You know, ever since this site came online nearly six years ago, the Minnesota Vikings have always been in the news in some way. The reason that they're there are varied. . .whether it's a quarterback getting picked up from the airport by the head coach and brought to the team facility or the roof of the stadium collapsing or an outstanding performance on the field of play, I've always said that this team gives its fans more entertainment on an annual basis than any other team in the league. Pre-season, regular season, post-season, off-season. . .there's rarely a dull moment when you're a fan of the Minnesota Vikings.

Yes, as fans of the Minnesota Vikings, we've experienced our fair share of disappointment. Quite frankly, we've experienced our share, their share, and a lot of other people's shares when it comes to our favorite football team. Yet no matter how many times the football gets pulled away, we always manage to find our way back. I could give a damn what anyone else says. . .the fans of this football team are, by far and away, the best fans in the National Football League. For what we've endured, we'd pretty much have to be.

I wasn't quite sure how I wanted to put my own personal "bow" on this entire stadium thing. I could have broken out the video camera, and I thought about it, but I figured that I probably would have ended up sounding like Ric Flair circa 1986 or something. Entertaining, certainly, but not exactly what I'm looking for.

I'm going to effort to keep the venom in this to a minimum, and only directed towards a certain, select group of people. This is a celebratory occasion, and I'm going to get the bad stuff out of the way first in an effort to keep it that way. So, follow me after the jump. . .and, in case of emergency, hit the button.

There was a select group of people that were, by far, the most annoying in this entire thing. I'm not referring to the "Wilfare" crowd. . .after all, we won, they lost, and now they're simply raging against the machine in order to attempt to justify their efforts for the past however many years. I don't dislike those people. . .I just feel bad for them.

No, the people that I have a whole lot of contempt for are the "Los Angeles Vikings" crowd. Not the people who speculated about it or the people that were afraid it might happen. I'm talking about the people that were actively cheering for it to take place. Surprisingly, a lot of our division rivals didn't seem to fall into this category. . .I won't say who the main perpetrators seemed to be, but I think a lot of us already know.

*

The bottom line is this. . .if you were one of those people who thought the concept of the "Los Angeles Vikings" was a wonderful idea and were actively pulling for a fan base to lose their football team, then you're pretty much the lowest form of "fan" out there. You're not even a real fan. . .you're a jackass, plain and simple. To see what's happened to fan bases in Cleveland and Baltimore in the National Football League over the course of the past couple of decades, not to mention cities that have lost teams in other sports (Montreal, Seattle, and others), and wish that upon another group of fans? How pathetic would you have to be?

Vikings fans were not the only ones that were in danger of seeing their team relocate. . .if you're a fan of the St. Louis Rams, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the San Diego Chargers, or the Buffalo Bills, that spectre is looming over your heads right now as well. As a group that has gone through it, Vikings fans would never. . .ever. . .come out and say that any of those fan bases deserve to lose their team. No fan base deserves to lose their football team, regardless of the circumstances, and it's a shame that it has to happen. It's just mind-numbing to me that there were people out there cheerleading for the cause of the "Los Angeles Vikings."

If you're offended by me referring to such fans as "jackasses," then you're probably one of the people I'm talking about, and I really don't give a damn if you're offended. Feel free to take all of your Los Angeles Vikings jokes and choke on them until you turn. . .well, purple. Those jokes are now just as useless as you are.

Now, back to the happy happies.

If anyone wants to say that fans of the Minnesota Vikings aren't a dedicated group, they need to look no further than this website. Over the course of the previous four days when the debates were taking place and stuff, we had an average of a little more than 18,000 people and nearly 3,100 comments a day to watch politicians debate. Yes, we basically spent the last four days and however many total hours watching C-Span. Have you ever watched C-Span? Hell, I don't even know where on the dish C-Span is located. After the last few days, I have no real desire to go ahead and seek it out, either.

Rest assured, however, had this bill not gone through and the team would have been looking at relocating, the fans would have been nowhere on the list of people to blame. From the rallies at the Capitol to the thousands of phone calls and e-mails that flooded into St. Paul, the fans of this team made it known how important it was that this team stay in Minnesota. . .and, ultimately, I think that it was those same fans that made the difference in getting this bill to its ultimate conclusion. Sure, it would be easier if the Governor could do something underhanded like. . .I don't know. . .funnel federal tax dollars that were meant for homeowners into stadium projects, but most normal folks simply wouldn't accept that kind of thing. I mean, really. . .who would?

In the end, however, our diligence and patience were rewarded. In September of 2016, we can all flock to the Twin Cities to see our favorite football team play in what will be. . .bar none. . .the best facility in the National Football League. Why? Because the people in charge will see to it that it happens. Fixed roof, retractable roof, whatever the case might be, the new Minnesota Vikings stadium is going to be amazing.

The Minnesota Vikings are a tradition that deserved to be preserved, and thanks to the efforts of Zygi and Mark Wilf, Governor Mark Dayton, Senator Julie Rosen, Representative Morrie Lanning, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, and scores of other legislators, they will be. But, again, none of this would have happened without the efforts of the fans of the Minnesota Vikings. You did this, ladies and gentlemen. You made this possible. You demanded that your voice be heard, and it was heard loud and clear.

I have never been happier or more proud to be a fan of this team. I have never been happier or more proud of this website, and the community that has pushed it to the heights it has been pushed to. I have never been more proud of the staff that has been assembled over the course of time that this website has been live, who share the same passion for and dedication to this team that all Minnesota Vikings fans have.

Thank you to each and every one of you. If I could shake all of your hands, I would. . .hell, when the new stadium is ready to go and we can get an official Daily Norseman tailgate up and running, maybe I'll get that opportunity. After all. . .we've waited this long. What's four more years, right?

The Minnesota Vikings will now, always, and forever be the Minnesota Vikings. Not the Los Angeles Vikings or the London Vikings or the Toronto Vikings or whatever. . .the Minnesota Vikings. As a fan, there's only one thing better than that knowledge. That day will eventually come, and we'll all celebrate it in the same manner that we're celebrating this.

Thanks again, each and every one of you.

One final clip to summarize how I feel about this getting done.

SKOL!