41 replies to this topic

[habes1280]

BuffaloWest, on 17 April 2012 - 11:48 AM, said:

Agree...Vikings have great tradition and should not leave Minneapolis. It is a very good city and they support the team...in fact sorry Buffalo, but it is a much bigger, and nicer city than Buffalo is. If they leave-there is a chance-a good one-they get a team later which puts us in jeopardy once again...

I hate to disagree with this, but I grew up in Minneapolis, and the fanbase for the Vikes waxes and wanes.  There's a small but ardent base for the Twins and the Wild, but the larger population is VERY fair-weather.  It's a great city, but it's no longer a great NFL city like Green Bay or Buffalo.  Fans come out in droves when the team is winning, Purple Pride flags everywhere, but the moment the team goes on a two-game slide, the flags go back in the trunk and attendance dwindles.

Some of this is due to the commuter stadium-- there's no atmosphere on gameday, no parking, and no tailgating like there was at the old Met (now the Mall of America)-- but the team has drifted further and further from the culture and identity of the city.  There's a strong tide of indifference and even indignation toward this new stadium.  The team is slumping, and a lot of people of people are growing to resent the constant threat of relocation.  The deal isn't dead, yet, but it's going to be a tough sell.  

Thankfully, like all fair-weather cities, all it will take is one big-splash season to change the entire disposition of the debate.

Edited by habes1280, 17 April 2012 - 06:21 PM.

[tgreg99]

QCity, on 17 April 2012 - 05:55 PM, said:

No, they won't support the NFL because they are a fickle fanbase that has better things to do than root for a 4-12 team.

EVERY fanbase is fickle. Even our own beloved Bills. The Bills haven't sold out every game during this miserable 12 year stretch, attendance has ebbed and flowed as it does with every franchise.

QCity, on 17 April 2012 - 05:55 PM, said:

And when their franchise goes on a 3-year skid of finishing under .500 (inevitably they will at some point) the stadium will be half empty, and everyone will be left scrambling for the next excuse as to why.

You don't need to dig to find the reason. Winning puts butts in the seats. Always has, always will. But to assume that in a city of 14 million people, the second biggest market in the country, that there isn't a fanbase here is not only shortsighted, it's false.

The NFL of today isn't the NFL of the 70s or 80s. There are people lining up out the door for season tickets to a stadium that won't even be finished until 2017. Not only will LA get a team, I think they'll get 2. And both will be successful.