Repya: ‘If Green Bay can own the Packers, Minnesota can own the Vikings’
Sunday, January 24, 2010 at 6:56 pm
- 6 Comments
Image: Wikipedia
Two hours before the Minnesota Vikings took to the field to face off against the New Orleans Saints for the NFC Championship, Independence Party gubernatorial candidate Joe Repya issued a press release stating that he thinks the state should hold a majority interest in the team. A Gov. Repya, he writes, “would agree to public financing of a new Viking stadium only if Ziggy Wilf and the NFL agree to sell a 51% equity of the Vikings to the State of Minnesota with a never to relocate iron clad clause…. If Green Bay can own the Packers, Minnesota can own the Vikings.”
His full statement, emailed at 4:15 p.m. Sunday:
It is time for a permanent solution to the stadium issue. Although the people of Minnesota love the Vikings and do not want to see their team leave, they refuse to be blackmailed or held hostage by sports franchises every 20 to 25 years for new and bigger stadiums. As your next governor, I would agree to public financing of a new Viking stadium only if Ziggy Wilf and the NFL agree to sell a 51% equity of the Vikings to the State of Minnesota with a never to relocate iron clad clause. Ziggy could run the team as long as he wishes and without state interference. We will increase state revenues by allowing Minnesotans to purchase one share of non-voting, non transferable interests (like the Green Bay Packers “stock” program”) in the Minnesota Vikings.
If Green Bay can own the Packers, Minnesota can own the Vikings. Minnesota should not agree to any public financing that does not meet this standard.
Joe Repya, IP candidate for Governor
6 Comments
Comment posted January 24, 2010 @ 7:05 pm
Wow, what an interesting socialist idea for Repya to come up with! I would have expected him to suggest that public funds should be used to support the wealthy Vikings team-owner, much like the Pohlad arrangement. (By the way, I understand that using public power and money to support wealthy corporations is technically known as fascism.)
Comment posted January 24, 2010 @ 7:40 pm
So not only do we have to pay for the stadium, we also have to buy half the team? Great thinking. We sure have the money for that.
Comment posted January 24, 2010 @ 11:07 pm
Don’t worry.
Current NFL corporate bylaws (which the Packers, through the application of grandfather rights, have immunity from), prohibit this.
Comment posted January 25, 2010 @ 1:35 pm
If we could buy the team, we wouldn’t have to build the stadium. I know about the bylaw NorthStarr referred to, but could that bylaw be a violation of antitrust law? Baseball has an exemption, but not other sports.
Comment posted February 3, 2010 @ 11:03 am
Joe; Your are wrong. Green Bay was grandfather in .
For the other NFL teams It must be a PRIVATE OWNER at 51 %.
David Kaye
Comment posted February 4, 2010 @ 2:12 pm
“using public power and money to support wealthy corporations is technically known as fascism” We have that already. Our government has been doing it for years. We have overthrown governments in other countries in the name of Corporations, we currently give money to business all the time called TIF money. We bailed out our wall street breathern, we bailed out our major auto makers and as a country own a part of them. Our laws alreay help major corporations over individual people. We supported oil and gas companies to gain oil in the Middle East. We are already on the cusp of Facism folks. We have been for years.
But I do like the idea of Minnesota owning the Vikings. Why not? Minnesota could end up making money on it. Why not tie in gambling to pay for it? If there was no money to be made in pro-sports than these owners would not be in it. I don’t believe a word in it when they say they are not making money. I say, why not buy them out and keep the team here and let our state reap the money?
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
