You've certainly seen the video of the Metrodome roof collapse many times by now; if you haven't, or even if you have, go look. It's worth looking again... but not before you read this interesting twist.
The next game scheduled at the Metrodome is a week from Monday, Dec. 20, when the Bears are scheduled to play the Vikings. Can the Metrodome staff repair the roof by then? According to this post at SBNation.com, the Chicago Tribune reported that:
Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission chairman Roy Terwilliger says the stadium’s crew should be able to clean up the snow and debris, replaced the three damaged panels, and restore the roof in time.
What if they can't? They could, according to this SBNation.com post, play at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium. The stadium is open-air -- hailing back to the "frozen tundra" days of Vikings games at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minn., now the site of the Mall of America -- and seats 50,805. That's about 13,000 fewer people than the Metrodome (officially called, ironically, Mall of America Stadium) seats, so they'd have to make some adjustments, but apparently they actually considered using it for the Giants/Vikings game on Monday. The only reason they couldn't was that university officials told them they needed two days to get the stadium ready. And if not, officials in New Orleans have offered the Superdome as an alternative.
As for outdoor football, why not? The Bears and Vikings, outdoors in Minneapolis in late December? The average low on Dec. 20 in Minneapolis is nine above zero Fahrenheit. Go for it.
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