Nearing the End?

Maybe I missed something but it sure seemed like the San Francisco 49ers simply snapped their fingers and got themselves a brand new stadium in Santa Clara. I remember some discussions, some back and forth. Some fight from San Francisco to keep the team there. Then all of a sudden they are breaking ground on that new stadium. It all seemed too easy. It sure hasn't been like that in the state of Minnesota and the city of Minneapolis. The Minnesota Vikings have been in a fight that's lasted more than a decade. The majority of that combat has been in the last few years. For a while there it looked like it would end with the Vikings in a different city and state. Fortunately, that new Minnesota stadium looks like it's going to be built. Of course, being the Minnesota way, it's not done yet.

The last stadium hurdle is the approval by the Minneapolis City Council. In March an informal vote showed a 7-6 approval. The current bill is a better deal for Minneapolis. So, it's been assumed that the formal vote is a mere formality. Still, 7-6 seems a little shaky. Yesterday, the City Council voted, again 7-6, to approve the financing for the new stadium. Sounds like it's finally done, right? Wrong! Today the Minneapolis City Council is scheduled to vote to ratify the financing plan that was approved yesterday. Silly, right? Right!. Even though everyone involved has been moving along for the past few weeks as if the stadium deal is a done deal, it really hasn't been a done deal. Today, if the same 7-6 vote holds, it really will be a done deal. The Minnesota Vikings will finally have that long sought new stadium. Yippee!