Do you actually enjoy Vikings football?

[losperros]

Yeah, I love the Vikings and enjoy watching them play. I'm not even that upset about this season, as I still believe it's a rebuilding year.

Even when the team pains me, I always come back for more. Hmmm...maybe I should seeing a Dominatrix!

[mosscarter]

what can possibly be enjoyable about watching ponder throw away games? we all want the same thing, a winner, but with ponder at the helm forget about it. the best pass of his career was the first throw he made against green bay last year, the truth is the rest has been all downhill. there is nothing worse than a qb that has lost his confidence.

[Delaqure]

LOL! Great post. Maybe we're all screwed. Like you and Tark10, I've seen all of the above Vikings disappointments and more, going back to their first Super Bowl appearance. I know J. Kapp 11 can make the same claim. The experience of rooting for this team can be bittersweet but it's been a part of who I am for so long that I don't even have a choice. Thankfully, as I've grown older, I've learned to relax a little more and enjoy most games, win or lose. I definitely love following the team. Of course, when there's really something on the line (a playoff berth, a return to the Super Bowl, etc.) I get as cranked up as ever and it's anxiety time. I've said it before but if they ever get to the Super Bowl again, I honestly don't know if I could bear to watch anything other than a Vikes blowout win. The anxiety would be overwhelming in a close game. When you watch your team lose 4 Super Bowls when you're a kid and then wait 36+ years for them to get back to it again... well, there won't be a word to describe how I'll feel before that game. I just pray when the Vikes get there, they will win and win big.

I hope we don't have to wait too much longer.

Thanks to everyone who has responded in this thread and the poll thus far.

I'm with you brother 100%. Been a fan since 1969. I've seen it all and as a youngster shed a few tears. The loss to the Saints being the worst of the disappointments. Yet I am drawn back year after year. I have my son now a Viking fan. I can only hope that he and I can celebrate a Superbowl victory together. Hope springs eternal in a purple heart. I will watch the games and enjoy every second because there may come a time when I can't.

[VikeMike]

I can't help it, I enjoy watching them even during less than spectacular seasons. When they are contenders, it's wonderful. When they aren't, I'm looking for that moment or that one player that is exciting -- and something to be hopeful for. In this era, not surprisingly, it's Adrian Peterson. I've waited 40 years and the far side of Alan Page for this kind of player again ... The best in the league at his position and not a horse's #### off it. I've been a big fan of other players, like CC, Robert Smith, Foreman, Eller, Moss, Tark, etc., but he's one more slot up on the special meter. It's great to be able to watch this guy play the game.

I had a roommate back in the day that was also a Vikings fan .... He would get so wound up he'd go outside and do 50 push-ups and I'd have to yell out the window to give him game updates.

I go back to 1972, so they have broken my heart many times. But I keep coming back each week and each season, saying, "OK, this time ..."

[losperros]

This kind of stuff makes you wonder what is wrong with people like us (psychologically) huh? I am also a Cubs fan so I get it twice a year. But the weird part about it is when I became fans of these teams (both around '98) I was mostly a basketball fan, so I didn't know the sad histories of each of these franchises. Just stuff I have learned and read during my following. But I know when we eventually win it all it will be that much sweeter than moving to a bandwagon team. Loyalty is best.

I know what you mean about loyalty. I can get angry with the Vikings but I can't walk away from them. They're my team now. As long as they keep playing, I'll keep pulling for them to win.

Yeah, it's frustrating at times. But there are rewards too. For me this year's reward has been watching Adrian Peterson's masterful performance. I would love to see this happen during a SB season. But even with the ups and downs of this year, AD has provided some real thrills.