Venue News: Senator Says Vikings ‘Will Move’ Without Stadium Deal

The possibility of the Minnesota Vikings’ leaving the state is a very real threat that looms over politicians in the Twin Cities. With the Vikings’ lease at the Metrodome set to expire after next season and the team desperately in search of a new home, many in Minnesota are anxious about the future of the region’s NFL team. “I am convinced they will move if there is not a sincere and concentrated effort on this stadium,” state Sen. Julie Rosen told Yahoo Sports. “We need to work hard on figuring out a solution.” Most of the other big-time sports teams (including the MLB Twins and the University of Minnesota football team) have had new stadiums built in recent years…

…The Beijing basketball arena where NBA stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Kobe Bryant helped return U.S. men’s basketball to Olympic gold is being renamed for an American company. China’s 18,000-seat Olympic basketball arena is going to be called the MasterCard Center, according to the Purchase, NY-based payments company. It’s the first 2008 Olympic Games venue and first arena in Beijing to sell naming rights, a practice common in the U.S. but rare in a country where the government owns most sports complexes…

…A Sacramento, CA, arena task force will use flexibility to analyze a second round of project proposals because there is such a wide range of plans now before them, a task force co-chair said this week. Co-chair Chris Lehane called the proposals to build Sacramento a new sports and entertainment facility “apples and oranges.” Each plan from the four teams has different levels of detail and preparation, ranging from three weeks to more than a year, he said after a public hearing at historic City Hall…

…On Dec. 30, the University of Minnesota Duluth men’s hockey team battled the University of North Dakota during the first-ever match at Amsoil Arena. Although the Bulldogs lost 5-0, the arena itself left nobody wanting. Lights were bright, the sound system boomed, and the smell of old edible favorites combined with new tasty treats created an atmosphere that just couldn’t lose. For the opening game, fans arrived more than two hours early just to get a good look around the arena, to take in all the facility has to offer.

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