There goes the neighborhood: Twins and Timberwolves fight over 2,800-square foot billboard

Despite being next-door neighbors in downtown Minneapolis and having the same corporate sponsorship for their venues the Twins and Timberwolves are having a squabble over the size and placement of a new advertisement. Target Center, which is home to the Timberwolves, is currently installing a 2,800-square foot billboard advertising local health care provider Sanford Health that is prominent in the Target Field skyline and visible from many of the seats in the Twins’ home. With the billboard conveniently set to be fully installed in time for the Twins’ playoff opener Wednesday, team president Dave St. Peter called it “an ambush on the ballpark.” Here’s more from St. Peter:

While the Twins always understood an ambush on the ballpark was possible, the sheer size of the proposed signage is shocking. We feel particularly bad about how this signage dominates the new civic gathering place known as Target Plaza. Needless to say it’s disappointing considering the large private investment to create this dynamic celebration of public art, which was in essence a gift to the city of Minneapolis.

There’s some irony is getting upset about an advertisement ruining “the new civic gathering place known as Target Plaza” that is, in fact, a form of advertising (or at least corporate sponsorship) itself. It would be kind of like complaining about there being too many commercials during an infomercial. And make no mistake, there are plenty of prominent ads visible throughout the Twins’ still-beautiful ballpark. Timberwolves president Chris Wright told David Brauer of MinnPost that he “would disagree with those characterizations” and has “the authority and the right to take advantage of a terrific development that occurred behind our building.”