Generous of them. They'd even settle for a dome or they might opt to leave for another state where taxpayers would pay. http://football.myfantasyleague.com/2009/view_news_article?L=&ID=691045KFFL ...extortion?
For once i agree with you on something, these teams always pull this horseshit to avoid paying for the stadiums, because they know that they can use the people to convince government to pay for it. I say that we should call the vikings bluff, and tell them to leave if they want to. The same thing happened with the Sanfrancisco giants a few years ago and after all the talk about them leaving if they didnt get a stadium they ended up staying put, and paying for it themselves, because they realised there really wasnt any other option. Bottom line is these teams make much more on merchandise then on filling the stadium, and they know damn well that they would disenfranchise their fan base by moving, and thus they would end up losing merchandise sales if they left. Its not like there is a lot of cities flush with cash right now just waiting to build an unnecessary sports stadium to accomodate them.
That pretty much sums things up, it's an old tactic that idiot politicians seem to trip over themselves time again. What really cracks me up are some of the more storied franchises, that would not in a million years, leave a large city, YET they still can pull this crap on the taxpayers. I read about the Cubs trying that load of bullshit with their yuppie owners trying to get some subsidies for renovations. Guess what, if that franchise ever left Wrigley Field, they wouldn't draw for shit. More than half the fans at that place are just there to get drunk and head out to the bars after the game. The loyal fans left that frat house years ago and all they have left are the casual fan who will pay absurd prices for the social benefits of being there. Hey, but you know it fits right in with all the other privatize the profits, socialize the losses of this f'd up country. Why not just give away money to billionaire owners so that they can rape the fans with their ticket prices.
I agree with you, the thing which makes the idea even more absurd in this case is the fact that they want a stadium for football. That means that they will occupy the stadium 1/40th of the year. (8 home games) Atleast in Baseball there is 81 home games, and it might actually generate revenue. Trying to push for the government to pay for a football stadium is even more ridiculous than the norm in my opinon.