The competing stadium proposals by the City of Minneapolis and the Vikings/Ramsey County can be summed up this way:

Two football teams are tied 0-0 late in the fourth quarter. Despite the fact that neither team is behind, both offenses decide the best way to score is to repeatedly throw hail mary passes until they have to punt.

The first salvo came from Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak. His $895 million retractable dome stadium on the site of the Metrodome would contribute $195 million via the extension of an existing sales tax (0.15%) used for convention center upgrades. If you’re wondering why that percentage looks familiar, that’s because Target Field was partly funded using an 0.15% sales tax hike. That’s not where the similarities end, though, as Rybak is trying to muscle the tax extension through without requiring a vote, just as was done with the ballpark. Apparently funding referenda for sports facilities have no teeth in the Twin Cities. While the replacement stadium was being built, the Vikings would spend three years at TCF Bank Stadium, home of the U. of Minnesota. Oh, and they’d have to spend $400 million on their own plus forego revenues by playing the interim at a smaller stadium.

Naturally, the Vikings aren’t too keen on Rybak’s proposal so today they’ve put out their own. They’re partnering with neighboring Ramsey County (Saint Paul) to build a 200+ acre stadium, training facility, and ancillary development at the abandoned ammunition plant at Arden Hills, 10 miles north of either of the Twin Cities’ downtowns. The Arden Hills plan would cost $1.2 billion, including up to $200 million in new roads and infrastructure. Arden Hills would require a substantially smaller contribution from the team, though they won’t say how much. Ramsey County would pony up its own large amount via its own 0.5% sales tax hike (yikes). Besides the lower contribution, the team would also not have to play at TCF for three years since the Metrodome would remain intact until the new stadium opened.

Not to be forgotten is the last line item in the above table. Somehow Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor got his own renovation of Target Center as part of the Minneapolis deal. The plan would add several club facilities, a club level, and renovate existing concourses. The T-Wolves would pay $60 million to keep Target Center “up-to-date.” I can see why Taylor would want this. The T-Wolves aren’t a big revenue team so every additional bit of new gate and arena revenue can help. But they’re pushing this as if there’s a need for two ultra-modern arenas in a market with population of 3.2 million. That’s more than a bit much.

Both of the stadium proposals have a very short time for approval, two weeks at best. Only one can pass because both require a $300 million state chunk, which is not politically popular at this juncture. If neither passes? I suppose that the sides will have to draw up better plays.