Favre Wearing Purple was Supposed to be Fun...Right?
by Ric Flair Guy on Jan 20, 2010 7:49 AM CST
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PrintWhen Brett Favre signed with the Minnesota Vikings, I was pretty excited. The NFL is all about entertainment and what could be more entertaining than seeing Favre play against the Packers twice? After all, he was playing for the Vikings, one of the most snake-bitten franchises in all of sports. It’s not like there was any chance the Vikings would be good enough to win the Super Bowl, right? This Favre in purple thing was just going to be a one season sideshow that would only further diminish the accomplishments of No. 4 in Green Bay and probably add to the Vikings resume of ineptitude. After the Vikings stumbled in the regular season or went one and done in the playoffs, we were all going to get back to our regular football lives. Or so I thought.
Now, after two regular season wins over the Packers and a career year, Favre has the Vikings one win away from the Super Bowl. This has caused the portion of my brain that controls football cheering emotions to become very confused. I want to be happy for Favre. He returned the Packers to their rightful place as one of the most respected and nationally recognized franchises in all of sports. I should be glad to see him succeed elsewhere, especially since the Packers had an opportunity to bring him back and chose not to. But that’s not how I feel, and I’m trying to figure out why.
I don’t consider the Vikings to be a Packers rival. When I think of Packers rivals, the Bears and Cowboys come to mind, not so much the Vikings. I consider the Vikings to be like a little yip dog that won’t shut up and keeps nipping at your ankles. You want to kick it across the yard so it will leave you alone, but it’s not much of a threat so you just ignore it and hope it shuts up and falls asleep. Vikings fans consider the Packers to be a rival, however. They can’t figure out how a team with a stadium next to a K-Mart traditionally has a better team, the best football atmosphere in the NFL and three Super Bowl trophies. It drives them nuts. If a Vikings fan knows you’re a Packers fan, you can forget about having any sort of intelligent conversation with that person. Here’s how conversations go between Packers fans and Vikings fans:
Packers fan: “So, you guys signed Favre. Are you excited?”
Vikings fan: “PACKERS SUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!”
Packers fan: “How do you like Brad Childress for a coach?”
Vikings fan: “PACKERS SUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!”
Packers fan: “Where’s a good place to eat in Minneapolis?”
Vikings fan: “PACKERS SUUUUUUUCK!!!!!! Now leave me alone so I can go vote for a pro wrestler to be my governor and a comedian to be my U.S. Senator.”
I attended WCW Monday Nitro in Minneapolis in the fall of 1998 and instead of yelling at the bad guy wrestlers, the audience chanted “PACKERS SUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!” on at least five different occasions. The obsession with the Packers that Vikings fans have is scary, and I’m worried that a Super Bowl win will make it even worse. The fake noise pumped into the Metrodome during games will get louder. The team mascot will get hairier. Conversations with Vikings fans will be even less intelligent. The last thing a Vikings fan needs is a reason to become even more obnoxious.
I don’t care how selfish it seems, but I want to remember Brett Favre how I want to remember him. I want to remember Favre connecting with Sterling Sharpe in the ’93 playoffs against Detroit. I watched that game with my grandma who had dementia and it brought a smile to her face ever time Favre made a play and I cheered. I want to remember the Super Bowl win in Louisiana. I watched that game at a buddy’s house and just sat in a big chair and took it all in while Favre and the Packers celebrated on the field. I want to remember his Monday Night Football performance after his dad died. Who couldn’t make a connection with that performance? I want to remember the 2007 playoff win in the snow at Lambeau. I attended that game with my future wife and its one of our favorite memories together. All of these memories came with Favre in a Packers jersey and Favre in a Packers jersey is how it should be, dammit!
When I remember Brett Favre, I don’t want to think of an indoor stadium with a field named after a shopping mall. I don’t want to remember him playing for a franchise that often needs to scramble to sell tickets to ensure sellouts at home games. Perhaps most of all, I was holding out hope that Favre was the last of a dying breed, an athlete that had some fan in him and maybe even a little bit of loyalty. Of course, deep down I knew this wasn’t the case. I knew money and attention ranked high on Favre’s list of priorities, but what was wrong with tricking myself into thinking otherwise?
I was privileged enough to witness Favre help resurrect the Green Bay Packers and the truth is I’m worried he might be doing the same with the Vikings. I fear that the Packers may one day be the annoying yip dog that the Vikings have been over the years. I don’t want my only sentence to be “VIKINGS SUUUUUUUCK!!!!!!” when someone asks me about the Packers. Sure, it might be best if the Vikings win it all this year and Favre finally goes away, allowing everyone to move on. But that means I would have to acknowledge the Vikings as a legitimate threat, even if they needed a Packers icon to reach that status. How are Packers fans supposed to feel about that?
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Well....
Nice post, but I think fearing that a Vikings Superbowl win is going to make the Packers suddenly a footnote in the division is bordering a little on the hysterical side. The Vikes signing Favre this year is more like what the Brewers did when they traded for CC 2 years ago- fill one gaping hole with surefire veteran talent to try and make a run. Two years later and we’re still trying to find pitching.
Plus, part of being a Packers fan is having the history to look back on. I think Walter Sobchak probably put it best.
“90 years of beautiful tradition from Curly Lambeau to Aaron Rodgers*, YOU’RE GODDAMNED RIGHT IM LIVING IN THE F****** PAST”
*Quote altered to prove point.
by sicklebeat on Jan 20, 2010 8:05 AM CST reply actions 3 recs
You see this shown all the time in their Daily Norseman. If you go in there to try to talk football, they will just look you up see the Packer part and all they can do is talk about the Packers not being in the playoffs. Its pretty funny actually. The best part is they think they are somehow better than the people in WI meanwhile the rest of the world is laughing at them! I actually live in MN, its a nice place but some of the people are real idiots. Don’t worry though, when they fall back to mediocrity, their fan base will dwindle back down again like it always does and then you won’t have to listen to them as much.
