MINNESOTA, USA — It took only a quick look at X (formerly known as Twitter) to see that that was true Monday night. The Minnesota Vikings’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Arizona came after plenty of miscues and several sacks. Quarterback Sam Darnold was taken down an NFL-record-tying nine times as the season came to a screeching halt.
“It’s a lot of deflation, and it feels like now a trend of the Kevin O’Connell era,” Sam Ekstrom, Executive Producer of Locked on Sports Minnesota, said. “Great regular seasons falling flat in the postseason.”
Ekstrom knows better than most the heartbreak that Minnesota sports teams can’t quite seem to shake, and how familiar Monday night’s loss seemed to feel.
“We’re into our 34th year without one of the big four, you know, professional sports teams even being in a championship,” he said. “Going back to the Twins in ’91.”
Of course, there has been some playoff success in the Twin Cities, just not as much as fans would like. Remember, the Lynx won four championships in seven years, and the newly-named Frost won the first-ever PWHL championship last season.
While the rest of the franchises can’t quite seem to reach that next level, many have had deep playoff runs—something that can be difficult for fans.
“I think that’s what gets people’s spirits down the most is that you’re constantly being jerked around and thinking that you’ve you’ve got something here,” Ekstrom said. “This is going to be the curse-breaking team, only to have them fall flat, and oftentimes, in the way the Vikings did, falling flat before you even get a taste of that championship.”
Think back on just the past year. The Timberwolves rallied to beat the Denver Nuggets, only to lose to the Dallas Mavericks in the Conference Finals. Minnesota United saw their season end to the eventual MLS Champions, and the Lynx lost a heartbreaking Game 5 against the New York Liberty. The Twins missed the playoffs after a late-season collapse, while the Wild finished 11 points out of a wild-card spot.
It really does beg the question: Why do we subject ourselves to what seems like insurmountable suffering at the hands of our favorite franchises? The answer is simple.
We just can’t root against our hometown teams.
“It’s like we just are destined for heartbreak and disappointment, dashed hopes, broken dreams,” Doug Hartmann, a Professor of Sociology at the University of Minnesota, said.
Like many of us, Hartmann is a fan of Minnesota sports and is also struggling with last night’s loss.
“Maybe this will be the season, it’s maybe Charlie Brown-ish of us, but we never quite let go of our hopes,” he said.
Hartmann says that regardless of whether the “Minnesota Sports Curse” is real or just a way for us all to cope, we tough it out— and we’re not alone in that.
“Sports is one of those things that still has that kind of communal aspect that binds us together, that creates solidarity and connections,” he said.
“In daily practice, it’s part of who they are, what they do, what they care about,” he added.
As for why we can’t seem to avoid getting our hopes up each year, Hartmann says quitting just isn’t an option in many of our minds.
“Fandoms not really a choice, walking away from it is not an option,” he said. “So, the suffering, the pain that comes with defeat, is kind of part of the deal.”
You’re probably looking for a way to get past this crushing Vikings loss, and to be honest with you, maybe there isn’t one past looking forward to next year’s roster. But both Ekstrom and Hartmann say despite the loss, there is a silver lining — at least we have teams doing well to root for right now.
“I’ll just spout the ultimate coach cliche, that you gotta be in love with the process,” Ekstrom said. “It’s not always about the results, you have to enjoy the journey.”
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