Clearly, Mother Nature is not a Minnesota Vikings fan.
For the third week in a row, the Vikings are being forced to play a game at a stadium or on a day other than where it was originally scheduled; this time due to the blizzard that hit the Northeast yesterday, December 26, and today. The team is scheduled to play the Philadelphia Eagles tomorrow, December 28, which is the first Tuesday night NFL game since 1946, according to the league.
Concerns over fan safety traveling to and from Lincoln Financial Field led NFL officials to postpone the game.
“Because of the uncertainty of the extent of tonight’s storm and its aftermath, the game will be played on Tuesday night at 8 p.m.,” NFL spokesperson Greg Aiello said in a statement on Sunday, which was the night the game was originally scheduled. “This will allow sufficient time to ensure that roads, parking lots and the stadium are fully cleared. The National Weather Service states that a winter storm warning in Philadelphia remains in effect until 1 p.m. on Monday.”
While the game being rescheduled could prove to be an inconvenience for some fans, at least the game is not being relocated to another — and smaller — stadium, as was the case with the Vikings’ last game, the December 20, game against the Chicago Bears. That game was moved to the University of Minnesota stadium because the Metrodome is still being repaired, and the game became a headache for ticket brokers because the college stadium hold 13,000 fewer fans.
Ticket brokers TicketNews spoke to about Tuesday night’s game did not report any problems due to the rescheduling. “A lot of fans are excited,” one broker said. “How often do you have Tuesday night football?”
But, count Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell among those who feel inconvenienced. The popular Democratic Governor ripped the NFL on Sunday for rescheduling the game, stressing that fans could have safely traveled to and from the game via public transportation. See video below.
“I think it’s a joke,” Rendell told WTXF-TV of the NFL’s decision, adding that he had been looking forward to watching some old-time, snow-filled football.
Rendell Irate Eagles Game Was Postponed: MyFoxPHILLY.com
