Angriest fans in the NFL? Vikings fans, obviously
As the dust settles from the flurry of activity that greeted the start of free agency, it's Minnesota Vikings fans who are apparently the most disgruntled.
That's according to Gambling.com, which has scoured social media to determine which is the angriest fanbase since the start of free agency, and found the Vikings to be No. 1.
Hey, a win's a win, right?
Not shocking is the result showing that most anger is unleashed on Twitter, which is social media hell compared to Reddit and Facebook.
- 9% of Vikings posts on Facebook were negative
- 37.2% of Vikings posts on Twitter were negative
- 14.7% of Vikings posts on Reddit were negative
That all adds up to a 20% negativity rate. We're No. 1! We're No. 1!
The Vikings are following up a 13-4 season – albeit one with a disappointing first round playoff exit – with much to do in the offseason, and have made a flurry of moves as they sought to become cap compliant while remaining competitive in 2023-24.
But in terms of anger and recriminations, anyone whose spent a hot minute surveying Vikings social media will know that the future of and, indeed, the qualities of Kirk Cousins is the subject that is guaranteed to spark rage and recriminations.
On one side you have Kirk zealots who will happily ignore his inadequacies while salivating over 4,000-yard passing seasons and six-pack abs. On the other side you have the contradictions-in-terms fans who fist-pump a Cousins TD only to flip a table when the QB can't escape the 330-pound nose tackle lined up across from Garrett Bradbury.
In the middle are most Vikings fans, just kinda hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.
Excited about the Lamar Jackson rumors? Surely something Vikings fans can rally around and enjoy speculating about in an orderly manner? You'd be wrong when you encounter the fans attempting to convince you the 26-year-old former MVP isn't an accurate passer.
Applauding the front office for releasing Adam Thielen to avoid a huge cap hit? There's a whole group of fans waiting to launch you off the banned playground equipment for not staying loyal to one of Minnesota's own.
At the same time, let's all cut ourselves some slack. Being a Vikings fan – or a Minnesota sports fan in general – is historically no picnic. Last season was as good as it's been for many-a-year and with Aaron Rodgers seemingly off to New York, suddenly the NFC North is paved with gold, right?
Wrong.
No, instead the Vikings find themselves amidst a "competitive rebuild" facing an incredibly tough schedule, meanwhile the Chicago Bears have found a potentially quality long-term rookie quarterback while having oodles of draft picks and cap space.
The Detroit Lions seem to be on the rise as well after enjoying a resurgent second-half of last season. And the Packers? Well it would be just the Vikings' luck if Jordan Love is Favre and Rodgers Mk. III.
Yet hope remains while the company is true. We're only in Year 2 of the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell takeover, the defensive rebuild is now underway, and the Vikings have Justin Jefferson.
In any case, the new season is more than five months away. At least put your anger on simmer until then.
