If you wanted to know how the past decade of Minnesota sports was going to go, it turns out all you really had to do was pay attention for the first few months of 2010 and project forward 10 years.
The 2010s were defined by three major things: incredible highs, devastating lows and new facilities opening up seemingly every day. If you wanted to sum up the entire decade of Minnesota sports in just one sentiment, it is this: You didn't always like it, dear fan, but you got what you paid for.
It started Jan. 12, 2010, when the Lynx announced they had traded for Lindsay Whalen. That move was one of the catalysts for the most successful run any major pro team in this market since the NBA's Lakers were in Minneapolis. Whalen and the Lynx won four WNBA championships in the 2010s and redefined women's sports in this market.
Less than two weeks after that trade, though, came one of the ultimate symbols of the near-miss lows that would also define the decade: Saints 31, Vikings 28 in overtime of the NFC title game on Jan 24, 2010. You can argue otherwise, but I maintain that loss hurts more than Falcons 30, Vikings 27 in overtime.
The Twins helped wash away those memories a couple of months later when they returned outdoors and opened Target Field with the first regular-season game on April 12 vs. Boston. It was a near-perfect year of weather and baseball, with the ballpark playing to rave reviews and the Twins winning 94 games plus their sixth AL Central title in nine years.
And away we went with the 2010s.
The highs were spread across multiple teams but let's be honest: At least on the Minnesota pro sports scene, the ultimate highs — playoff success, even championships — were hoarded by the Lynx.
It doesn't require dragging everyone else down to prop one team up, but the numbers are pretty stark: In this decade, the Wild, Wolves, Twins, Vikings and Minnesota United (in MLS) all had losing records in the playoffs and a combined postseason record of 18-45.
