There were tales offered in the Vikings formative years of fans in exotic locales being attracted to the team by the manner in which the players, and the steely-eyed coach, handled competing in bitter cold. The steam and the clouds of breath from the Purple People Eaters and cohorts were mesmerizing.
Vikings fans from Hawaii eager to watch the team in person Sunday
Most of the time the group gathers to watch at a golf course bar in Honolulu; this weekend, they’re in Minneapolis.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
November 1, 2024 at 10:31PM
We are 43 years removed from the last season at Met Stadium, and no one in a Hawaiian delegation of Vikings fans in Minneapolis this weekend could cite memories of outdoor hardiness as the reason for flying 4,000 miles to see their favorite NFL team.
Matt Slade, 51, and founder of the 808VikingsFans club, traces his fondness for the Vikings to age 10.
“There were five of us boys and my mother would go to the thrift store for clothes,’’ Slade said. “One day she came home with a purple Vikings shirt, and it fit me. That got me started to find out about the team. After a while, I was hooked.’’
Slade’s wife, Leslie, joined the Vikings fandom and finding places to watch the games, most of them on Sundays with a 7 a.m. kickoff on Oahu. A few years ago, Slade went on Facebook, seeking other Vikings faithful to form a fan club on Hawaii.
Twenty-five or 30 members gather weekly to watch the game at a bar attached to a golf course.
“We have 300 people from around the islands and also the mainland on our Facebook page,’’ Slade said. “I think everyone is excited about this season, even with the last two losses.’’
The Slades made a trip to U.S. Bank Stadium in 2019 and saw the Vikings beat Denver 27-23. This was a new experience for most of the group, including Jason Espiritu, 61, a life-long resident of Oahu, tall and muscular, a former first baseman for the University of Hawaii.
Slade had suggested Espiritu once had hit a home run off Mark McGwire. Espiritu smiled and said: “I hit a home run at Southern Cal. McGwire was on the team, but he wasn’t pitching.’’
There are 14 club members that were on the flight from Honolulu. They arrived Thursday, went to Matt’s for Jucy Lucys on Friday, then maintained the purple theme by heading for Paisley Park. And they are fine with Sunday’s changed starting time to 7 p.m. for Vikings-Colts, even though it is 12 hours after they generally start watching their favorite team.
What are the tickets running? “Around $500,’’ Slade said. “We have good seats.’’
Vikings starting linebacker Blake Cashman will miss his third game in a row with a turf toe injury while coach Kevin O’Connell would not say whether new left tackle Cam Robinson will start Sunday night vs. the Colts.
