Minnesotans Hope Stadium Deal Is In The Works

LUVERNE, MN - Many people in Luverne, MN are still holding out hope for a deal to emerge in the legislature for a new Vikings football stadium.

While others say they won't mind one bit if the Vikings end up leaving the state for greener pastures.

In a town deeply rooted in agriculture, there's a harvest of growing discontent over the Vikings stadium standoff.

"Your big sports teams, they take, they take, they take," Art Ehde of Luverne, Minnesota said.

As Minnesota lawmakers huddle up again on a new stadium plan, people in Luverne want to know how much of their tax dollars will go into the billion dollar project.

"I think it's a poor time to be spending a lot of money," Steve Carlson of Luverne, Minnesota said.

But despite all the political posturing among lawmakers, Carlson thinks the legislature will approve a new stadium.

"They'll wiggle out some way to do it,"  Carlson said.

Some people here in southwest Minnesota think they lose-out to big city interests in the entire stadium debate.

"It seems like a lot of times, our decisions aren't really as important because the politicians are up there more and it seems like they business and money is up at that end," Mike Lammert of Luverne, Minnesota said.

While other people in Luverne place more of the blame on the Vikings for threatening to leave the state if no stadium bill passes.

"I call it blackmail. These sports teams use blackmail: do this or we move, well, what's that amount to," Ehde said.

Some people we spoke with say the Vikings poor performance on the field the past two seasons might soften the blow of losing the team if no stadium deal comes about.