I just returned to my home in the Northwest Territories on Sunday after two weeks vacationing in San Diego, and because there's not much else going on with the Vikings, I figured I'd make one last short post about the Vikings failed pursuit of LaDainian Tomlinson.
My two weeks in San Diego (which, by the way, is a great place, although not as warm as I expected it would be in March. Next year the family will be going to Cuba) happened to coincide with Tomlinson being courted by the Vikings and the New York Jets.
The Jets got Tomlinson, but during the whole negotiating period, I didn't read much angst about Tomlinson leaving the Chargers. I didn't hear anybody in San Diego talking about it. I didn't see many people wearing Tomlinson paraphernalia. There was nothing, really, that signalled anybody in San Diego cared that Tomlinson wasn't going to be a Charger anymore.
Considering Tomlinson was the Chargers most recognizable, bankable star for about a decade, when the fans of the city he played in don't even bother to shrug their shoulders as he signs with another team, I think that says a lot about how much Tomlinson has left in his tank. We should be thanking the Jets for saving the Vikings a valuable roster spot.
However, I hope this isn't how it ends for Adrian Peterson in Minnesota. But it probably will.
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4 comments:
That is the thing about running backs they are expendable. The decline is like a steep cliff, one day you can make everyone miss. Then the next you can barely get a 3 yard gain.
I think your observations have more to do with Southern California's attitude towards Pro football. The culture for it does not exist. Two teams have already left the area. They both left for smaller markets that provided larger economic rewards. The fans just don't care! I have friends in the area, and they just don't have passion for the game.
GB Nordic:
Which is why Brian Westbrook and his age, concussions and knee problems isn't a solution to the Vikes back-up running back problems.
Supafan:
I think there is something to your theory. I didn't see a whole lot of Chargers jerseys, hats or hoodies worn by many people in San Diego overall (I saw only one Philip Rivers jersey, for example). So it wasn't just Tomlinson gear that was missing.
I can't claim to have picked up the pulse of the city in two weeks, and maybe things would be different if I went there in November, but I saw way more Padres gear than Chargers gear – and the Padres are often brutal.
I lived there for one year. Like previously mentioned, it's just not a market for pro football, or pro sports, period, really (besides the Lakers).
My theory was this:
Pro football thrives in cold climates where it's a fun way to spend the cold months, either around a TV in your living room, or in a dark bar on a Sunday afternoon drinking beers with your buddies.
There's just too much to do in SoCal, and the weather is just too nice to waste your time sitting behind a TV. The Lakers play at night, and that's why they're successful when most other pro sports have not.
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