When will it end? First Wisconsin pays $500 million, now Minnesota taxpayers asked to fund stadium for billionaire

At the end of 2023, lawmakers charged Wisconsin taxpayers with updating the Milwaukee Brewers stadium to the tune of $500 million.

Now, apparently, it’s Minnesota taxpayers’ turn, as the state is requesting $20 million a year for the Vikings stadium that’s less than a decade old.

Part of this is getting ahead of $300 million in maintenance the stadium will need over the next 10 years. But just the fact that a stadium that new needs that much should throw up some red flags.

And that ignores the fact that Vikings owner Zygi Wilf is worth $1.3 billion.

At what point are politicians going to draw a line on building and maintaining sports stadiums for billionaires?

This is like you paying me to build my house, then me charging you to come over and hang out. You’ll have to pay for parking, too. And food.

There should be some contingencies to all these deals. If an owner sells the team, the state should get half. And, if the stadium needs updates, the owners should be paying half.

Perhaps Minnesota needs to charge the Vikings more than the $8.5 million a year it pays in rent.

As I see it, I’m Rick Solem.