With the North Star State now draped in midnight green, it’s safe to say that Minnesotans are not fans of the Philadelphia Eagles.
It must really suck to be a Minnesota Vikings fan right now.
After watching their team of underdogs overcomes one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after another, Case Keenum and company were only one game away from a home field Super Bowl, an incredibly unique opportunity for a cold weather team.
All they needed was a win in Philadelphia.
Though the Vikings came into the City of Brotherly Love favored to win, with arguably the league’s best defense, things sure got out of hand in a hurry.
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After scoring a quick seven points on their opening drive, Minnesotans had to watch the Philadelphia Eagles consistently march up and down the field seemingly at will, and rack up 38 uncontested points in what would end up being an incredibly lopsided victory for the underdog Eagles.
So when, only one week later, Eagles nation descended on the city of Minneapolis with feverish optimism, it didn’t sit too well with many of the city’s residents.
Nothing grabs attention like a sign for free beer. The only catch in Minneapolis is, you're going to have it thrown at you. A Minneapolis business used a little sarcasm to take a shot at Philadelphia Eagles fans. https://t.co/oDtuFKQVfZ
— FOX 35 Orlando (@fox35orlando) January 29, 2018
We soon started seeing signs like the one above popping up on twitter, and stories of the team’s players getting relentlessly booed by salty Vikings fans quickly became commonplace to anyone keeping up with sports with any form or regularly.
Talk about your midwestern hospitality.
But the one story that truly encapsulates the city’s newfound disdain for our Eagles comes at the expense of the Eagles reserve safety and special teams captain Chris Maragos.
Maragos, who’s currently on IR after suffering an unfortunate knee injury, attempted to make dinner reservations for himself and his teammates, only to be mysteriously turned down multiple times by restaurants around the city.
I’ve called 3 Restaurants in Minneapolis to get a reservation for me and my teammates and “can’t” get in 🤔🤔🤔 Well played Minnesota fans, well played 👏🏼👏🏼 #FlyEaglesFly
— Chris Maragos (@ChrisMaragos) January 27, 2018
Come on, that’s just petty.
While if things were reversed and the Vikings were headed to a Philadelphia Super Bowl, I’m sure our city would welcome Minnesotans with the same class, dignity, and respect we offer all other teams, but unfortunately, a team like the Eagles aren’t going to receive a positive reaction after destroying the Vikings in the Championship game, and it’s understandable.
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Though there’s no home field advantage in this game, it’s pretty clear that the people of Minnesota are against us, and that’s something Philly fans have grown to love. The perennial underdogs, Philly Phanatics live or die by their teams, and wear their passion like a badge of honor. So when the Eagles pull out that W over the Patriots against all odds, let’s hope that the city of Minneapolis is still standing after the celebration.