Tongue-in-cheek question to Minnesotites, ans, ers, lings, ians...
why move all the way across the world, Viking immigrants, only to select a region that’s exactly like where you came from?
Hey hey I got an idea. Lets play "I Never." You got to drink if you did the thing that the person says they never did...
Don’t worry though, when they fall back to mediocrity, their fan base will dwindle back down again like it always does and then you won’t have to listen to them as much.
Haha this really couldn’t be anymore true. I’m really interested to see how some of the Vikings fans I know will feel about the Vikings when they no longer have a Qb. My hunch, like yours, is that many of them will magically disappear.
by packallday555 on Jan 20, 2010 10:20 PM CST up reply actions
Of course they will
It always does, to every team. Name one team it hasn’t happened to. Happened to the Packers too, in the late 80s., after Dickey & before Majikowski (aka the Randy Wright years). Probably the 70s too, but I’m not old enough to remember.
I know every team eventually does but for the Vikings going from 12-4 and an NFC Championship (at least) to probably no better then 10-6 (unless they get another good Qb) will be devestating to Vikings fans. A lot of them have jumped on the bandwagon, and I’m sure most will jump off if their record does indeed decrease.
I realize that exact situation I presented above happened to the Packers from 2007 to 2008 but the Packers have a great fan base and haven’t been in danger of being moved like the Vikings have.
by packallday555 on Jan 21, 2010 5:57 PM CST up reply actions
Well, in Minnesota's defense, the Packers would be very hard to move because they're publicly owned
But yeah, Minnesota fans tend to be pretty fair weathered (With the exception being the WIld, but they’re still relatively young so give it time) Like Trevor said, the Twolves can’t give tickets away and if they left in the middle of the night, I doubt anyone would notice. But back when they still had KG and were contenders, everyone was crazy about them. If the Vikings fall off like that, expect the fans to be more like they were in the early to mid nineties where blackouts happened fairly often, which would mean more televised Packers games for those of us living in the cities.
by Charlie Kelly on Jan 22, 2010 9:06 AM CST up reply actions
The Wild have a great fan base, as well as the Twins, but that’s because Minnesota is the state of hockey and the Wild are always somewhat good and the Twins have been pretty good over the past 4-5 years.
After the Vikings traded Moss, and Culpepper was gone, it was like the fan base disappeared. I thought it would re-appear after AP turned out to be the best Rb in the league but even that didn’t really do it. I also thought a 10-6 record, along with a division championship would bring some fans back. Nope. Fox had to buyout their playoff game so it wouldn’t be blacked out.
Getting Favre and being 12-4 finally brought much of the fanbase back but think about what is going to happen when after Favre is gone. I read an article in the Star Trib a while back that said the Vikings were in the bottom 3 in the league (can’t remember if they were 29th, 30th, or 31st) in revenues prior to this year.
12-4 seasons, with NFC Championship appearances don’t happen every year, and unless they grab a Qb who can keep them close to the pace their at now, the fan base will likely disappear once again. That, combined with the fact that right now, a new stadium being built for them seems unlikely, makes them a serious contender to move to LA.
by packallday555 on Jan 22, 2010 10:38 AM CST up reply actions
The Wild have a great fan base, as well as the Twins, but that’s because Minnesota is the state of hockey and the Wild are always somewhat good and the Twins have been pretty good over the past 4-5 years.
After the Vikings traded Moss, and Culpepper was gone, it was like the fan base disappeared. I thought it would re-appear after AP turned out to be the best Rb in the league but even that didn’t really do it. I also thought a 10-6 record, along with a division championship would bring some fans back. Nope. Fox had to buyout their playoff game so it wouldn’t be blacked out.
Getting Favre and being 12-4 finally brought much of the fanbase back but think about what is going to happen when after Favre is gone. I read an article in the Star Trib a while back that said the Vikings were in the bottom 3 in the league (can’t remember if they were 29th, 30th, or 31st) in revenues prior to this year.
12-4 seasons, with NFC Championship appearances don’t happen every year, and unless they grab a Qb who can keep them close to the pace their at now, the fan base will likely disappear once again. That, combined with the fact that right now, a new stadium being built for them seems unlikely, makes them a serious contender to move to LA.
by packallday555 on Jan 22, 2010 10:40 AM CST up reply actions
I wasn't talking about 2007
2007? 2007 was nothing. Literally. I was talking about the 1980s and early 1990s, when the threat of Packer blackouts were frequent and real.
I think a lot of younger fans don’t realize how bad the Packes were, and apathetic the Packer fan base was, in the late 80s, and how the domino acquisitions of Wolf>Holmgren/Favre>White saved this place from permanently becoming the Kansas City Royals of the NFL (or as the NFL players supposedly called it back then, “NFL Siberia”, where other team coaches threatened to trade you if they needed to keep you in line).
Yeah it was BRUTAL in those days…we were like the Lions right now. A decade or so to forget. I am old enough to remember the pre-Favre days. I was in high school when he showed up. They were TERRIBLE…stinkin Majikowski was a savior then…imagine how bad it was. It took a LONG string of bad seasons before the fanbase stopped buying tickets in GB though. Interesting to note though, that game was a Milwaukee game…back when they PLAYED in Milwaukee. I don’t think the games at Lambeau were ever in danger of blackouts even during those bleak years. There is a reason they stopped doing those games (and it wasn’t just the terrible stadium)
We got VERY lucky with how the chips fell into place though…no mistaking that.
