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Vikings fans have a lot to be thankful for
By Joshua Fox
Published:
Monday, October 4, 2004
I am from Pittsburgh, so naturally I am a Steelers fan.
That helps me understand why people root for the home team. But when it comes to the Vikings, I really have no idea what anyone is thinking.
A team led by one of the highest paid players in football, so what if he can hit a police officer in the middle of the street? She was just exercising her right to stop traffic. So what if when he was arrested marijuana was found in his car? Does that mean he should miss a game? Of course not. Don't worry little Johnny, there is still an unlimited supply of Randy Moss jerseys available at your local sporting goods store so you can idolize this contributing member of society.
Should it matter if he says he will play when he wants? Not at all. Though I must admit I was a little proud of the brave few who were burning Moss jerseys a couple years ago, those days are behind us, he is a new man.
My disgust for the Vikings started with one of the first games I saw them play after I had moved here many years ago. Unfortunately, I can't give a season when this happened, but I can say it was against the Green Bay Packers. Part way through a game in Green Bay, a Vikings lineman quite intentionally poked a Packer through his mask in the eye. I understand that players can get out of hand but that was not my problem with this. It was good old Dennis Green's reaction to this blatant personal foul. Did he sit this player for the remainder of the game? No. Did he sit him for a single play in order to show that this type of play would not be tolerated? No. The NFL did on the other hand see this type of play as unacceptable and the player was fined.
Since that point, it has been an avalanche of players and coaches beating their wives. Warren Moon and Dennis Green are a couple examples. Again no action taken by the team to show this behavior is unacceptable.
How about drunk driving? Is their anyone out there at this point that still thinks drunk driving is alright?
Well the Vikings organization may not condone it, they are far from condemning it.
A couple years ago multiple players were arrested after a snowmobile party for sexually assaulting a woman and others were arrested for drunk driving. Recently Kenny Mixon was suspended for drunk driving. Were the Vikings concerned about this incident? No, they are just happy to have him back.
Onterrio Smith is set to start a four game suspension for substance abuse, and the Vikings, are not fighting the results of the test, just the punishment.
The stadium issue has shown how much everyone really cares about keeping the Vikings in Minnesota. Everyone seems to agree that a new stadium is what the Vikings need and they want it, as long as they don't have to pay for it.
If you think that Red McCombs wouldn't move this team to any place on the map if they promised him a new stadium, you are out of your mind.
Here is a man with about as much loyalty as Benedict Arnold. McCombs has made millions of dollars off of "purple pride," but he won't put up the funds to help the community build a stadium for his team.
The fans don't seem too eager to fork out the money either though. In Pittsburgh, a new football stadium and baseball park have been built in the last three years and in Philadelphia they have new football, baseball and hockey centers.
Yep, Vikings fans must be the most loyal and determined of any in the whole NFL.
Comments for Joshua Fox? Send an e-mail to
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what is the point of this rambling mess ... (10/5/04)
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