My Niche Fear: NFL Edition
- johnny100402
- Nov 1, 2023
- 3 min read
Shocker, one of my fears has to do with a team that I have absolutely no control over the outcome of their games. Tragedy struck just after the ten-minute mark in the final quarter of the Minnesota Vikings game against the Green Bay Packers. For those of my readers who don't know. The Vikings and the Packers are one of the fiercest rivalries in the National Football League.
Kirk Cousins (Minnesota's Quarterback) sees a running lane open. He attempts to run for it when his cleat gets stuck in the frozen Wisconsin field. Due to the way his foot got stuck, when he shifted his weight, the stress was too much on Cousin's ankle. Kirk hopped over to the sideline, where it was assumed he tore his Achilles. After the tests came back, Viking's fans' greatest fear was realized. Kirk tore his Achilles, his season was over right there.
Why was this a fear of mine? Why does it matter to me that my Quarterback isn't able to play anymore this season?
In order to answer those questions, I need to give some backstory. I've grown up watching the Vikings with my dad for as long as I can remember. I never cared about the game until Minnesota picked up the Quarterback, Kirk Cousins.
There are a few reasons why I love Kirk. I mean one of the obvious reasons I love him is how consistently good he is. He puts up insane numbers every year he plays. However, The main reason I love Cousins has little to do with how he plays. I love him because of who he is as a leader and a person.
Professional athletes have a tendency to come across as arrogant, and selfish. I'm not saying it doesn't make sense why pro athletes do this. The spotlight is on these men and women all the time, praising every move they make. However, Kirk is not that person.
In the Netflix Documentary "Quarterback" we get to see the type of person Kirk Cousins is. Both on and off the field, this man is as humble as it gets. Most NFL players wear hoodies and sweatpants on gameday,
Cousins owns up to the fact that his wife dresses him.
Kirk Cousins is also considered to be "the Dad of the League". Kirk is a total dork. He rarely swears, (Opting for words like: shoot, dang, and gosh) his inspirational pep talks come from classic rock and animated movies, and when he jumps on trends he ends up becoming a meme (see Kirko Chainz and Captain Kirk).
So yes, he's super talented and he is "the heart and soul of the team". Why am I scared that he got hurt? Captain Kirk is 35 years old, and he is currently in the last year of his contract with the Minnesota Vikings.
I'm terrified we just witnessed the last game being played by our humble, goofball, dad, QB in a Minnesota Vikings uniform. Yes, there are definitely better options out there to help our team win a Super Bowl. However, I'm not sure it would feel as satisfying if the man under center wasn't Captain Kirk.
It's a possibility that we haven't seen the last of Kirko, but I'm afraid that the time of Kirk Cousins may have ended.
This is one video that is one of the first times we saw Kirk's Personality on display. "you like that" has since become a catchphrase of sorts. (Yes I know it doesn't fit into the blog post, but I couldn't do a whole blog post on Kirk Cousins and not mention "you like that".)
I think this is a totally reasonable fear. It's always hard to see bad things happen to the people we admire. Even if they are people we might not actually know like a football player or k-pop star. We want to see those people not only succeed but succeed to the highest point possible. It's even worse when their chances end due to things out of their control like injuries.