I don't remember those days.
I was living in Vermont, and NFL Sunday Ticket didn’t exist then. Also, I have looked up the Packers’ game results in those days, and you definitely do have a point about how bad GB was then.
Who cares if he's a Cubs fan? This is a football forum! He is a PACKER fan as well. So, from now until March, I’m sure he’ll dedicate a lot of his time here. In late March, then we can be enemies during the baseball season. Besides, the Cubs have perhaps the most loyal baseball fanbase in the country. You have to respect that.
Go Pack!
by Jabooty on Jan 25, 2010 2:58 PM EST
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Jan 26, 2010 9:55 PM CST up reply actions
The attendance then wasn't THAT bad...
http://www.packersgameday.com/lambeau_tour/lambeau_field_attendance.htm
Hey hey I got an idea. Lets play "I Never." You got to drink if you did the thing that the person says they never did...
It happens to most teams after an extended streak of bad seasons. It happens to the Vikings after one. Fans in MN are notoriously fickle when it comes to their teams. They’ve already had two sports fanchises taken from them (Lakers and Stars) and they’ve had the Vikings threaten a few times.
Look at the Twolves right now, they are literally giving tickets away. I have dozens of friends that barely even pay attention to the Vikings unless they are having a season like this year. I remember during a few of my seasons here in MN, there games that were blacked out which is shocking for a place that supposedly has such amazing fan support like you guys tell us. Remember last seasons playoffs, they needed a corporate bailout to sell out their home playoff game…I mean seriously, how does that happen? Sure its a tough economy but that doesn’t happen ANYWHERE.
I have dozens of friends that barely even pay attention to the Vikings unless they are having a season like this year. I remember during a few of my seasons here in MN, there games that were blacked out which is shocking for a place that supposedly has such amazing fan support like you guys tell us. Remember last seasons playoffs, they needed a corporate bailout to sell out their home playoff game…I mean seriously, how does that happen? Sure its a tough economy but that doesn’t happen ANYWHERE.
+100!
by packallday555 on Jan 22, 2010 10:43 AM CST up reply actions
I refer you to the Braves vs. anyone except the Cubs in the NLDS
Although by the late ‘90s, it was more a question of spoiled fans rather than disinterested fans. "I’ll save the money from the first round games and buy tickets to the second round."
Thing there was how rarely that second round ticket went on sale after 1999.
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
And even in the first round in the 2003 NLDS,
Weren’t there more Cubs fans than Braves fans at Turner Field?
Who cares if he's a Cubs fan? This is a football forum! He is a PACKER fan as well. So, from now until March, I’m sure he’ll dedicate a lot of his time here. In late March, then we can be enemies during the baseball season. Besides, the Cubs have perhaps the most loyal baseball fanbase in the country. You have to respect that.
Go Pack!
by Jabooty on Jan 25, 2010 2:58 PM EST
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Jan 26, 2010 9:57 PM CST up reply actions
Very eloqent
However, I have always had the Vikings ranked number one in my list of rivals, followed by the Bears, the Boys, and the Bucs. (I will never fully forgive Sapp)
I think Brent is playing great and having fun. I’m happy for him in some small way that he has found something in his life to make him happy. This is a huge admission from me, as all year long I have carried a big hatchet and have combined it with the chip on my shoulder to form a super-favre-hating-hatchet-chip that I use with little to no discrepancy.
With that said, I hope Sharper takes him to the house and he’s the only former Packer hoisting the Lombardi this year.
"I don't know how a guy gets single covered in that situation when you're dropping eight men," Tony Dungy, 12/20/09
Yea, ditto
Likely the author of this post is being facetious in an attempt to diminish the Vikes, but in case he isn’t, the Vikings are unquestionably the Packers biggest rival in all of the NFL.
Exhibit A would be the fact that either the Vikings or the Packers have won the NFC Central/North divisional crown 13 out of the last 18 years.
The bottom line is that we all have to admit the truth: Favre is having an incredible year with the Vikings that no serious football observer would have predicted considering his recent history. And while his success certainly has a lot to do with quality of the talent around him, the fact remains that since about Week 4, Favre has consistently made big throws all the way through the Divisional round of the playoffs. For that reason alone, I tip my cap to him despite the fact that I will never forgive him for the way he treated the Packers organization and its fans in the summer of 2008.
He’s a douchebag, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s a really fantastic football player too.
by 400metres on Jan 20, 2010 1:09 PM CST up reply actions 2 recs
Somewhat facetious
But the Vikings have never really bothered me all that much (perhaps because I’m from MN). They’ve never really done anything to get in our way until recently. Obviously, my mind is changing quickly…..or perhaps I’m just now becoming enlightened.
by Ric Flair Guy on Jan 20, 2010 1:59 PM CST up reply actions
rec'd!
Great last two paragraphs. I couldn’t agree with you anymore!
by packallday555 on Jan 20, 2010 10:23 PM CST up reply actions
Yeah ditto the ditto.
Well said. One heck of a football player and a prick all in one purple package.
by Packerfan045 on Jan 21, 2010 3:00 PM CST up reply actions
treading very lightly here ...
I will never forgive him for the way he treated the Packers organization and its fans in the summer of 2008
I’m just wondering how much you know about what went on behind the scenes here? Did you see the Packers Insider article Tom Silverstein pulbished in October that detailed a lot of it, starting with how the Packer Executive Committee members (whom Bob Harlan had always thwarted before he retired) went out and signed a contract with Ari Fleischer PR agency in May 2008.
