Vikings Seek Volunteers To Help Shovel Out Field

[The Straight Story]

Vikings Seek Volunteers To Help Shovel Out Field

(WSCR) – The weather hasn’t been a friend to the Minnesota Vikings over the last week or so. First, snow collapsed the roof at the Metrodome, forcing the Vikings to play the Giants in Detroit’s Ford Field. Now it appears that the Vikings are having difficulty clearing TCF Bank Stadium of snow, in preparation for the Bears-Vikings game.

Vikings fans are being asked to help dig out the University of Minnesota campus stadium in time for Monday night’s Vikings game with the Chicago Bears.

Workers are scrambling to remove snow from bleachers, concourses and the field at TCF Bank Stadium. The university will host the NFL game because the snow-damaged Metrodome roof won’t be fixed in time.

The problem is that snow is piled up at the stadium in five-foot drifts in some areas.

The university says it will take shoveling volunteers every day from Thursday through Sunday. The school will even provide the shovels if necessary.

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2010/12/15/vikings-seek-volunteers-to-help-shovel-out-field/

[nc4bo]

1. Oh come on - can't someone offer to pay something? It's Christmas ffs. nt

[Crazy Dave]

2. No kidding

Reminds me of how politicians always set up a legal defense fund for others to pay their lawyer fees so that they don't have to.

[MH1]

12. I'd think the more highly paid players might want to do something like that.

Silly idea I guess.

[Renew Deal]

3. I would do it for 2 game tickets.

But that's about it. It's going to be cold shoveling and a cold game.

[Xithras]

5. Yep. Why shovel snow for free, just to watch others enjoy your work while you watch on TV?

Then again, given the weather in that part of the country lately, sitting inside watching on a television might not be such a bad thing :)

I'd do it for tickets though. It wouldn't cost the team a dime, and even if I didn't want to watch the game, I could scalp them on Craigslist for some extra Christmas money.

[notesdev]

4. Volunteers?

Are they f-ing kidding me? A franchise worth at least half a billion dollars can't pay a few hundred people to shovel snow for a day or two? It would cost less than they'll have to pay an NFL-minimum-wage player on the team for a single game!

[GoCubsGo]

7. That was my first thought.

My second thought was: Why don't they get the players to clean off their own damn field? It would be a great workout.

[notesdev]

15. follow up

Apparently they stopped being so cheap, offered $10/hr, and got so many people they had to turn some away, and the stadium was almost completely clean of snow by the end of the day.

[snacker]

6. So are the Green Bay Packers, but...

they pay $8 an hour.

[crikkett]

8. The Vikings can't afford the help? n/t

[Viking12]

9. Ooops.

http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2010/12/get_paid_to_sho.php

[nc4bo]

11. LOL - well that's more like it by golly! nt.

[petronius]

10. Wonder if they're going to make people put down security for the shovels,

and charge them if they come back dinged up?

Seriously, there needs to be some 'thank you' beyond the opportunity to get some exercise - game tix, hats, jerseys, sweatshirts? :shrug:

But, nobody's being forced so if fans love their team enough to labor for free, that's their decision...

[AndrewP]

13. Hope they enjoy the dig out. I'm gonna watch it on TV

They are a part of a billion $ league. They don't need to rely on volunteers.

[pansypoo53219]

14. i think they pay

at lambeau field.