L.A. Bound? Minnesota Vikings' Stadium Bill Defeated in the State House

The Los Angeles Vikings. 

Far fetched? Perhaps, but not nearly as much as you might think, especially after tonight's defeat of the Vikings' stadium bill in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

I won't bore you with the history of this particular comedy of errors. Suffice to say, the people who run the Vikings have done everything they can possibly do to work within the legal framework provided by the state of Minnesota to ensure there is a stadium built for the Vikings to play in—and the duly elected officials representing the people of Minnesota have continually told them to go take a flying leap. 

This leaves the Vikings with one final option. 

From ESPN North blogger Kevin Siefert: 

"

It's time for [Vikings owner Zygi] Wilf to acknowledge in a public way that Minnesota state leaders might not be willing to support any part of the financing of a $975 million stadium. If that's the case, it would only make prudent business sense for the Vikings to begin investigating stadium sites outside of Minnesota. 

"

Yes, by "investigating stadium sites outside of Minnesota," Siefert means it's time for the Vikings to threaten to move—something they should have done back in February. 

I honestly think the people of Minnesota could care less. Sure, there are Vikings die-hards who would be upset if the team moved, but for the most part the state has no real emotional investment in the ballclub. There's a reason the Vikings had trouble selling out a playoff game, and it's not because tickets were too expensive. 

How do I think it will play out? The Vikings will threaten to move, the state legislature will call their bluff and, much sooner than anyone would have thought imaginable, we will have the L.A. Vikings. 

I honestly would hate to see this happen. Every good story needs a villain, and the Vikings are the perfect foil for the Packers. It would be truly disappointing to see the border battle disappear.

But it sure looks headed in that direction.