The price of beer inside a stadium or arena might be the greatest scam in major professional sports. Very high on this list would be regularly coming up with jersey changes, so the customers who want attention as they stroll the corridors will put $150 to $250 on credit cards for the new look.
The Vikings mostly rely on the zealots driven to be the first in their section to have the newest name on a jersey.
For instance: Last season's flop of rookie Laquon Treadwell was excellent for jersey business. First, the true Purple dorks rushed to get the Treadwell premium jersey for $150. Then, by the bye week, they couldn't be seen in public with a "Treadwell" and had to pop for a "Thielen."
Minnesota's winter teams are going full bore with a jersey scam for their 2017-18 seasons.
By percentage, the Wild has the highest level of jersey display in the Twin Cities. If Mom, Dad and the two kids don't have four greens, four whites and four reds, they can hardly show their faces in Woodbury.
Now, the NHL is switching from Reebok to adidas as its jersey supplier in 2017-18. It's anticipated the Wild's green will have a different enough look to require four more jerseys for the average Woodbury family.
There are also going to be official practice jerseys (four more). Plus, the Wild's alternate reds won't be used next season — but sure to return in a new color in the near future (four more).
The desperate Timberwolves are rolling out a new official logo Tuesday (presumably, a version of the howling wolf), with new unis featuring different shades of blue, green, et al.
The Wolves' problem as jersey sellers is two-fold: A) the standings, and B) even a true dork doesn't want to wear a jersey requiring either a visible T-shirt or showing off his arm pits.
As for the Twins, the big changes will come in 2020, when Under Armour replaces Majestic as MLB's uniform maker. Let's hope "Buxton'' isn't a throwback by then. Dang, kid … see the ball, hit the ball.
Read Patrick Reusse's blog at startribune.com/patrick. E-mail him at preusse@startribune.com.
