I want the Vikings to leave Minnesota.

That's not what you'd expect a Vikings fan to say, Is it? A kid who grew up eating, sleeping, and dreaming about the NFL shouldn't want his team to leave, should he? But over the past few years, I've started to fall out of love with the NFL. There are a number of reasons that this has happened, and I'll try to hit all of them the next few weeks. After all, it's a long time until football season starts again.

Every American boy should grow up loving football. It's that simple. If they don't, they probably have two moms or two dads (not that there's anything wrong with that) or some other dysfunctional family. The game oozes what America should be about. Teamwork, hard work, discipline, and all that stuff. There was one other thing I was raised on: loyalty. You always stick up for your family and friends, no matter what. You don't do anything to hurt them. They'll be there for you, so you should be there for them. Unfortunately, as I get older I realize there's no loyalty in the NFL.

Actually, that's not true. Fans are loyal to the team through thick and thin. They show up to the stadium every weekend, pay insane prices for parking, tickets, beer, hot dogs, and programs. They're the only innocent party here. Owners and management are loyal only to the almighty dollar. If you're running the most popular sports league in the country do you want everyone to be able to watch? Of course not, which is why there is the blackout rule and the exclusivity deal with DirecTV. The only time these billionaires try to relate with the fans is when they're appealing to them to shake them down for a new stadium. If a player isn't performing as well as they think they can, they'll cut them. And the contract isn't guaranteed, you know. The coaches are loyal to themselves. Cheating, lying, and hiding injuries are all part of the job for these guys. And then there's the players. Like the owners, the only thing they care about is money. If a player thinks they're worth more than the contract they get, they'll hold out. The only people affected by this are the fans who enjoy watching the player and the team. There's rumors of another labor dispute on the horizon. Why? Because these millionaires and billionaires feel the need to fight over the fans' money.

Eventually, people will start to see that these people only care about the money and not them or the game. With the economy in rough shape, we may be getting closer to that time happening. Blind loyalty only goes so far when you've got an empty wallet. Read more!

"But Honey, what about all that stuff I got you?"

The Super Bowls over, National Signing day has passed, and Duke/UNC is gone. Now what does Joe Sportsfan do? Drink heavily? Listen to sports talk radio? Focus on the election? Jesus no. Valentine's Day is just a week away. Store up some goodwill, because bigger and better things are on their way. Think about it:

-NCAA Basketball Tournement
Start getting those excuses ready. The trick is to come up with something possible but not fatal. Ebola just isn't going to fool the boss again this year.
-The Masters
The real tradition unlike any other was the first Masters commercial being during the first commercial break of the NCAA tourney, but the suits ruined that. Now we'll just have to settle for Tiger whomping everyone.
-NFL Draft
It's the best way to spend the weekend of my birthday. And with 15 minutes between picks, there's plenty of time to drink.

So get out and buy some stupid teddy bear, some crappy overpriced candy, and some flowers that'll be dead before the candy's gone. You'll need her to remember your positive(s) if you're going to survive another year of ignoring her during sports. Read more!

Super Bowl and Signing Day

In a span of seven days, two of them are among the biggest of the year for football. One offers immediate gratification for fans, the other offers hope for the future. And both of them are horribly overhyped.

Everybody watches the Super Bowl. I know this because ESPN told me so. But the Super Bowl is the worst game of the year to watch. There are more commercial breaks then game action, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman are calling the game, and every second will be sponsored by BudweiserMillerLiteFordChevyDodge. And the game itself is (more often than not) a yawner. Will this one be better than the two last weekend? Probably not. Not with two weeks for Belichick to put together a game plan.

Then there's signing day. After the Gopher's 1-11 year last year, any good news should be welcomed by a parade. And a Top 25 Rivals.com ranking certainly counts as good news. But before we start praising Coach Brewster too much, remember three things: 1)Florida State is always getting Top 25 recruiting classes and is usually Top 5, 2)these are 17 and 18 year old kids whose bodies haven't matured yet, and 3) these are football players, not rocket scientists. It's an inexact science at best. Even if they do get into school (Paging Traye Simmons) it's a crapshoot. Did they physically peak at 17(Dominique Simms)? Will they not realize that they're student-athletes(Art Smith)? But it's a step in the right direction. After a decade of having to ignore signing day because Grinnin' Glen signed a bunch of 2nd-team all conference players from Ohio, we're starting to get faster kids. And speed is the key to the new offense and "defense" here.

So with the two most over-ESPNed events of the football year coming up, where will I be? Glued to my TV on Sunday, and at the Sota Social for Signing day. It's a long time until the Spring Game. Read more!