Vikings roundup: Vikings rank No. 41 on Forbes list, Metrodome sees new life

Today's reinflation of the Metrodome roof won't exactly repair the Vikings' deflated financial value in Forbes.com's list of the 50 most valuable sports franchises. The Vikings have been fighting for a new stadium for years in part to strengthen a financial portfolio that would surely vault the team ahead of its current No. 41 ranking in Forbes, falling 30th among 32 NFL teams. Only the Raiders and Jaguars are less viable. Writes Forbes, which values the Vikings at $774 million: The Vikings lease at the Metrodome expires after the 2011 season and the team insists that it will not sign a new lease without a solution for a new stadium in place. Stadium revenues for the Vikings badly lag the rest of the NFL. A nice arrangement of suites and premium club seating in a new stadium might catapult the Vikings into the top 20 -- even if it takes five years, in or out of Minnesota. Take the Cowboys, who are No. 2 on the list thanks partly to their thousands of $340-per-ga...