It’s known that Packers hired him, but at the time (early August) McCarthy and Thompson made it seems they’d just done it then — not that the contract was signed in May.
I guess you can say it was wise planning or something, but … Packers were definitely first to raise the defcon level in that conflict. You don’t pay Ari Fleischer $30k a month for just nothing. Especially a tightwad like Ted Thompson.
Andrew Brandt also wrote a very interesting article about how Ted Thompson handles interpersonal things, last year on his site.
We’ve hashed over all of this dozens of times in here. Both sides were in the wrong. Both sides treated each other like crap. Either way, the “defcon” level doesn’t get raised until Favre unretires.
by TrevorR on Jan 22, 2010 8:43 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Yes I am
I told you I was. I’m only commenting on this tread because it pertains to the Vikes. As you suggested.
I wish you would have the common decency to follow your own rules over at DN. I don’t even diss the Packers here. You diss the Vikes left and right there, backhanded & directly. then whine here about how people aren’t receptive to you over there. Gee, what a surprise.
I’m actually impressed lately with how those at DN respond ot you. I’ve noticed you’ve tried hard to incite irritation, but most of them appear to be wise to you now, and many of your posts go without response.
Oh brother. Your posts are worse than mine. You see the one bad one and then multiply it by 20 or something.
I made a comment about fans in general, they took it as a personal attack and then attacked me so I attacked back. Lets not mistake things here. Thats how it goes ANYTIME someone posts over there.
Its nice thought that you completely ignore the dozens of positive things I said about your team over there. I congratulated your group on the nice win. I mocked the Cowboys and the annoying fan there….yet you focus on one or two posts where I said something negative. Give me a break…drama queen.
Give me a break…drama queen.
Haha Favre has rubbed off on the Vikings fans….
Sorry, I just had to say it haha :).
by packallday555 on Jan 24, 2010 8:43 PM CST up reply actions
There is only one way for this season to end
Sanchez throws for 37yards and Jets beat ViQueens 22-21 in Super Bowl without scoring an offensive touchdown…5 FG’s, Favre pick 6 for the Jets…BF retires and unretires flying in from Mississippi before game…He already has the ‘stache so Jarod Allen quits football and becomes Gay porn movie star in the offseason…Brad Childress is fired, can’t land another NFL coaching gig and winds up doing Bosley commercials…Vikes move to L.A. where none of this is out of the ordinary.
Hey hey I got an idea. Lets play "I Never." You got to drink if you did the thing that the person says they never did...
by snibbodmot on Jan 20, 2010 1:50 PM CST reply actions 3 recs
I think the Saints are the only team standing the way of a Vikings SB. The Colts may be able to beat them but I’m not really so sure. The Jets would get absolutely demolished by either the Saints or Vikings, and am really, really hoping they lose.
by packallday555 on Jan 20, 2010 10:24 PM CST up reply actions
I think it's pretty obvious that we'll be seeing the Saints vs. the Colts in the Super Bowl as expected all season
Vikings aren’t good enough to beat either team, and the Jets are may be the luckiest team well, ever.
by Donald Driver on Jan 22, 2010 1:36 PM CST up reply actions
I wouldn’t be THAT confident man. The Vikings have a much better D and if pushed, their offense can put up 40 if they need to. I can’t see the Jets winning but honestly I never imagined them getting here either. It would be kinda funny to see the team that the colts opened the playoff door for take them down. I like irony!
Yeah, if the Vikings d-line can get some push, NO’s offense might struggle. And while NO’s defense is better with some of their guys returning from injury, I could still see the Vikings putting up 30-40 on them. The Saints will have to hope they can get some decent pressure on Favre (which they might actually have a chance of), and then hope to force a TO or two.
by packallday555 on Jan 23, 2010 2:43 PM CST up reply actions
HIFUCKINGLARIOUS!!!
/sarcasm
I honestly dont understand all the hate for Brett. Im a Packer fan and Ive supported him 100% all year. Its not that serious, especially in todays’s world where guys change teams every 3-4 years at BEST. The fact he was a Packer for 16 years is amazing and you all need to just appreciate the fact you were able to support him and stop bitching about him when Im sure he gave you plenty of great fun times and memories just like he did for me. Get over it. & Go Vikings this Sunday!!
Favre 4 Ever
I Believe In Chris Drury
RIP Buddy <3 Love you
SKÅL Saints!!!!
Hey hey I got an idea. Lets play "I Never." You got to drink if you did the thing that the person says they never did...
by snibbodmot on Jan 21, 2010 4:55 PM CST up reply actions 2 recs
oh good its another new Favre fan who follows a player over the team. Your point PROVES that we SHOULD get over him like we have. You can’t be loyal to players because the come and go…your loyalty HAS to be with your team.
a new favre fan? buddy Ive been following this team & HIM since 95. you might wanna relax that
Favre 4 Ever
I Believe In Chris Drury
RIP Buddy <3 Love you
I was referring to you being new here and showing up with the Brett talk.
Again…I support a team…the Packers. When Reggie went to the Panthers I didn’t cheer for the Panthers. When Ahman Green went to the Texans, I didn’t cheer for them. I could go on and on with examples, and I don’t see how this would be different.
by TrevorR on Jan 23, 2010 11:33 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Ditto
Hey hey I got an idea. Lets play "I Never." You got to drink if you did the thing that the person says they never did...
1. Im not new here…
2. Green & Reggie do not compare to Favre. Lets be serious
Favre 4 Ever
I Believe In Chris Drury
RIP Buddy <3 Love you
Reggie White doesn’t compare to Brett Favre? He is perhaps the best DE ever to play the game and was just as important to our SB winning team in 96’ as Favre was.
by packallday555 on Jan 25, 2010 2:59 PM CST up reply actions
Favre
didn’t win ANYTHING before OR after Reggie played for the Packers….
