A Humbled Viking Fan

Over the past three years, I have become teasingly good friends with a cashier in our Student Union cafeteria. He's an avid St. Louis Cardinal fan--and St. Louis sports generally--and I've enjoyed reminding him good-naturedly about the Cardinals losing 4 games to none against the Boston Red Sox, my American League team of long-standing, in the 2004 World Series. I also relished making more fun when the University of North Carolina defeated Illinois for the 2005 NCAA Men's basketball championship. Conversely, my friend has given equally as well since the Cardinals won the World Series last year.
Earlier today, my friend and I were teasing one another yet again and I mentioned--as I have previously--that my only childhood team yet to win a Championship continues to be the Minnesota Vikings. To make matters sort of worse, the Vikings not only lay claim to the first team to lose four Super Bowls (out of the first 11 played and only the game against the Steelers was halfway close), but they haven't returned to the contest since 1977. They have come close three times (well, two and a half), but thirty years of no Super Bowl and counting. But I keep hoping that management, coaches and players will find a way to be on a similar page long enough to at least give themselves a chance to lose again. My friend knows all these matters and as I was referring to what hopes I have, he uttered these immortal words: "Maybe you can be like Cub fans." Since the Chicago Cubs have not won a World Series since 1908 and haven't been to one since 1945, I felt put in an exceedingly less than comfortable place. The Vikings, you see, will go on and on, year after year, finding ever more creative ways to lose NFC Championship games or, if they somehow miraculously get there again, the Super Bowl. The Vikings, you see, will continue year after year to make Herschel Walker-like trades and misuse (THANKS JERRY BURNS: pass the ball in the flat to a runner whose foot speed and power came from going straight ahead after a HANDOFF) tremendous players on both sides of the ball. The Vikings will go through coach after coach, coordinators upon coordinators and only remember the glorious games at Metropolitan Stadium when they would beat the Rams and the Cowboys (OH NO!! DREW PEARSON DID NOT INTERFERE WITH NATE WRIGHT!! OH NO!! AMERICA'S TEAM WOULDN'T EVER THINK OF DOING SUCH A THING AND NEVER, EVER WOULD GET--AHEM--INCREASED FAVORABLE AWARENESS FROM ANYONE IN A SUPERVISORY CAPACITY [Any inference to an actual person in any capacity at that or any other game between Minnestota and Dallas or any other NFL team at any time past, present or future is unintentional and purely coincidental]) for the NFC Championship. The Vikings, now that they are linked to the Cubs, will continue to lose, lose, lose and never win a Super Bowl as long as I live. I also expect to see a football version of Steve Bartman to show up at Viking games this year. Trust me, he'll find a way to interfere at the worst possible moment and Moises Alou will put on football pads long enough to ensure Viking defeat in a game they HAVE to win. Maybe Cubs and Vikings fans could form an association and support group as we endure more defeat together.
But that itself wouldn't be fully possible. You see, what makes matters worse is that the Cubs have at least won the World Series.