Minnesota Minus Football: Still Above Average?

Whether or not a Vikings stadium bill passes the Minnesota Legislature (the House and Senate have already cleared their versions, awaiting further action), the debate about what life would be like without pro football continues.

Ted Mondale, who has been working on the stadium bill on Governor Mark Dayton's behalf, told Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (in an interview published May 7):  "When you let an NFL franchise go, you look like a B-class city".

We've all heard that without pro sports, the Twin Cities is just a "cold Omaha".  In some respects, this already is a "B-class city", lacking in importance alongside other megalopolises such as New York and Chicago.  Even without an NFL franchise, no one would call Los Angeles a "B-class city".

Think about it.  Plenty of corporations that began in Minnesota have taken their acts--and their jobs--elsewhere.  A few examples:

• Delta Airlines buys Northwest, moves its corporate headquarters and jobs to Atlanta, leaving lower quality service and airplanes in Minnesota.
• Norwest Bank merges with Wells Fargo, moving its corporate headquarters to San Francisco.
• Honeywell was purchased by an East Coast company, and moved to New Jersey.
• And whatever happened to Pillsbury, anyway?

Meanwhile, thanks to penny-pinching politicians, government services have been cut to the bone.  You remember last year's state shutdown?  Parks, buildings, rest stops all closed.  Benefits delayed.  And it can also lead to tragedy.  A bridge on a major freeway in downtown Minneapolis collapsed, killing 13 people.

In spite of all those lifestyle publications and websites telling us that the Twin Cities ranks first or second in this or that, you get the sense that--Vikings or not--this "above average" region is going to get knocked down a few points if the trend toward the spartan life continues.  The Vikings won't be the only ones to flee Minnesota.  So will plenty of others in search of a better life.