GOOD BYE METRODOME by Tom Abts

This February the Metrodome will be torn down. It opened in April of 1982 – so it had a run of over 30 years. That’s pretty amazing considering that it was a pretty brutal facility.

I know – it was home to a lot of great Minnesota sports memories … especially the 1987 World Series. I honestly never thought I would see a Minnesota team win a world championship. The pain of being a fan of the Twins, Vikings, and North Stars through ’60’s and ’70’s had hardened my heart.

And “The Dome” is the only facility to host the MLB All Star Game, the World Series, the Super Bowl, and the Final Four. That’s pretty incredible.

But, it came at quite a price. The Minnesota Gophers’ football team left the U of M campus to play downtown. I believe that not only did the dome hasten the demise of Gopher Football, but it also really negatively affected the campus atmosphere of the university. Everybody’s talking about the resurgence of the U of M … yeah … and they have football back on campus – maybe a correlation there?

Not only was Gopher football affected, but Vikings’ football really changed. The Vikings had the best tailgating in the NFL at Met Stadium in Bloomington. And people talk about the dome home field advantage… the Vikings never lost outside at “The Met.” Was it cold? Yeah – I sometimes wore a sleeping bag. But it was great – really great.

And the Twins. Summer nights at the old Met watching Major League Baseball … the days of Carew, Oliva, Killebrew, Mantle, Yaz, Kaline … don’t let me go on – I won’t stop. Sure, the Twins won two World Series at the “Homer Dome,” but when the Twins weren’t winning, the fans weren’t coming. The last three years the Twins have been horrific, but they still fill Target Field.

Architecture is important. Look at the incredible ancient cities of Europe adorned with magnificent buildings. Even cities in the States like Charleston and Savannah are beautiful because of the gorgeous architecture of long ago. Some of our cities in the American West are about as attractive as the Metrodome. I don’t say that to be cruel – it’s just a short-sighted philosophy in action. Good things are built to last. The Metrodome was built to be torn down.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com