Which NFL/NFC North Fanbase Complains the Most?

Image Courtesy of the Star Tribune

As I’ve said at the start of other articles, I feel like I’m a pretty self aware person. That’s why I was single for five years/avoided buffets/wore a mask in public BEFORE Covid. With that in mind, I believe that if there was any brand for me as a member of Vikings media (and I use that loosely) it’s as the Complainer-in-Chief. Perhaps that’s why my podcast(s) don’t get a lot of second listens, or why I’ve been run out of every Vikings message board/Sub-Reddit/bar/conversation at Thanksgiving, as most Vikings fans that I encounter have this weird mix of deep, deep sadness and unrealistic optimism.

That was before 2020, though.

So, take this with a grain of salt, as things are pretty dire in Vikingsland right now and everyone is blowing up every comment section with their opinion as to what the Vikings should’ve done, should do and could do.

Enter MiBets.com, which surveyed over 5,000 NFL fans to find out which fan-base complains the most. Let’s take a look at their results, shall we?

https://www.mibets.com/annoying-nfl-players-2020/

This is amazing.

In terms of the NFC North, it’s not hard to see why Chicago Bears fans would be at the top of the list. The main reason? They complain about ‘Bad Officiating’ which is code for complaining about the Green Bay Packers (who ever my aforementioned fiance, who grew up a Packers fan, says gets bullshit calls to protect Rodgers). The fact that they’re the FOURTH most complain-y fan-base though, shows just how much they hate the Packers.

Speaking of the Packers, they enter in at 13, with just the most perfect/amazing/validating reason. Victim Mentality. YES! That just, that makes everything feel just a bit better.

Surprisingly, though, the two teams in the Norf that should have the most reasons to complain end up at the bottom of the divisional complaint rankings (complainkings?). The Lions aren’t too far behind the Packers at 17, and they have the same complaint reason as the Packers but it means something completely different. The Lions should feel like victims because they’ve been awful for as long as anyone can remember, whereas the Packers (like Rodgers) just come off as entitled, pouty, cheese filled toddlers.

The same goes for the Vikings, who come in at 26th and also have the victim mentality label. I’ve often compared being a Vikings fan to being in an abusive relationship and that’s the difference between a team like Minny and teams like Detroit or Cleveland. Every couple years the Vikings fall ass-backwards into once in a generation talent (Cris Carter/Randy Moss/Adrian Peterson, etc.) and everyone in Minnesota starts to believe that they might finally do what seems impossible.

You know how that turns out.

I also want to say that for the other teams in the top 5, there clearly is a Packers-esque style of victim mentality. The Cowboys and their fans, who have forced this lie that they’re ‘America’s Team’ (maybe ‘Murica’s Team) for decades, are just the worst. Same goes for the Patriots’ fans, who like the Packers fanbase have come to expect perfection each season and when they fall short they begin to complain.

So, there’s a strong correlation between winning franchises and awful fans, which really shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Props to WCCO for picking up this story!

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