago when Wilf bought the team, and he maintains that the state of the 30-year-old Metrodome hurts profits. Now, the Metrodome will be razed, and a new 65,000-seat stadium set to open for the 2016 football season (with a Superbowl hosting likely following).
Under the deal, Wilf will be responsible for $477 million of the cost, though the team will borrow almost half the money from the National Football League. The state will pay $348 million and $150 million will come from the city, an amount some state politicians thought was a high price to pay out of public coffers. However, the team had threatened to move out after next season if a new stadium plan wasn't found.
The Rams could also move away if their Downtown stadium isn't renovated, but politicians including St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay have opposed the current renovation proposal as too costly. The team's plan includes the teardown of half the stadium, added premium seating, concession changes and a partially-retractable roof.
The dome is relatively new, built in 1995. However, a clause in the Rams' lease allows the team to leave if the stadium isn't up to "first-tier" requirements by 2015. Kevin Demoff, executive vice president and COO of the Rams, confirmed in an April 30 letter to the state that the facilities "presently do not meet the firsttier standards of the amended lease," and that a $124-million state renovation plan wouldn't improve them enough. Because the team and local government, which has proposed a $124-million renovation, are so far apart on cost, an arbitration was scheduled to begin June 15.
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