Athletic Aesthetic

To Root or not To Root

I’m supposed to hate the Packers, but found myself cheering them on

Luc Anthony |

What do you do when your rival team advances in the playoffs? Do you root for them on the grounds that the rival is from your region or from a local division or conference? Do you root against them because they are, well, your rival?

I confronted this question during the recent Super Bowl run of the Green Bay Packers: root for or against the Packers this winter, once the Minnesota Vikings were eliminated. I decided my best approach would be to let each playoff game match-up settle in my mind, then see which outcome I most desired. For the run of the NFC Playoffs, I, true-purple Vikings fan Luc Anthony, was cheering-on the Packers. What was wrong with me?

As per the Code Of Fandom, I, as a lifelong solid Vikings fan, cannot openly desire my team’s archrival to win a championship. Rooting for the Packers to “win it all” would be like a Red Sox fan hoping for a Yankees World Series win, an unfathomable notion.

As a football fan, Packers playoff victories this year made for the most interesting or appropriate match in the following round. I was largely neutral in the Eagles game, but did want a Green Bay win in Atlanta to set-up a Packers-Bears NFC Championship, a more captivating battle than Falcons-Bears. And a victory by the Packers in the NFC title game would stop a somewhat fluky Bears team from being the NFC’s representative in the Super Bowl.

The ultimate question: Steelers or Packers in the Super Bowl? This was a tough decision. Green Bay was in line to score yet another title just a year after the latest heart-wrenching Vikings playoff choke, highlighting that rivalry thing. In addition, the Steelers have many similar traits to the Packers, though their starting quarterback has had some run-ins with the law regarding women, and character is a strong factor for me.

I had discussions about how in Wisconsin, we tend to root for the local team (in this case, the Packers) since they were either from our state or from the upper Midwest, and because the team comes from a local league, conference or division. I almost felt guilty not siding with the Packers for the Super Bowl, yet I could not abandon my fundamental Vikings fandom. I had to root against the Packers, a notion best encapsulated by that annoying relationship break-up line:

It’s not you. It’s me.

Let me be clear: it’s not about “hatred” for the Packers. I have solid respect for their organization, the character of the current players, the loyalty of the fans, the aspects of the stadium, the culture of tailgating, and the small-town and collectively owned nature of the franchise. Were I being introduced to the National Football League, I would choose the Packers as my favorite team.


However, as per the Code Of Fandom, I, as a lifelong solid Vikings fan, cannot openly desire my team’s archrival to win a championship. Rooting for the Packers to “win it all” would be like a Red Sox fan hoping for a Yankees World Series win, an unfathomable notion. Alabama fans perhaps took this notion a step too far and purchased Oregon Ducks gear for the BCS National Championship Game involving Auburn in college football this past season (some rivalries really are hate-based, like Alabama-Auburn).

If you are a Packers fan, would you not be weirded-out by the sight of me in an Aaron Rodgers jersey while wearing a long blonde wig chanting “Go Pack Go?” Of course you would. That would be a betrayal to the years of ups and downs I have endured with the Vikes. I could not in good conscience purely want the Pack to take home the Lombardi Trophy, barring some extenuating circumstance like a friend/family member playing for the Packers, or the opponent being the Jets. 

Again, I have nothing against the Packers, the players, the fans or my home state teams. The Brewers & Twins and Bucks & Timberwolves lack passionate rivalries, so I would be fine with those Wisconsin teams winning their league’s title. I am genuinely happy for those Packers players and fans enjoying the experience of winning the Super Bowl; the team has earned my respect and admiration.

It’s about me, being true to my Vikings fan roots, and living the drama and fun that comes with rivalry in sports. Congratulations on the Super Bowl win, Green Bay Packers, just don’t do it again anytime soon. Skol, Vikings.