How Minnesota Nearly Lost All Its Sports Teams

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At various points, it felt as if Minnesota was going to be Minne-so gone as it related to professional sports. If owners weren’t flirting with other cities, they were asking commissioners to straight-up erase their franchise off the face of the earth.
All of these issues have been stadium/arena-related. Usually, owners who are either out-of-towners or not particularly well-liked by locals made absurd demands that went over about as well as Norm Green in a Coca-Cola factory. For those who don’t understand that reference, I’ll explain that in a bit.
Anyway, the thing about Minnesotans is that there are as nice as advertised but they’re also happy just doing their own thing. It’s not like the South where seemingly someone is always trying to be all up in your business.
The other thing about Minnesotans is that if you want something, you better just come out and say it because they have zero interest in playing games with you. Secondly, you also better damn sure well need what you are asking them for. They are nice, not stupid. If the state sees that you don’t need something, that ain’t handing it out to you.
In many ways, it is the antithesis of professional sports where team owners where team owners want to play games and make demands for things they don’t actually need. The approach has, unfortunately, created a lot of strife over the years.
The Minnesota North Stars and Minneapolis Lakers did leave. The Vikings considered bolting during the 1970s and early 2000s. The Timberwolves were nearly sold to a group planning to move them to New Orleans. And the Twins flip-flopped between relocation and contraction.
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[@Justin-Hill-1987]

The relocation of the (North) Stars from Minnesota to Dallas in 1993 rivals that of the Colts relocating from Baltimore to Indianapolis in 1984 and the Seattle Pilots relocating to Milwaukee and becoming the Brewers in 1970...

[@MrBlazemaster525]

You had me at Colts but lost me at Pilots 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@tornadotrick7991]

Did you mean the SuperSonics to OKC? Because that was Seattle’s doomsday for basketball fans

[@tylerbennett5282]

Stars was always in the bottom of the NHL attendance. That's why they moved

[@douglasskaalrud6865]

In order for those moves to be as cataclysmic as you want them to be there had to have been a tremendous fan base and there wasn’t.

[@cohengamertv6548]

@@tylerbennett5282no, it was because the state refused to build a new arena, The Met had a max Capacity of 15,000 its whole life

[@mockbamn]

Good video, but the way you say "Minneapolis" is like nails on a chalkboard. 😂

[@Jayden_daRocket]

How does one say Minneapolis?

[@mockbamn]

@@Jayden_daRocket Like it's spelled. 😄 Minn-ee-A-po-lis. He throws in an extra syllable, making it Minn-ee-en-A-po-lis.

[@boomerpatrol2838]

he's saying it like Indianapolis and it's bothering the hell out of me lol

[@katherineberger6329]

@@mockbamn Of if you're a true local, "Minn-ee-APP-lis," with the O being silent (or as I like to joke, we transferred the extra length of the O from Minneap'lis to Minnesohta).

[@gro_skunk]

Mini-app-liss Min-ah-so-dah

[@samuelfrick3475]

Norm Green: I singlehandedly destroyed the North Stars. Alex Mereulo 30 years later as the former Arizona Coyotes owner: Hold my Beer!!

[@chrisguardiano6143]

In addition to the Twins & Vikings, Met Stadium was also home of the Minnesota Kicks of the NASL from 1976-81. Even though they played in one of the worst stadiums in the league, the Kicks frequently were in the top 5 in the NASL when it came to attendance. It helped big time that the club won 4 straight division titles from 1976-79 & had stars like Allen Wiley & Ace Ntsoelengoe. However like many NASL teams in the early 80's, the Kicks were losing money hand over fist & after an attempt to find new owners failed, they folded in December 1981. It wouldn't be until 2017 when Minnesota United joined MLS that top flight soccer would return to Minnesota.

[@mockbamn]

And speaking of soccer teams leaving Minnesota, I'm still bitter about the demise of the Thunder at the hands of slimy owner Dean Johnson. But at least it led to the new team that eventually became MNUFC.

