Posted by ESPN.com's Kevin Seifert
As the Colts prepare to open Lucas Oil Field, it's worth pointing out there is at least one team whose dream of a similar facility remains in the far-distant future -- if at all.
The Minnesota Vikings have been lobbying for a new stadium since the middle of the 1990s, spanning three ownership groups, and to date have made only incremental progress. Their lease at the Metrodome expires after the 2011 season, and the price on owner Zygi Wilf's proposal for a new facility is expected to rise well above $1 billion when the final figures come in.
In previous proposals, Wilf committed $250 million in private money for the project, which would be built at the Metrodome site in downtown Minneapolis. If approved by the state Legislature, the Vikings likely would play one or two seasons at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium, which is scheduled to open in 2009.
Approval is nowhere near a certainty, however. State taxpayers are assisting in the construction of both TCF Bank Stadium and a new ballpark for the Minnesota Twins (2010 opening). Political leaders have not indicated their plans for Wilf's proposal, putting the Vikings on a short list of teams with potential availability to move to Los Angeles.
The NFL has embraced a recent proposal to build a privately financed stadium in California's City of Industry. Renderings of the stadium, proposed by Los Angeles businessman Ed Roski, can be seen here.
On the Web site, Roski's group hints that it has made contact with multiple NFL teams but adds: "We can not disclose which teams we are talking with."
If you're a conspiracy theorist, you probably noticed the depiction of the new stadium includes purple seats -- perhaps to match the Vikings' primary color?
