Reader Email: Vikings Fans Need to Get a Grip

January 27, 2010 By 2 Comments

I received the email below from a Vikings fan named Tim. I thought it was interesting.

It is oh, so easy, to focus on what went wrong against the Saints.  Have any Vikes fans stopped to focus on what went right this year and reflect upon what a great season we had?  Would you rather be a Detroit Lions fan?  Childress and Favre were the reasons we were a breath away from the superbowl.  Rather than trying to figure out how we can blame them for our own grief, let’s do some soul searching about why we’ve turned so much of our emotional stability over to people that make millions of dollars and couldn’t care less about us.

The toughest thing about having a successful season is often dealing with the disappointment of championship dreams falling short. I will never forget the 1993 college basketball season when I thought Indiana was going to win it all, but bowed out in the Elite 8 to Kansas. It was crushing.

But the season was terrific, and I still have great memories of it now.

Vikings fans are sad, upset, pissed off, and disappointed because they were so close. And they were clearly one of the three best teams in the NFL this year. Unfortunately, someone had to finish 3rd, and the Vikings did by the ever-so-slightest of margins. Still, that’s better than the vast majority of other teams, and the journey from August to late January at least had a plethora of positive moments to get cheer for and get excited about.

The emailer is right: would you rather be a Detroit Lions fan?

Yes, dealing with crushing disappointment sucks, but at least you were able to experience the hope and excitement of championship expectations. Ask a Lions fan the last time they got even one whiff of that.

Things will be okay Vikings fans. If Brett Favre returns.

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Filed Under: NFL Tagged With: detroit lions, Minnesota Vikings, NFL, reader email
About Jerod Morris

A proud graduate of Indiana University, Jerod Morris founded Midwest Sports Fans in August of 2008 and has been its Managing Editor every day since. Follow him on Twitter (@JerodMorris) for MSF updates, sports discussion, and a compelling daily assortment of funny and interesting links.
In addition to his work at MSF, Jerod hosts the fast-growing Indiana basketball postgame show The Assembly Call and provides regular music recommendations at IndieChristmas.com. He also helped develop the Synthesis Managed WordPress Hosting platform on which MSF and all of his other sites are run.

  • Drew

    People have to realize that of course Vikings fans are happy about the way the season went. I’ll take an NFC Championship game over 2-14 any day. The problem that I am facing right now is how it ended, mainly because that just happened. Over time I will appreciate the season for what it was and will look back and see how it all got started. Right now feels like I just broke up with my girlfriend. No one breaks up with a girlfriend and immediately thinks about the good times together. Break ups are usually bad, at least in my experience, and losing in overtime in the NFC Championship game is bad as well. Give it some time and all will be well.

  • Dennis Johnson

    The Vikings had 5 turnovers and things didnt go their way durring the game, however, through all of this they were tied at the end of regulation. What happeded next? All you have to do is find a place to review what the one referree was looking at under the hood. What did he see? It was obvious to the TV audiance what the calls should have been. I do congratulate the Saints on the win, I just hope they realize they got the best of two calls in overtime/