Hey hey I got an idea. Lets play "I Never." You got to drink if you did the thing that the person says they never did...
First, Reggie was a HUGE player…how old are you? Were you a fan when he was here in his prime? Trust me he compares.
Second, does that really matter? The point remains the same…the point is that you cheer for a team. One player doesn’t make a team. I loved Favre…I have met him and I have a few autographed items from him. My dad has had dinner with him, but honestly he was a player for my team. When he moves on so do I.
Yes let's be serious
Reggie White was as good at his position as Brett Favre was. And Ahman was really fucking good too. Let’s not forget that he is our all-time leading rusher. Also neither of them embarassed the organization.
by Donald Driver on Jan 25, 2010 9:32 PM CST up reply actions
Your an Idiot
I am so tired of hearing about everything Favre did for us. Bull Crap, what about what that city did for him. We supported him through his early years, we didn’t ride him out on the rails when for the 1st 3 season he didn’t know that you could “throw the ball out of bounds”. We good heartedly corrected him (the standing ovation he recieved the 1st time he did throw the ball away). Let us not forget the street named after him, the over priced stakehouse that he’s made millions more off of (how that place is still doing bussiness is GB, I have no idea), not the to mention the out pouring of support that was shown to his family when his wife announced she had cancer (or did you not see all the pink hats around Green Bay at that time. These are just a FEW examples, so give me a break that city did everything for him, and he stabbed them (NOT TALKING ABOUT PACKERS MANAGEMENT) but the city the fans, he stabbed them right in the back. Glad to see he threw everything he achieved here for nothing (to throw another pic at the end of a NFC championship game. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again ……. I HOPE THE PACKERS SAY NO WHEN HE ASK FOR HIS JERSEY TO BE RETIRED!!!!! HE wanted to be a Viking, let him be a Viking!!!!
by ShawnH on Jan 25, 2010 1:00 AM CST up reply actions 6 recs
You forgot all the love and support he got from us when he was rehabbing from his drug and alcohal addictions. Also didn’t mention the HUNDREDS of millions of dollars we payed him to be our QB
by TrevorR on Jan 25, 2010 8:28 AM CST up reply actions 2 recs
Retire
his jersey after he goes to the big locker room in the sky….
Hey hey I got an idea. Lets play "I Never." You got to drink if you did the thing that the person says they never did...
Great essay! Packer fans will stay classy and Brett won't go anywhere.
I live in New York, and I have to say the Vikes/Packers is a lot like the Yankees/Red Sox out here.
Boston fans feel like the redheaded step child and up until about 5 years ago the last time the sox had won the series was 1918. Still having won two in the last five years they still trail the Yankees by 21 in World Series championships.
The reason the packers will stay classy is the same reason Yankee fans stayed classy after that horrible defeat in the ACL in 2004. They have the richest history in the sport. That’s a lot to hold on to no matter what happens.
As far a Mr. Favre. I think we’ll see him again next year…
He’ll stay if they lose. He’s ego won’t let him go out without winning the big one.
He’ll stay if they win. He’s ego won’t let him go out without trying to win two in a row.
by GreenandGolder on Jan 21, 2010 8:36 AM CST reply actions 1 recs
yankee fans are classy?
pshhh
2010 White Sox - Benching our way to the playoffs.
by blackoutsox on Jan 21, 2010 5:04 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Just a couple irrelevant stats to prove how insignificant the Vikings have been
Minn: Playoff Appearances = 25, Division Champs = 18, NFC Championship games = 9, Superbowl appearances = 4.
Green Bay: Playoff Appearances = 19, Division Champs = 13, NFC Championship games = 6, Superbowl appearances = 4.
From 1961 – present since the Vikings have existed. Also, I believe the Vikings have the 6th best overall winning percentage during this time also.
And so nobody has to say it: The Vikings have not won a superbowl so none of the above matters.
Much like the Boston Celtics, these facts are the glaring example of Packer fans reliance on the PAST.
As someone who follows sports not just for the games but for the human element as well, I always find it interesting when fans use the mirage of past glories to help bolster the argument of their favorite team’s current failures.
For lack of a better term, it’s a coward’s argument to use victories and championships that happened 20 or 30 years ago and a moniker (titletown) that was fitting then as a point of contention in an argument of franchise greatness now. Celtics and Packer fans seem to be the biggest culprits in this debate, mainly because their degree of relevance in their respective sports is tied mainly to the past due to their lack of any real success in the recent.
Any time this argument is used it always reminds me of the friend who can’t stop talking about the time he hooked up with the head cheerleader for a summer 20 years later or Al Bundy expounding on his successes at Polk High. You listen, roll your eyes and think “here we go again. Doesn’t he have anything else to talk about?” when the reality is………. no. There are no new successes to talk about.
someone used a quote in an earlier post that apparently sums up Packer Fan best……
"90 years of beautiful tradition from Curly Lambeau to Aaron Rodgers*, YOU’RE GODDAMNED RIGHT IM LIVING IN THE F****** PAST"
Yes Al, you DID score 4 touchdowns in one game. Now you’d better hurry before you’re late for work at the shoe store again.
