I’m from Minnesota. And my heritage is, in some part, Nordic. And I love the Vikings.
I love watching them play, I love watching my son watching them play. I love me throwing to Randy Moss, Cris Carter, Ahmad Rashad, Sydney Rice and Dirtball Darrin in my back yard.
I love watching him spike the ball when he gets both feet down in the corner to score 6 as time runs out in Green Bay. Love it.
And I rarely consider what the image of the Viking means; or even what it means to BE a Viking. Like, a real Viking back in the day. I don’t consider how they waged war, or how they treated enemies conquered. I don’t know if they perished by the sword, the disease or famine. I don’t know much.
But when I do consider why the team decided to go with the name “Vikings” I suspect it’s because they realized that there was a history of Nordic nature in Minnesota. Many people originate from Sweden or Norway or Denmark in Minnesota. And – and this is important – they wanted to celebrate that condition of character that stood out as desirable in combat. Or competition.
I find it … cool that my football team is named after a nation of gifted warriors who were courageous and feared in battle.
And it would seem as if I am among a 90% majority:
Nine in 10 Native Americans say they are not offended by the Washington Redskins name, according to a new Washington Post poll that shows how few ordinary Indians have been persuaded by a national movement to change the football team’s moniker.
As Dan Snyder pointed out:
The Washington Redskins team, our fans and community have always believed our name represents honor, respect and pride