Minnesota Vikings to LA? A viewpoint on a potential move

As you may know, the Minnesota Vikings lease on the Metrodome expires at the end of the 2011 football season.  Many Minnesota citizens and even some politicians have called for the financing of a new stadium, but that will cost at least $900 million dollars.  Independent gubernatorial candidate Tom Horner suggested a proposal through which the team would pay 40 percent of the cost to finance the new stadium, while the state would issue forty year bonds for approximately $32 million a year and fans would bear part of the burden, most likely through higher ticket prices.  However, Horner was not elected.  Mark Dayton is pushing for a new Vikings stadium, but how possible is that after what happened to the Metrodome?

An article released on ESPN today states that 'replacing the snow-damaged roof of the Metrodome would likely take five to six months, raising the possibility of affecting next season's schedule for the Minnesota Vikings.'  Depending on the timing of these repairs, they could extend to late summer and the August start of the NFL exhibition season.  State lawmakers are trying to produce a proposal with a new location, stadium type, and a financing plan.  As feasible as this may be, there is no chance the Vkings will be playing in the Metrodome in 2012.

Unfortunately, I think these efforts are a waste of time.  Lets send the Vikings to the promised land: Los Angeles!  Yes the Los Angeles Vikings sounds ridiculous, and some mascots would have to be changed, but the Raiders was not fitting for LA either.   Los Angeles has not had an NFL franchise since 1995, when the Rams moved to St. Louis and the Raiders to Oakland.  In more serious news, two parties have approached the Vikings about a potential relocation, one being AEG who is currently working on designing the LA Event Center, which could house a football team and would be located near the Staples Center.  One can find out more about the LA Event Center here, and below are pictures of several designs:

Besides AEG, Los Angeles Real Estate billionare Ed Roski has been in talks with the NFL for awhile about bringing a team back to Los Angeles.  Roski is willing to finance a stadium largely with his own money.  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to sign a bill which would approve of an environmental exemption to build such a stadium.  Roski plans to start courting teams after the Super Bowl.  Could and should Ziggy Wulf listen to these firm's offers?  I believe so.  The Minneapolis-St. Paul market is at a population of just under 3 million people, much less then that of the 17 million in the Greater Los Angeles area.  Higher ticket prices in LA could make the team more profitable, and would be a more attractive destination for players to play.  Another benefit to the Vikings potential move to LA is the division alignments.  Division alignments would not be skewed by this potential move.  Here are my proposed division alignments for 2012 with the divisions affected:

        NFC North                                NFC West           
     Chicago Bears                         Arizona Cardinals
      Detroit Lions                          Los Angeles Vikings
  Green Bay Packers                    San Francisco 49ers
    St. Louis Rams                          Seattle Seahawks

The St. Louis Rams would move into the NFC North, as the Bears and Packers are much more regional then the Seahawks, 49ers, and Cardinals.  The Los Angeles Vikings would then be playing against Western opponents.  This would be a simple shift and would not require an elaborate restructuring like when the Houston Texans entered the NFL.  So here's to the Vikings moving to LA?  Time will tell whether or not it will actually happen, but judging by the potential designs of the new stadium I surely hope it does!