Growing up, my buddy Rick would always be a boisterous supporter of the Green Bay Packers. Lest I need remind you, I grew up here in Minnesota, so the idea of my friend being a Packer backer was difficult to conceive. After all, weren’t the Minnesota Vikings our home team?
However, Rick’s dad explained it to me one time. Warren was of an age that he was a football fan long before the Vikings became a team in 1961. With no team prior to that year, he had cheered for the closest team, the one from Green Bay. Even when the Vikings arrived, Warren had already become invested emotionally with the Packers.
Okay, I get that. And I get that he would raise his son to be a Packer fan too. Trust me, our friendship didn’t suffer because of who we cheered for on Sundays.
Even though my dad was born before the Vikings became a team, he was 12 when Minnesota entered the NFL, so he was likely just beginning to enjoy football. We would watch the game on Sundays as I grew up, and I grew to love the purple and gold. Granted, even though I was alive during three of the team’s Super Bowl appearances, I’m well aware of the cursed history of the franchise. And I still remain a fan.
Why? Why do we do this to ourselves? And I’m not just talking about Vikings fans. I’m talking about Twins, Timberwolves, Wild, and Gopher fans. And I’m a fan of all of them, some more than others. And I’m also talking about fans of teams in other locations. For example, how hard is it to be a Buffalo Bills fan? They are also 0-4 in Super Bowls, though they had a better chance to win one than our squad ever did.
How about Sacramento Kings fans in the NBA? Or Tampa Bay Rays fans in MLB? Or any other number of franchises that haven’t really sniffed a championship? (Yes, I know Tampa Bay was in the World Series one year, but still…)
I believe in loyalty to my teams. As Michelle and I were listening to the end of the Vikings-Packers tie on the radio while waiting for a softball game, I asked her, “What would happen if I just didn’t watch football for a year? Why do I do this to myself?” She laughed at the very thought. Of course, if I decided to stop watching, that would be the year the Vikes would win it all.
At least with the Twins, I can say I’ve seen them win two World Series. I continued to watch and listen to the team during the lean years in the mid- to late-90s. Those were tough years, but I didn’t often miss seeing or hearing at least part of every game, plus I attended many games.
And you know what? When they started to be a contending franchise in the new century, it made all those tough years so worth it. No bandwagon jumping here! I had survived all those years when the team was out of the pennant race by July, and now I could savor playoff appearances again. I think the feeling people had who had left the team behind during the lean years, only to reappear when they were good, must have been different.
I see more and more kids who hop from one team to another, depending on who’s doing well. There are a lot more Golden State Warriors basketball jerseys around since Steph Curry reinvigorated that team. I’ve seen more New England Patriots jerseys since the beginning of that dynasty, the same for Boston Red Sox paraphernalia once they broke their own curse.
I can’t imagine doing that. Sure, once our Minnesota teams are out of contention, I’ll probably pick a team that I wouldn’t mind seeing win. For example, during last year’s World Series, I rooted a bit more for the Houston Astros since they had never won it all. That certainly felt good for those long-suffering fans.
Will the Minnesota Gophers football team ever make it back to the Rose Bowl? How about the basketball teams reaching the Final Four? It seems more and more difficult in a college sporting atmosphere that favors the traditional powers. Still, there’s hope.
I don’t watch much of the NBA. I try every year, but it gets frustrating, and the home team doesn’t help that. Still, I’ll pull for them and stay attached in some way to the local bandwagon, even if I’m not as rabid as I am for the baseball and football teams.
Go ahead, root for whoever you want. But once the Vikings actually win it all (oh please, let that happen) and the Twins find the winning combination again, when the Wild finally make that Stanley Cup run and the Gophers play in Pasedena, think about where you come from. And ask yourself just how much more you might enjoy those victories if you had stuck with the Minnesota teams all this time!
Word of the Week: This week’s word is mizzle, which means to leave suddenly, as in, “The former fan of the local team decided to mizzle to a more consistent contender.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!