US Bank Stadium to spend $4.6M on curtains to block out sun for NCAA men's basketball Final Four
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In this photo taken Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016, US Bank Stadium, the new home of the NFL Minnesota Vikings football team, is shown in Minneapolis (AP Photo/Jim Mone)
It didn't work out so well for Mr. Burns -- but disregarding the classic "Simpsons" episode, Minneapolis is going to try to block out the sun, anyway.
U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis is ponying up about $4.6 million to install large curtains meant to block out the daylight when the site hosts the 2019 NCAA men's basketball Final Four, the Star Tribune reported Tuesday.
The gigantic state-of-the-art arena, which is also the home of the Minnesota Vikings, will be the location for the two national semifinal games on April 6 and the championship on April 8.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“The sun and the views — that’s what makes [U.S. Bank Stadium] unique and beautiful,” the stadium’s general manager Patrick Talty said, though he acknowledged the necessity of curtains for the basketball tourney.
The stadium, which reportedly had half of the ceiling and one-third of the walls covered, will also need to add about 14,000 seats, a basketball floor and a suspended jumbotron.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Officials plan on capitalizing on the curtains for other events, too, such as a Garth Brooks concert and two major religious events coming in 2019 and 2021, Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority chairman Michael Vekich told the Star Tribune.
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The start of the NCAA tournament, leading ultimately to Minneapolis, starts in 10 days on Selection Sunday.