[@GarrettBudd]

Great story but it’s “Minn-E-Apolis”

[@bobholst874]

Murderapolis! And Saint Small Mind!!!

[@emptyhand777]

I hear Minnian-apolis

[@nickhueper2906]

11:02 how to tell if someone isn’t from Minnesota 101: do they say Minneapolis or Minion-Apolis

[@michaelleroy9281]

Look how many years it took to get a new ballpark for the Twins, well over a decade

[@davidalexander8996]

The Twins came along thanks to the relocation of the original Washington Senators franchise (1901-1960). While the Twins and Vikings should be safe for at least a generation, the Wild have 5 years on their lease and the T-Wolves have 11 after the A-Rod situation fell through. Only the Twins have won the grand prize (twice) in Minnesota among its active teams.

[@nickmeara5323]

The 1960 American Football League had an ownership group in Minnesota at the time of it's first draft, but the National Football League offered that ownership group a franchise. The AFL then created the Oakland Raiders franchise as the eighth member.

[@anthonyrivera4735]

I hope none of the Minnesota teams relocate.

[@michaelleroy9281]

It might be the Wolves I've heard things about a new future arena

[@nickhueper2906]

@@michaelleroy9281why? Target Center is perfectly fine

[@hashbrownfob]

@@michaelleroy9281 I think the NBA said they would be no relocation, they want to expand not relocate

[@MN4LlFE]

@@michaelleroy9281target center is great and where did you hear that

[@KingofNothing778]

The potential move of the Twins to NC (I always heard it was Winston-Salem but that is right next to Greensboro) is fascinating. How could the MLB stomach moving a major league team from a huge market with a dense metro population to the 3rd biggest metro in NC in the early 2000s's? Those towns have great fans especially for minor league ball, hockey and wrestling but MLB? Glad they stayed in MN. Although the tax bill for all those stadiums is way too high

[@FirearmofMutiny]

I forget how many the Twins were drawing during that time, but it was current A's bad Also the government will pass any bill it sees, they don't want another North Stars (and having to pay even more for a team with the stupidest name in sports and even less playoff success than the North Stars)

[@S_Over_Street]

Seattle also could have also lost the Mariners & Seahawks in the mid 90s as the Sonics left in 2008.

[@thetouchback]

I cover this in my upcoming Seattle Mariners ownership video, but without Art Harrigan, they become the Tampa Mariners in the 1990s.

[@nrkgalt]

Minnesota also missed out on getting the baseball Giants. They were planning to leave New York City for Minneapolis before the Dodgers owner suggested that they go to San Francisco instead.

[@katherineberger6329]

This was based on the Dodgers wanting to have at least ONE in-state rival and not having to travel across the entire country for every single away game (at the time they moved, the westernmost team in the National League was the St. Louis Cardinals, and after them the Milwaukee Braves).

[@jonmel]

Us Europeans looking at American teams threatening to move the team to another area of the country unless an new stadium is built and thinking if someone tried that with an top team their would be riots

[@hashbrownfob]

That's because teams there are more ingrained in the community, like ownership can be swayed by fans. IE "*insert manager name* out" they will take that into consideration. Here the entire team is just a business.

[@FirearmofMutiny]

Thank you for doing this video, I've been waiting for someone to cover this. Yes, we were very close to becoming what Oakland is now.

[@eastsidetactown]

You can do this same style of video about Seattle. It's insane how many times greedy owners threaten relocation for no reason other than greed

[@thetouchback]

I actually have a video focused on Mariners ownership coming up this month.

[@williamiwells]

Yeah, that NC Ballpark was going to be in Kernersville, NC (the small town in-between Greensboro and Winston-Salem), the referendum failed 60-40%.

[@coulrophobic123]

Why do so many KZbinrs think that Minneapolis rhymes with Indianapolis? It doesn't. It's pronounced Minny-apolis. No need to throw an extra syllable in there.

[@dougfowler1368]

Because they do a Google search and for some weird reason, the AI gives the top site as the song God Didn't Make Little Green Apples. :)

[@hashbrownfob]

It annoys me so much!

