Outside of the Vikings practice facility in Eagan, construction crews are building the foundations of a new state of the art facility.
Inside, the team is doing a bit of building of its own, a stronger foundation with the LGBTQ community.
"The Vikings have shown that they are committed to putting on a world-class presentation," former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe says.
On Thursday, the Vikings became the first NFL organization to host a large-scale summit on LGBTQ issues.
But the summit wasn’t exactly the team’s idea, it was Kluwe’s after he accused the team of firing him over his outspoken support of gay marriage and the LGBTQ community.
To avoid a lawsuit, the two sides came to an agreement that included several stipulations.
One of those stipulations was requiring the team to host a special summit to discuss the inclusion of LGBTQ athletes in sports.
“I wanted people to know that this is an issue we are still dealing with in sports” Kluwe explains.
The event brought in more than 200 people, including young athletes, high school and college coaches, and numerous LGBTQ organizations from the across the country.
Kluwe says about a dozen NFL officials also showed up for the event.
“The NFL taking strides on this issue will go a long way,” Kluwe says. “It’s great to see.”
The summit featured more than a dozen speakers, including Chris Mosier, a professional tri-athlete who was the first transgender man to make a U.S. national team.
"If I would have seen someone like me in sports, I think it would have changed my whole experience,” Mosier said during a panel Thursday morning.
Mosier was one of three LGBTQ athletes who shared their stories during a panel Thursday morning.
The other two panel members included Olympic diver Greg Louganis and professional soccer player Joanna Lohman.
"The NFL is one of the sports that have not been having this conversation in the way that other teams and leagues have been," Mosier says.
“I think it’s a big deal that the NFL is having these conversations.
One of the highlights of the summit was an afternoon panel titled “Inclusion in America’s Major Sporting Institutions: A Conversation with the NFL and NCAA.”
The panel featured human resource officers from both organizations and drew numerous questions from the audience.
Kluwe is hoping the summit will inspire other NFL teams to host similar events. He’s hoping the event will become more than just a one-time thing.
“I don’t want it to be one and done,” Kluwe explains.
“I would love to be able to continue this conversation and have it spread to college and high school teams so that athletes of all backgrounds feel included in sports.”