"Remember kids......... petty and cheap shot-ish doesn't make you a true fan, it just makes you petty and cheap shot-ish."
by Themanthemyththelegend on Jan 21, 2010 4:05 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Point taken
but sports is about tradition and rivalries and it begins in High School or even before. It is the history that keeps this great sport and others alive. Packers fans have a reason to be proud and I don’t need to explain that to Packers fans, becuase they know the history of the organization. I would never criticize any fan for being a fan whatever their motivations are, or where their alliegences lie, but when a team is sucessful their fanbase increases. Isn’t that the whole point. There is nothing wrong with remembering the past and honoring tradition. Whether it is the Green Bay Packers, New York Yankees, or Boston Celtics. Fact of the matter is love ‘em or hate ’em we’re talking about them.
by Packerfan045 on Jan 21, 2010 5:51 PM CST up reply actions 2 recs
True, living in the past is just a sign that you haven't accomplished anything in the present
And I could see why this makes Packers, Yankees, or Celtics fans annoying (Although those last two don’t really fit in seeing as they’ve both won it all recently) I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing to remember past success but I can see how it might be annoying to opposing fans.
By the way, tough loss on Sunday manmythlegend. Oh well though, there’s always next year. Who you picking for this weekend?
by Charlie Kelly on Jan 22, 2010 7:36 AM CST up reply actions
You know CK, it's never a tough loss when it's actually sort of expected.
Like I wrote you, I figured we’d find a way to gack it up come playoff time. Much like death and taxes, a Chargers playoff suck is a certainty.
This weekend I’ve got the Vikes and the Colts.
What about you?
"Remember kids......... petty and cheap shot-ish doesn't make you a true fan, it just makes you petty and cheap shot-ish."
by Themanthemyththelegend on Jan 22, 2010 2:28 PM CST up reply actions
Dude…seriously though…what happens to Kaeding in the playoffs?!?! How does he go from amazing to complete crap like that??
It would be nice to say it was just Nate, but it wasn't.
7-3? San Diego’s offense. 7-3. At home. At one point I walked away from the tv because as a Charger fan I KNEW what was coming. A pathetic yet not entirely unexpected performance. Thank god it’s sunny all the time in So Cal.
"Remember kids......... petty and cheap shot-ish doesn't make you a true fan, it just makes you petty and cheap shot-ish."
by Themanthemyththelegend on Jan 22, 2010 4:02 PM CST up reply actions
I've got the Saints and Colts
But yea, I had a similar reaction to the Packers loss against Arizona. I was never very confident in them winning and since that Pittsburgh game, it was only a matter of time until another great QB lit us up. I wish I could say the weather here was as nice but the parking lot at my place has about a quarter inch of ice from the freezing rain we got today, can’t wait till I’m done with school.
by Charlie Kelly on Jan 23, 2010 1:16 AM CST up reply actions
It wasn't sunnt recently, as I remember hearing.
Torrential rains.
Who cares if he's a Cubs fan? This is a football forum! He is a PACKER fan as well. So, from now until March, I’m sure he’ll dedicate a lot of his time here. In late March, then we can be enemies during the baseball season. Besides, the Cubs have perhaps the most loyal baseball fanbase in the country. You have to respect that.
Go Pack!
by Jabooty on Jan 25, 2010 2:58 PM EST
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Jan 26, 2010 10:01 PM CST up reply actions
There is ONE team each year that wins a title. ONE. That means the fans of 31 other teams will be living in the past every year. You can’t ignore that for the past 2 decades the Packers have been one of the great franchises in the sport. They have been relevent almost every season and while its equated to on Super Bowl win and one loss, they’ve been in contention most years and that is the important thing to me.
Monikers don’t come and go. It was given during a time of great success. Remembering the past is fine…its a weak comeback to the “my team is better than yours” kind of arguments though…that is for sure!
Trev,
Although i do agree with some of what you said, I would have to say that when it comes to the moniker argument, I’ll have to respectifully yet vehemently disagree.
I think living off of a moniker that was relevant 30 years ago is a lazy fans way of staving off the march of time and reality. Does anyone, anywhere still subscribe to the Raiders “commitment to excellence”? Or when a Raider fan uses that in an argument do you roll your eyes and chuckle to yourself? Or when a Boston Celtic fan tries to shout down any argument about most relevant or successful franchise when they bring up their 17 titles when in reality 11 of them were won when the league only played a little more than half the games they play now and there were only 8 TEAMS in the whole league? Or the fact that they had gone 20+ years between championships? Don’t you roll your eyes and chuckle to yourself then?
Monikers equal relevance and success to me. Ancient history fades and by all right should be just that. History.
"Remember kids......... petty and cheap shot-ish doesn't make you a true fan, it just makes you petty and cheap shot-ish."
by Themanthemyththelegend on Jan 22, 2010 2:41 PM CST up reply actions
I still think of the Celtics as a great franchise….as I do the Raiders. Sure success comes and goes but history is always there. Its EARNED. So the Celtics won a bunch of those titles when the league was smaller and there were fewer games…you could also argue that the teams were more stacked then since there weren’t as many to spread the players between. I don’t think responding to someone with “well my team won xx back in blah blah” is a smart way to argue about your team but I don’t see a problem is relishing in the history of your club.
I guess its in how you use it. I don’t turn to someone arguing my team sucks and counter with well we have 12 world championships so there. That is like someone saying that the Brad Pitt is a good actor and responding with Natalie Portman is hot. Sure its true but its not relevant. The Titletown moniker is always about history…its impossible for it to NOT be about history. I remember when ESPN was trying to find the “true Titletown” (which I thought was pretty ridiculous) it was STILL all about history. They don’t really make monikers today…there is too much diversity and that is okay but that doesn’t mean that old ones should be stripped. I hate the America’s Team stupid ridiculous moniker but its their thing and if they want to think they are america’s team they can go ahead (its a little delusional and kinda laughable but that is their problem). I guess that is my two cents on the whole thing.
By the way…who is your name in reference to??
