This Target Field Policy Sets It Apart From The Others [OPINION]

This weekend I brought my young son to the preseason Vikings game at US Bank Stadium. It's a nice, cheap way to bring him to an NFL game at a reasonable cost and he has no idea that the best players never even sniff the field.

Before the game we made sure to check the policies on the US Bank Stadium website for what we were (and weren't) allowed to bring into the game. The list of prohibited items was extensive but we saw that we could bring a clear vinyl bag and one bottle of water into the stadium per person.

We packed up our stuff, hiked to the stadium from our parking ramp and waited in line for security. When we got to the front of the line we were told we couldn't bring the water bottles into the stadium.

The woman running the gate's security explained that she knew what the website said but that the team (or stadium?) had changed the policy. I could tell that she had been having this conversation frequently throughout the day so I didn't push it and threw the water away.

As we walked into the stadium we could hear her having the exact same conversation with another family that had been a couple of spots behind us in line.

Many folks don't know this, but Target Field allows fans to bring in as many (unopened) bottles of water as they can carry, along with their own snacks. You can even bring in a soft-sided cooler with ice to keep things cold!

With the cost of everything rising and making pro sports events tougher and tougher to afford to attend, the Target Field policy makes the Twins' home stadium the king of the Twin Cities sports venues.