EAGAN, Minn. -- The last time the Minnesota Vikings could boast about all the amenities their players would encounter during a week -- from Monday through Saturday at their practice facility and Sunday at their stadium -- came around the time Ronald Reagan was a first-term president, MTV was all the rage and a nine-song album called "Thriller" was about to turn the world on its ear.
The team will take its most public step toward changing that dynamic later this month, when it plays its first preseason game at U.S. Bank Stadium. For all but 10 days a year, though, the Vikings conduct their business somewhere other than the $1.