ord Ouseley feels such a change is necessary but may take ti

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Vikings sought an innovative and unique look for their new stadium that could be instantly recognized on national television.To receive public funding, the place needed to be covered, and a retractable roof option was passed over for a translucent cover. Its more cost-efficient and can make the interior almost feel like the outdoors when coupled with the top-to-bottom glass front of the asymmetrical, ship-shaped building.As the construction process unfolded, the Vikings learned that their preferred design came with quite the benefit.Loud noises.The see-through plastic panels that account for 60 percent of the roof, a space-age material called ethylene tetraflouroethylene or ETFE, are considered more acoustically reflective than the Teflon cover over the old Metrodome. The Vikings enjoyed a significant edge during their 32 seasons in that stadium, often thriving off the sounds of an amped-up crowd that reverberated off the ceiling.Now, at U.S. Bank Stadium, the capacity is a bit larger at 66,000 seats. The angle of the roof could also tilt more of the noise toward the visiting team benches. The seats and suites are the closest to the action of any venue in the NFL, at 41 feet and 25 feet from the sidelines, respectively.Id like it to be extremely loud, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said. Its always a chance for home-field advantage for us, so thats what Im hoping for.The Vikings will play their first regular-season game on Sunday night against Green Bay. The prime-time contest against the archrival Packers will already have the fans revved up, and the magnitude of the had-to-be-there moment of a stadiums first real game can only enhance the environment. Factor in the aforementioned physics of the building material, and the potential for ringing ears into the next day is clear.Its going to be out of control. Lights out. I expect nothing less, Vikings left guard Alex Boone said. The electricity is probably going to be through the roof.That will certainly be a challenge for the opponent.The Metrodome, as far as the uniqueness of the noise level that youve dealt with over the years, I think has given us a pretty good gauge or standard of what the expectation should be, Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy said.The Packers accused the Vikings in the past of artificially enhancing the Metrodome atmosphere with piped-in noise through the stadium speakers to supplement the actual screaming of the fans. Fair or not, fact or fiction, such a trick was hardly necessary then and especially wont be now.I think early in the game, its going to be tough to hear anything, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. You know on the road we like to use a silent count like all teams do, and you just have to figure out those opportunities when you can use your verbal checks and stuff.After two years outside at the University of Minnesotas TCF Bank Stadium, where the franchise record for the coldest game in Vikings history was set in the playoffs in January with a kickoff temperature of minus-6 degrees, the Vikings will field a team well-suited for the new place. The players, of course, will relish the bells and whistles of the $1.1 billion building to call their own.Their run-oriented offense supported by reigning NFL rushing leader Adrian Peterson is the kind of scheme that fits well in the natural elements. A passing attack that has lagged for several years can only benefit from the controlled climate. Kicker Blair Walsh, who missed the last-second 27-yard field goal in a one-point defeat by Seattle on that frigid January day, ought to get a boost from the neutral conditions.Then theres the defense that has been ascending under Zimmer toward one of the stingiest in the league.If youre indoors and its loud, I think thats a big advantage for a pass rush because theyre going on silent cadence and theyre not getting double cadence and all that stuff, Zimmer said.The potential for jet-engine-like decibel levels is high enough that Dr. David Geddes, an audiologist at HealthPartners clinics in the Twin Cities area, wrote tips and warnings for ear protection for fans in an article posted last month on the health care providers website.Force from loud sound vibrations can damage tiny cells inside your ear, Geddes said. Damage to these hair cells cannot be reversed, so the key is to use hearing protection to prevent damage. One-third of permanent hearing loss is preventable.The only damage sought at the stadium by the Vikings, of course, will be to the won-loss record of their opponents.The louder they are, Zimmer said, the more itll help us.That comes with a caveat, though.If we stink, the coach said, then it wont be very loud.---Online:AP NFL website: http://www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL coverage on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Dave Campbell on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/DaveCampbellAP Derrick Favors Jersey .R. Smith realized how easily basketball can be taken from him, and he wasnt going to take his place in the NBA for granted anymore. Brandon Ingram Jersey . -- Charline Labonte couldnt have asked for a better homecoming. https://www.pelicanslockerroom.com/Darius-Miller-City-Edition-Jersey/ . -- San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ahmad Brooks was fined $15,570 by the NFL on Wednesday for his hit on Saints quarterback Drew Brees last Sunday. Jaxson Hayes Jersey .Y. -- Vancouver Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo had little trouble picking up his first shutout of the season against a Buffalo Sabres team thats having trouble scoring goals. Jrue Holiday Pelicans Jersey . The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling "puts an end to my dreams of being a top player," the 27-year-old Troicki said in a statement. "I worked my entire life for it, and it has been taken away from me in one afternoon by a doctor I didnt know," said Troicki, whose ranking peaked at No.Kick It Out chairman Lord Ouseley has backed Greg Dyke’s proposals for FA reform but admits it will be a struggle to get them accepted. Outgoing FA chairman Dyke is keen for the organisation to modernise, particularly with regard to the number of women and individuals from black or ethnic minorities who sit on the FA council. Of the 123-strong body, just six are women and four come from black and minority ethnic backgrounds but, although Ouseley is supportive of the push for change, he is not convinced Dyke will succeed. FA chairman Greg Dyke outlines his proposed changes for English footballs governing body I hope he does but I am not sure he will, Lord Ouseley said of Dykes proposals on Sky Sports News HQ as he attended a Kick It Out fundraising dinner at Stamford Bridge.He is a reformer and he clearly recognises the Football Association needs to get into the 21st century.He is trying to make sure that happens by making sure some of the protocols within the council are modified, reformed, to enable wider representation of what the country looks like. Outgoing FA chairman Greg Dyke wants to bring about reforms Also, the board and the council, with its broad representation, especially at grassroots level, can collaborate to bring about changes for the benefiit of the game.ddddddddddddI think Greg Dyke requires all our support in order to help him get [the changes] through but the council are a law unto themselves and he is probably up against it.As for the need to ensure more council members come from black or ethnic minorities, Lord Ouseley feels such a change is necessary but may take time to become a reality.I was one once but there is a long way to go with that. It is slow going that one but it really has to happen, and it will, he added.There are more women now than there was a few years ago but it is like trying to climb Mt Everest with that one but we will get there one day. Sky Sports News HQ reporter Anton Toloui explains how FA Chairman Greg Dyke plans to reform the FA Lord Ouseley believes the game has improved in its attitudes in recent years but insists there is still plenty of work still to be done.There is a lot more work to be done but football is in a much better state today than it was even five years ago, which means it is a much better experience to watch or go and play, he said.What we are concerned about is, while we make progress on the regulatory front, there is a big issue about attitudes and prejudice.We are seeing a rise in statistical evidence, both from police and in football, of anti-semitism and Islamophobia-type incidents.We are trying to ensure all our clubs, particularly the ones who have got community foundations or trusts, are putting a greater emphasis on educational elements, not just playing football. ' ' '