The Minnesota Twins organization is not pleased about a new Sanford Health outdoor ad going in across the street from its ballpark.
According to ESPN, the 2800 square foot banner affixed to the Target Center will will dominate the view from the right-field seats at Target Field.
Twins president Dave St. Peter told the Star Tribune that Target Field will “be ambushed by a sign of this nature.”
Timberwolves president Chris Wright isn’t apologizing. He says the NBA team is thrilled with its deepening partnership with Sanford Health, which has 30 hospitals and 111 clinics in eight states.
“This is a business,” Wright said, according to the newspaper. “We are a business that is taking advantage of the increased traffic and commerce around the Warehouse District today.”
“I’m just disgusted by it,” Minneapolis City Council member Lisa Goodman told the Star Tribune.
Aesthetic standards are important as is city planning, but this story makes me laugh. I laugh because it’s not about aesthetics in the urban environment, it’s about control and it’s about getting paid.
Here’s a thought, someone from Sanford Health needs to call Twins president Dave St. Peter and offer to pay him for the “right” to advertise to his captive baseball audience. The size of the banner won’t matter at that point, provided the size of the check is more than sufficient.
