End Wilfare As We Know It

Six hundred million dollars and then some are about to be extorted from the State of Minnesota and the City of Minneapolis for the primary, make that the sole, benefit of sharp practioners from New Jersey named Wilf. This remarkable largesse will be bestowed by a State that games its constitutional requirement of a balanced budget, owes a debt of 2.4 billion dollars, and is propelled by a majority party that cannot balance its own party budget, and, less than six months ago, found itself in need of a new legislative leader due to the resignation in disgrace of the incumbent who admitted to an illicit romantic dalliance.

The extortion should surprise no one, despite a six-month marathon dance to the cloying tune of the Wilfs’ house organ, otherwise known as the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The right wing Republicans who occupy a fantasy world of representation without taxation needed cover until time ran out on the legislative session. It’s nearly that time. The rads are emerging from their burrows, whoever owns the Strib will soon shed its real estate, and we shall see the rise of a new stadium. As we drive past.

Below is a comment posted after a typically breathless piece on the stadium appeared on the Strib’s website Friday. The web master refused to print it, but the web master of this space will. The band on the Titanic kept right on playing, did it not?

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                                           End Wilfare As We Know It

Why do the Vikings need public financing? Is the business unprofitable? The Wilfs aren't saying, but Forbes Magazine pegged team profits at $37 million in 2010, the most recent year on which Forbes based its estimates. The $37 million was reached after $300,000 was paid down on team debt. 2011 will very likely have been better because of increased prices on tickets, booze and food. How much over $37 million do you suppose the Wilfs project from a new place of business?

How many Vikings fans have attended a Vikings game? Ever? The Wilfs referred to a season ticket base of 58,000. The Hump seats 64,000 for football, and every game is sold out. That could mean an audience of 640,000 different people, assuming the 58M season ticket buyers only go to one game per season, and the remaining 6M are sold to 6M different people for each of the ten home games per season. Or it could mean that the same 64M people go to all ten games. No one knows the actual number, but it's safe to conclude it's only a tiny fraction of all Vikings fans. The new palace supposedly will also seat 64,000. That means the $550 - $600 million shakedown will greatly benefit the Wilfs, but the vast proportion of taxpayer-fans not so much. Or not at all

NFL Football is a television presentation. It's hugely popular and costs relatively few dollars to produce. Without television there would be no NFL, (ask the U of M about the haul it makes from Big 10 TV) and the public already subsidizes both through cable and satellite fees. Did you think it was free? Public construction of pro sports venues has already become passé in Boston and LA, as it will eventually here in fly-over land. Why not now?

But the NFL will remain in the Twin Cities, the 15th largest TV market in the country. The competion among network and cable and satellite systems for rights to televise sports is fierce and will only become more so. Should the Vikings vacate, and they would be unwise to do so, any number of venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, or idle rich would jump at the chance to get into pro football played in their very own stadium on South Sixth Street in Minneapolis, with the NFL"s blessing. There's too much television money floating around not to. Say no to any more Wilfare.