I actually had another name before but when i got banned from Celticsblog I retired it. I created this name because of all the debate and arguing that went on there for over a week or so as to why and why I shouldn't have been banned.
On some sites the managers and mods don’t like it when you make too much sense.
"Remember kids......... petty and cheap shot-ish doesn't make you a true fan, it just makes you petty and cheap shot-ish."
by Themanthemyththelegend on Jan 22, 2010 4:05 PM CST up reply actions
I always thought it was a really annoying Favre reference.
by Donald Driver on Jan 25, 2010 9:16 PM CST up reply actions
Pardon me but you're just wrong
Saying that the Packers haven’t done anything recently is absurd. No team in the NFL has been as consistently successful as the Packers over the past 20 years. We’ve been to two Super Bowls (winning one), been to the playoffs 14 times in a league where only a third of the teams make it had only two losing seasons and are somehow ONLY GETTING BETTER. I don’t need to live in the past. The Packers went 11-5 and played in some of the craziest games ever this year. They made the playoffs this year. They’ll make the playoffs next year. And I can pretty much guarantee a Super Bowl at some point within the next 5-10 years. Yes we are proud to have the most championships of any team and we should be. But we don’t need to bask in it. We’ve won a super bowl within the past 15 years.
by Donald Driver on Jan 25, 2010 9:15 PM CST up reply actions 2 recs
That's a pretty amazing record of success over the last 20 years if you think about it
Especially when you stop to consider that for all but the last two years (and in all the successful playoff moments) the team was quarterbacked by a major choke artist who, most here agree, only once achieved anything significant.
It’s a testament to the Packers and their fans, how the team had so much more success than their quarterback had!
by TruBluBruCru on Jan 26, 2010 11:54 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
It's WHAT you DO with those APPEARANCES...
Vikings: 19-25 in the playoffs since 1961…14-10 at home, 5-15 on the road (WOW)…4-4 in NFC/NFL championship games..3-1 at home, 1-3 on the road…0-4 APPEARANCES in the first eleven Super Bowls (and outscored 34-95) and NO APPEARANCES since 1976…
Packers: 22-13 in the playoffs since 1961…14-3 at home, 8-10 on the road…7-2 in NFC/NFL championship games..5-1 at home, 2-1 on the road…3-1 in Super Bowls…
Packers have 12 NFL Championships…Bears have 9…
We played games against them for 40 years before Minnesota even HAD a team….they’re still OUR biggest rival. The Vikings? Except for twice a year, what Packer fan really cares about them?
Hey hey I got an idea. Lets play "I Never." You got to drink if you did the thing that the person says they never did...
by snibbodmot on Jan 21, 2010 4:02 PM CST reply actions 4 recs
Apparently quite a few on here at least
I rarely see any posts regarding the Bears, but there seems to be something about the Vikings in almost every thread. Besides with the Bears it is “what have you done for me lately?” They haven’t done much in 40 years other than 1985 and a couple decent seasons a few years back. At least the Vikings have consistently been competitive for their entire existence. 25 playoff appearances in the 44 years since the Superbowl started isn’t too shabby. And again, I do realize that until they win a superbowl the respect just won’t be there.
"but there seems to be something about the Vikings in almost every thread."
More accurately, HeWhoShallNotBeNamed is usually mentioned…like in the title of this Fan Post.
Hey hey I got an idea. Lets play "I Never." You got to drink if you did the thing that the person says they never did...
As I said earlier…its a geographic thing and a success thing. The closer you live to MN, the more you consider them the main rival. Honestly, my hatred for the bears has died off a lot since I’ve moved to MN. My first year in MN in college (in 1996/1997) was met with dozens of people commenting on how much the packers sucked and how stupid packer fans are. I thought to myself…Minnesota has a team??? I literally knew nothing about the Vikings but they clearly didn’t like us. That was a good year for me though because in the end my team won the SB and made sure everyone of them knew it…and there began MN becoming a bigger rival than the Bears to me. I never thought there was a fanbase with more annoying fans than the Bears…I was quickly proven wrong…and then wrong again when I discovered Cowboy fans and then even more wrong when I discovered Raider and Eagle fans. MN barely gets in the top 5 but they are up there!
I moved to Chicago for a couple years ago in the middle of this decade. It reminded me how annoying their fanbase is, but MN is still my main rival. Its about relevence and honestly the Vikings have been a FAR more relevant over the stretch of time that I have been old enough to formulate my own opinions. I am 32 now and in the last 20 years, I can think of very few times where I’ve really cared much or worried much about the bears. Those faithful back home though (my family and few friends I still have back there are more about the bears than the Vikes.
It's an age thing also...
I am 52 and spent part of my childhood in Wisconsin. The Packer-Bear rivalry was huge then and it’s always stuck with me. To each their own…
Hey hey I got an idea. Lets play "I Never." You got to drink if you did the thing that the person says they never did...
In defense...
of Viking fans though…most REAL Viking fans that I know are pretty cool and respectful but even some of my close friends transform into asses at times. Most of the fans here are not like the guys you see on DN…they are respectful and are capable of admiting that their team could lose and capable of admitting when the packers have good players or any other team. Don’t make out ALL Viking fans to look like the kind of guys you see on the boards over there…
There is something in the blood in MN when one of their teams ACTUALLY starts to have some success I think. Its rare around here to have a title contending team (a legit one). Obviously the vikings are one right now so there is a whole new slew of fans and the “asses” are out in full force but they will go away within a few weeks as they are usually the kind that forget about football until it starts up again. Just bide your time and it will all die down…hopefully quickly on Sunday! haha SKOL Saints.
