Super

Minnesota Vikings and execs from the other 31 NFL teams are making their way to Atlanta this morning. The owners have their Spring meeting at the Ritz Carlton in the Buckhead part of town. The action doesn't start until Monday afternoon, but expect the Minnesota Vikings' contingent to be lobbying the fellow owners privately for the 2018 Super Bowl. Team VP Lester Bagley says he and others, including owners Mark and Zygi Wilf, have specific lobbying assignments among the other team owners. No word on who gets Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys - probably the biggest household name among the owners. (Seriously, try to name some others. Rooney, Irsay, Mara - but what do they look like?) Bagley says Zygi Wilf is friendly with Jax Jaguars owner Shahid (Shad) Khan, a Lahore, Pakistan native, now U.S. citizen  billionaire (estimated $3.8B, owns Illinois-headquarted Flex-n-Gate auto parts) who also owns England's Fulham FC Football (soccer) League champion. He came to the U.S. at age … [Read more...] about The Vikings have landed in Atlanta to make Super Bowl pitch

The fast-on-his-feet former tap dancer, now head of U.S. Bancorp Richard Davis and successful Super Bowl bid veteran Marilyn Carlson Nelson will make the sales pitch for the Twin Cities to the NFL owners on Tuesday in Atlanta. The two are chairs of the bid steering committee along with Ecolab chief Doug Baker who won't make the trip to Atlanta. Davis is a fast-thinking, commanding speaker with an assured manner. Carlson Nelson is also a veteran in the spotlight. She was a leader of the successful effort that brought the 1992 Super Bowl bid to the Metrodome. The two will be among the five from the Twin Cities delegation in the room with the owners of the 32 NFL teams. The other three Minnesotans won't be allowed to speak. Minnesota Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf will be present in the room as owners. Minneapolis, New Orleans and Indianapolis are the three finalists for the game. The owners will hear the presentations from each city then immediately take a vote and … [Read more...] about Davis, Carlson Nelson will give Super Bowl presentation

The news that Minneapolis will host the Super Bowl in 2018 is undoubtedly good for the local economy. Die-hard fans will flood the downtown streets and no doubt fill hotels, as well as search out local restaurants to sample our signature staple, the walleye. But if you are a local business owner, don’t spend your projected windfall just yet. While cities do benefit financially from the Big Game, independent economists are nearly unanimous in saying that they don’t benefit as much as promised. Back when Minnesota announced it would seek to host the event, I contacted several university economists, none of them paid by the teams or the Chamber of Commerce. They said to expect one-tenth to one-fourth of whatever the NFL projects. “Strangely, whenever you start asking people for the actual economic report, you get missing-study syndrome,” Victor Matheson, an economics professor at College of the Holy Cross, told me. “When economists not related to the NFL … [Read more...] about Tevlin: Just what is the economic impact of a Super Bowl?

Local leaders heralded the announcement Tuesday that Minneapolis had been chosen to host the 2018 Super Bowl. “I really think it puts Minneapolis and the Twin Cities in the national and international spotlight for that period of time,” said Downtown Council president Steve Cramer. “And we’ll have a lot to showcase by then.” Steve Cramer, president of the Downtown Council, said the Super Bowl is a much larger event than when it last came to Minneapolis in 1992. In the same vein, he said, the city has also transformed since that period. Minneapolis will be boasting a new Nicollet Mall, downtown high rises and transit improvements in 2018. “Just as we won’t recognize the Super Bowl, people won’t recognize Minneapolis who perhaps haven’t been here, haven’t paid attention since back in those days,” Cramer said. Former Mayor R.T. Rybak, who was instrumental in securing the stadium deal, said the city should showcase its winter … [Read more...] about Local officials say Super Bowl will put spotlight on Twin Cities

The wait is winding down. The NFL voters will hear three dazzling 15-minute presentations from the finalists for the 2018 Super Bowl: Minneapolis, New Orleans and Indianapolis - in that order. Then the owners will vote live on the NFL Network by secret ballot. The expectation is the vote will take several ballots. To win on the first ballot, a city must get a super-majority, 24, of the 32 votes of the NFL owners. No city has ever won on the first ballot. There is no time certain, but the action starts after lunch and should be done by 4 p.m. Minneapolis will feature Olympic skier Lindsay Vonn (who got her start on the bunny slopes at Buck Hill), Minnesota Vikings' star Adrian Peterson and former coach Bud Grant. The NFL allows only five members of the Super Bowl bid committees in the room for the presentation and only two can speak. Speaking for Minnesota: U.S. Bancorp CEO Richard Davis and Marilyn Carlson Nelson,board chair of Carlson Cos. Davis arrived Monday just in time for the … [Read more...] about Stay tuned: Decision on 2018 Super Bowl after lunch