Editing Minnesota Twins (section)

===Target Field===
{{Main|Target Field}}
[[Image:Target Field April 2010.jpg|thumb|[[Target Field]] in 2010.]]
In response to the threatened loss of the Twins, the Minnesota private and public sector negotiated and approved a financing package for a replacement stadium— a baseball-only outdoor, natural turf ballpark in the [[North Loop, Minneapolis|Warehouse District]] of downtown Minneapolis— owned by a new entity known as the Minnesota Ballpark Authority.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2010/04/01/17066/target_field_the_house_that_jerry_bell_willed_to_completion |last=Weiner |first=Jay |title=Target Field: 'The House That Jerry Bell Willed to Completion' |publisher=MinnPost |date=April 1, 2010 |access-date=July 27, 2011 |archive-date=January 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110112082702/http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2010/04/01/17066/target_field_the_house_that_jerry_bell_willed_to_completion |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Target Field]] was constructed at a cost of $544.4&nbsp;million (including site acquisition and infrastructure), utilizing the proceeds of a $392&nbsp;million public bond offering based on a 0.15% sales tax in Hennepin County and private financing of $185&nbsp;million provided by the [[Carl Pohlad|Pohlad family]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/46497222.html |title=Editorial: Target Field built to exceed expectations |newspaper=Star Tribune |date=May 31, 2009 |access-date=July 27, 2011 |archive-date=October 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016215036/http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/46497222.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Jack |last=Gordon |url=http://www.tcbmag.com/print.aspx?print_page=%2Findustriestrends%2Fcommercialrealestate%2F127061printp1.aspx&string_referer=/industriestrends/commercialrealestate/127061p1.aspx |title=The Coolest Ballpark in America |publisher=Twin Cities Business Magazine |date=March 2010 |access-date=July 27, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003105952/http://www.tcbmag.com/print.aspx?print_page=%2Findustriestrends%2Fcommercialrealestate%2F127061printp1.aspx&string_referer=%2Findustriestrends%2Fcommercialrealestate%2F127061p1.aspx |archive-date=October 3, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  As part of the deal, the Twins also signed a 30-year lease of the new stadium, effectively guaranteeing the continuation of the team in Minnesota for a long time to come. Construction of the new field began in 2007, and was completed in December 2009, in time for the 2010 season. Commissioner [[Bud Selig]], who earlier had threatened to disband the team, observed that without the new stadium the Twins could not have committed to sign their star player, catcher [[Joe Mauer]], to an 8-year, $184&nbsp;million contract extension. The first regular-season game in Target Field was played against the [[Boston Red Sox]] on April 12, 2010, with Mauer driving in two runs and going 3-for-5 to help the Twins defeat the Red Sox, 5–2.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIN/MIN201004120.shtml |title=April 12, 2010 Boston Red Sox at Minnesota Twins Play by Play and Box Score |website=Baseball-Reference.com |date=April 12, 2010 |access-date=August 16, 2012 |archive-date=July 4, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704065039/http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MIN/MIN201004120.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

On May 18, 2011, Target Field was named "The Best Place To Shop" by [[Street and Smith]]'s ''SportsBusiness Journal'' at the magazine's 2011 Sports Business Awards Ceremony in New York City.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/blog/sports-business/2011/05/target-field-named-sports-facility-of.html |title=Target Field named Sports Facility of the Year |first=John Jr. |last=Vomhof |publisher=Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal |date=May 19, 2011 |access-date=July 27, 2011 |archive-date=May 23, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523121515/http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/blog/sports-business/2011/05/target-field-named-sports-facility-of.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It was also named "The Best Sports Stadium in North America" by ''[[ESPN The Magazine]]'' in a ranking that included over 120 different stadiums, ballparks and arenas from around North America.<ref>{{cite news |author=Hart Van Denburg |url=http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2010/07/espn_calls_trag.php |title=ESPN Magazine calls Target Field the best stadium in North America |newspaper=City Pages |date=July 2, 2010 |access-date=July 27, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517133915/http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2010/07/espn_calls_trag.php |archive-date=May 17, 2014 }}</ref> The stadium hosted the [[2014 Major League Baseball All-Star Game|85th Major League Baseball All-Star Game]] and the [[2014 Major League Baseball Home Run Derby|Home Run Derby]] in 2014. In mid 2020, following [[George Floyd protests in Minneapolis–Saint Paul|protests]] over the [[murder of George Floyd]], a statue of former owner [[Calvin Griffith]] was removed from [[Target Field#Target Plaza|Target Plaza]] outside of the stadium due to his history of racist comments.<ref>{{cite news |title=Twins remove ex-owner Griffith statue over racist remarks |url=https://apnews.com/add5ed6f954dd7b10f428c24f06944bf |work=Associated Press |date=June 19, 2020 |access-date=September 9, 2020 |archive-date=August 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200829083849/https://apnews.com/add5ed6f954dd7b10f428c24f06944bf |url-status=live }}</ref>