Dear List Members:
I write to present a benefit of having the baseball stadium
authorized by the House and Senate stadium bills located in Minneapolis
that I haven't seen discussed on the list yet. If the stadium is located
in Minneapolis, then the city's name will appear on the byline of an
article in the sports section of every major American newspaper at least
81 times every year. It will also be mentioned at the outset of every
radio and television broadcast from the stadium. This is the type of
"fee media" that incumbent elected officials use to great advantage in
virtually every campaign. I know that many list members supported Mayor
Rybak in the last election in part because he pledged to be a stronger
marketer for Minneapolis than Mayor Sayles-Belton; I recall talk of him
doing for Minneapolis what Mayor Coleman did for Saint Paul in this
regard. If the stadium is located in Minneapolis, it is more likely that
our Mayor will be able to fulfill his campaign pledge.
There must be some benefit to be realized here. The city of
Anaheim, California worked diligently to change the name of the American
League's Los Angeles area franchise from the "California Angels" to the
"Anaheim Angels" a few years ago. I recall reading that Anaheim's
rationale for this effort was the opportunity to have the city's name
appear daily both in newspaper bylines and the team standings during
baseball season, and thereby increase its visibility.
Having our city's name appear in the daily sports pages does
not, by itself, justify the cost to Minneapolis taxpayers. If, however,
it becomes necessary for Minneapolis taxpayers to weigh the costs and
benefits of having a new stadium located in the city, then this benefit
should be included in the calculation.
Vincent A. Thomas
Lynnhurst
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