Vikings: The Fine Print

The Vikings will have the exclusive right to sell and profit from a pair of naming rights deals for the new stadium and adjacent fan plaza.

Tobacco companies, firearms firms and political parties are disallowed, and Twin Cities-based corporations are considered preapproved.

Because the stadium is expected to increase the value of the football franchise, the lease guards against owners Mark and Zygi Wilf cashing out quick.

If the owners unload a majority stake in the team, they’ll have to split the profits with the public. If a sale happens before May 2022, the owners forfeit a quarter of their “premium.”

The Vikings are on the hook for annual rent. It starts at $8.5 million the year the stadium opens – likely 2016 – and climbs 3 percent a year until reaching $20 million in year 30. The Vikings pledged to put 3,250 “affordable” tickets on the market for each game at the 65,000-capacity venue.

Affordable is defined as no more than 80 percent of the average cost in the lowest-priced section, and obstructed view or standing-room-only tickets can’t be factored in.

Also, the team must help convince NFL owners to bring the Super Bowl to Minnesota “as soon as reasonably practical.”

The earliest would be 2018. Meanwhile, the stadium can be used for various events during the 350-plus days the Vikings aren’t playing.

Events like concerts, fantasy football days, amateur sports competitions and political events are approved. However, there can be no events that sell guns, adults-only entertainment or head shop paraphernalia.