FYI - Minnesota fans just as pathetic as their team...

[ChicosBailBonds]

No doubt it has to do with the economy but if the Packers (or Bears) made the playoffs do you think a similar story would ever happen?

No, it would not happen in Green Bay....then again, what is there to do in Green Bay other then the Packers?  Besides, the Packers are a state team and semi-national team....they typically finish in the top 7 for fan loyalty, merchandise purchased, etc.  Chicago...well...I actually wouldn't be surprised if it happened to a much lesser extent, a few thousand seats at first.

Minnesota made a CRITICAL error decades ago when they got out of the cold.  They softened the team, softened their fans and made it easier for the competition to win.  No one fears going into Minnesota any longer.  Weather isn't a factor.  Dumb, dumb, dumb.

[jmayer1]

No, it would not happen in Green Bay....then again, what is there to do in Green Bay other then the Packers?  Besides, the Packers are a state team and semi-national team....they typically finish in the top 7 for fan loyalty, merchandise purchased, etc.  Chicago...well...I actually wouldn't be surprised if it happened to a much lesser extent, a few thousand seats at first.

Minnesota made a CRITICAL error decades ago when they got out of the cold.  They softened the team, softened their fans and made it easier for the competition to win.  No one fears going into Minnesota any longer.  Weather isn't a factor.  Dumb, dumb, dumb.

I have never bought the arguement that Packers games are attended so well because there is nothing else to do.  Of course its true there is nothing else to do but greater GB is 150k while Minny/St Paul and especially Chicago have a much, much larger immediate population to draw from.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

As a Minnesotan .. There's a lot to do in the Twin Cities, NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL teams, plus the Gophers.  The Vikes, and that Dome, have worn on people.   I'm barely interested mainly because .. I've seen this movie before.  The Vikes have played it about a dozen times in the last 20 years.  I know how the season ends:  With a loss.

GB is a special case, where there is ZERO to do in Green Bay besides the Packers.   They are indeed a very special franchise with fanatic fans.

The Bears are up there too.

The Vikes .. not so much.  -- Honestly, I believe it has a lot to do with the Dome versus being outside.  You've gotta be a tough grizzled bunch to attend a December GB or Bears game.  The Dome is full of very comfortable folks, and I believe that isn't fertile ground for fanatics.

So to the OP .. if you're trying to make the point that there aren't a ton of MN superfans:  YUP.

Few things we agree on here.

(please note, these are not "excuses" but rather just trying to clarify some of the MN culture surrounding the Vikes)

#1 Football is different than all other sports because it's perfect for tv. In fact, football is probably better on tv. So, a team has to have to have a pretty compelling venue and "game experience" in order to get people to go out to the game. GB is a great example of a great game experience. Great venue, great tailgating, great event. Metrodome has none of that, so you better really like football (without a comfy couch, taco dip, replays, ability to pause, etc.). I'm not saying they won't sell out, because they will, but it's not the hottest ticket in town. (for perspective, the Gophers are already selling out an football outdoor stadium that hasn't even opened yet. People like football, but it has to be a compelling experience to get them to go).

#2 The dome is awful, and for whatever reason seems to attract some relatively low class fans (I'm generalizing, but this is based on personal experience). There are a lot of good, normal vikings fans out there. However, for some reason a lot of Vikes games turn into pretty trashy events (not sure why). I know a lot of hardcore Vikes fans who would rather go on the road to see them play then go to the dome... it's just not a great experience. I wouldn't bring anybody under 14 to a game, that's for sure. Like all NFL stadiums, drinking is a MAJOR player to the point that it becomes inappropriate. I'm all for getting crazy, but a kid using the bathroom shouldn't have to see dudes puking next to him.

#3 The Vikings as an organization are somewhat similar to the Brewers in that people are always expecting the worst. The team has consistently made poor/questionable decisions and people are always waiting for the bottom to fall out. When A. Peterson first got good, you know what Vikes fans were thinking? "How are the Vikings going to mess this one up?".

Think about it this way, in WI, people always expect the Packers to be good (it's a good organization) and always expect the Brewers to mess it up (traditionally a poorly run organization).

In MN, people expect the Twins to do well (a well run organization), and the Vikes to mess it up (an organization that just can't seem to get it quite right).

When the Cubs come to town, Brewer fans sell their seats at a profit. Why? Because there just isn't the hardcore following built up for the Brewers.

When the Vikes go to the playoffs, it takes a little longer to sell out the game.

Doesn't mean the fans suck, just means that it's not the hottest ticket around.

There was a time that the Pack was having similar problems and holding 1/2 of the games in Milwaukee. Doesn't mean the fans aren't good, or that the organization is doomed, it just means that it's not the hottest ticket in town.

[ChicosBailBonds]

I have never bought the arguement that Packers games are attended so well because there is nothing else to do.  Of course its true there is nothing else to do but greater GB is 150k while Minny/St Paul and especially Chicago have a much, much larger immediate population to draw from.

Yes, but that is typical with many parts of the country with smaller towns because it becomes the backbone of the community / state.

Nebraska sells out every football game, UCLA can't with 50X the population.  Before the Yankees got Torre and were good again, they drew attendance in the middle of the pack despite being the largest city in the country by more than double the next closest. 

It's not just that there is nothing else to do, it's that because it is the only thing to do it becomes part of the social fabric of that micro-society.   No different than Texas high school football or Indiana high school basketball.  12,000 folks at an Indiana high school basketball game with a city population of 20,000 when the LA Clippers can't get that from an attendance base of over 12,000,000 within an hour of their building.

[Jay Bee]

The game has been sold out.  GO VIKES!!

[Chili]

Fly Eagles Fly, On The Road To Victory.
Fight Eagles Fight, Score A Touchdown 1-2-3.

Hit 'Em Low.
Hit 'Em High.
And We'll Watch Our Eagles Fly.

Fly Eagles Fly, On The Road To Victory.

E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES!!!