[@YooperHatesOhioState]

Only team I can see leaving in the future are the wolves

[@REDKRAKEN18]

The Minnesota Swarm lacrosse team relocated to Georgia for the 2016 season because the team didn’t renew the lease for Xcel energy center

[@AllenAkbar-kn2xm]

zigi wylf didnt just ask for a new stadium. he needed one when the metrodome collapsed

[@nascarmadman]

I never understood why a place that almost as well know for snow as it is for sports built a 'domed stadium' with a cloth roof. How many times did it collapse or rip open due to the excess weight?

[@josephallsen3135]

How hated was Carl Pohlad during the contraction talks? I think one sign illustrates it well. First some context about where the sign was, how big the sign was and what else was going on at that time. The sign was over a walk bridge that was over the main highway junctions for the Twin Cities. This is where the main east to west highway 94 meets the main north to south highway 35 W. Suffice it to say they wanted it to be Seen by as many people as possible. It was on white background that was maybe 6 feet long and 4 feet wide. The black letters had to be 2 to 3 feet high. It was put up there in 2002 less than 1 year after the 9/11 attacks. Here is what it said "Osama Bin Pohlad" It did get taken down for at least a month and got many support honks. If that is not hatred, I don't know what is.

[@matthewwelsh294]

Do a video on how Japan beat the United States in American Football a few weeks ago. It might major headlines even on Pat McAfee Show

[@MatthewMKF]

That was a d-3 team

[@Hogtownboy1]

please do video on the losingest football tean in university football the york u lions

[@marklangren3142]

Losing all it's pro teams would be no lose, we pay way too much for them

[@PsychoThirteen]

I bet I haven't used the phrase "Norm Green still sucks" for almost a month now.

[@user-otzlixr]

Ah, the ol East Dakota days…

[@xxdrippinbaby2089]

Southern boy here. It is tru, ppl wanna know ur whole f-ing life.

[@jaylenbarnes2.079]

W Video

[@TrestinMeacham80]

The Wrestle Rock Rumble, was the pinnacle of not only Minnesota culture, but all of Western Civilization.

[@captbloodbeard]

Why do you keep pronouncing Minneapolis as Mini-anapolis? There is no "n" after the "a".

[@bobholst874]

Greene was in an inappropriate relationship and he left MN for TX because of the divorce laws. Get real!

[@aaronjohnson8786]

I live in Minneapolis. Slight exaggeration, Downtown is about 45 minutes, maybe an hour away. It's M-I-N-N-E-A-P-O-L-I-S, there are only two N's and they're right next to each other. There is no 3rd N. Please to me where you're from so I can butcher that name.

[@eddie826]

MIN EE AP O LIS not Min ee in a polis

[@mikexstad1121]

Please learn how to say "Minneapolis"... my blood pressure increases each time lol

[@guyfaux3978]

The Wild are gonna have arena issues pretty soon. Minn United just built their park, so I doubt they'll have any issues.

[@michaelleroy9281]

Apparently arenas are only good for 25 years

[@mockbamn]

The Wild with arena issues? The X is still generally considered one of the best in the NHL

[@sominboy2757]

its going to age like msg or chicago stadium. wild fans like the x

[@Not_Sal]

If anything it would be the Timberwolves

[@cohengamertv6548]

How did the leafs play in the garden for 68 years then?

[@jasonfire3434]

Kansas City might be in danger of that now (certainly KCMO is)

[@eyeofhorus99]

At least Kansas City, KS and Kansas might be throwing a life line to keep the Chiefs and Royals in KC area.

[@arkadius2021]

Minnesota, nice? Lmao more like passive aggressive 😂

[@anthonytippett5997]

Why did you make a video about a city nearly losing all of its teams when Oakland actually DOD lose all of its teams?

[@nickhueper2906]

Cause fuck Oakland, Minnesota better

[@GoDarkHorse]

I was going to subscribe, but it's not pronounced "Minneapolis" but rather "Minne-apolis."

[@hashbrownfob]

Dude it's pronounced "Mini-apple-is"