I think too
Most real Viking fans are still expecting them to fail at some point — at least the ones I talk to anyway. I’m just hoping its this weekend
Not really expecting them to fail,
just wouldn’t be surprised.
That can be true for any team
It is usually the fans that jump on the band wagon that run their mouths and try to be-little true fans of other teams. I have even seen Packer “fans” do it. It come with the sucesses of the team. Good bad or indifferent. You are right Trevor most of them will fade away.
by Packerfan045 on Jan 22, 2010 12:11 PM CST up reply actions
Saw this.
“Most of the fans here are not like the guys you see on DN…they are respectful and are capable of admiting that their team could lose and capable of admitting when the packers have good players or any other team.”
Definitely true. Most of them are very willing to carry on a nice conversation with you. The first few comments I made at DN, a troll who comes here took a shot at me, and my reply: “Yeah, I knew this was a risk.”
Probably the nicest one from DN is IllinoisVike.
Who cares if he's a Cubs fan? This is a football forum! He is a PACKER fan as well. So, from now until March, I’m sure he’ll dedicate a lot of his time here. In late March, then we can be enemies during the baseball season. Besides, the Cubs have perhaps the most loyal baseball fanbase in the country. You have to respect that.
Go Pack!
by Jabooty on Jan 25, 2010 2:58 PM EST
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Jan 26, 2010 10:04 PM CST up reply actions
This Is A Great Piece
Sums up very well what I’m feeling, too. I’ve been a Packers fan since I was a kid and can vaguely remember the ‘65 NFL Championship Game. Definitely and clearly remember the Ice Bowl. Those memories and the history before them is as much what I’m a fan of as the current Packers team, although I love them dearly, too. There is a little piece of me that says I should get over it and just cheer for Favre because of what he was to the Packers for so many years. There is an even bigger part that says “traitor,” even though I don’t really consider the Vikings rivals. I went to Florida State. I know about rivals. FSU-Miami or FSU-Florida: that is TRUE HATE. They are the ENEMY. The Vikings? Meh. But even if the Vikings do go to and win the Super Bowl, there are two consolation prizes for Packer fans: it would be our 12 NFL Championships vs. their 1, and they couldn’t have done it without a Packer QB.
by WRChadwell FSU78 on Jan 22, 2010 5:47 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
"FSU-Florida: that is TRUE HATE"
I live in Florida and you are correct, sir.
Hey hey I got an idea. Lets play "I Never." You got to drink if you did the thing that the person says they never did...
FSU-Florida is a fine example
But I’d wager that Alabama-Auburn has produced more ER visits.
"Who ever heard of the Cubs losing a game they had to have?" -Frank Chance
"If [Ruth] had [called his shot], I would have knocked him down with the next pitch." -Charlie Root
It was fun tonight.
What begins in fear usually ends in folly.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Jan 24, 2010 10:05 PM CST reply actions 2 recs
I agree!
Tonight was probably the best night for Favre to wear purple!
Looking to buy: General Manager Deputy Badge
by Bush League All Star on Jan 24, 2010 10:11 PM CST up reply actions
It's a side issue, and premature...
… but I sort of hope that Favre goes into the hall as a Viking. In the end, he wanted to be a Viking. He had every right to pursue that opportunity, and the one that’s there for him in Minny again next year. I just don’t want folks to pretend none of it happened after he retires. I don’t like what he did, but it was his choice, and that’s his business. I just don’t want him to come back and say he was “always really a Packer”, because that just isn’t true.
It’s not that big of a deal either way, I guess, but I just don’t like being lied to, and I’ve had a belly full of that from Favre.
What begins in fear usually ends in folly.
by Ted Simmons Speed Camp on Jan 25, 2010 7:45 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
I probably wouldn't go that far
But I won’t begrudge anyone that feels that way. I’ll say this, I won’t be making any trips to Canton on his behalf.
by Merry CRasmus on Jan 25, 2010 9:24 PM CST up reply actions
I've always said
Once a Falcon, always a Falcon
by Danwood on Jan 25, 2010 9:26 PM CST up reply actions 2 recs
I just realized
Favres tenure with all four teams ended in an int
RIP Jim Thome 1-25-2010
an AL team not having a DH is like a giraffe fucking a mule. - larry
by blackoutsox on Jan 25, 2010 10:17 PM CST up reply actions
Well while I think that he betrayed the fans the city the team and the organization
He still should go in as a Packer because that’s who he played for. As irritated as I am with him, his career was with the Packers, his greatest moments were with the Packers and he was the face of the Packers for a really long time. I expect that wounds will heal and greater minds will prevail eventually. What you’re suggesting would be the ultimate slap in the face and I don’t think we’ll ever go there.
by Donald Driver on Jan 25, 2010 9:27 PM CST up reply actions
I'm with you Ted
after what he did to the fans, just to get back at management…I will never see him as a Packer again.
by VAPackerfan on Jan 26, 2010 10:49 AM CST up reply actions
And he had the gall to say
That “true Packers fans” would understand his decision and cheer for him, or that the Minnesota Vikings team this year was better than the 1996 Packers team.
I have never been happier to not be a “true Packers fan,” because I can’t stand him since he went to Minnesota.
I will always be a GB fan first when it comes to football.
Who cares if he's a Cubs fan? This is a football forum! He is a PACKER fan as well. So, from now until March, I’m sure he’ll dedicate a lot of his time here. In late March, then we can be enemies during the baseball season. Besides, the Cubs have perhaps the most loyal baseball fanbase in the country. You have to respect that.
Go Pack!
by Jabooty on Jan 25, 2010 2:58 PM EST
by Vermont Cubs Fan on Jan 26, 2010 10:07 PM CST up reply actions 2 recs
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