Shown above on the left: #1 Vikings fan, Sir Death. To the right: Photo by Sam Herron, the once homeless photographer/photojournalist.
By E.C. Stone
Heartland News Writer
Some things in life were just meant to go hand in hand. Peanut butter and jelly, ketchup and fries, coffee and cream. But how do Vikings’ fans and homelessness come together to form the perfect combination? The pair became a match right after The Heartland News’ Executive Director, M,A,Yah, met Sir Death Himself, Karl Heinrichs, and Heinrichs invited M,A,Yah to become a member of the Minnesota Vikings Family.
According to Sir Death, out of all the fan clubs in the NFC, Minnesota leads the top four with a “Skolful” 64,000 of the finest fans to ever grace a Facebook screen. That’s right. The Minnesota Vikings Family is the number one fan club in the NFC (to become a member, sign into Facebook and go to Minnesota Vikings Family). Green Bay Packers righteously falls behind Minnesota, coming in second place with 56,000 members. While the Chicago Bears came in third with 38,000, followed by the Detroit Lions with 37,000.
Whether playing in a crowded US Stadium at home, or on the road invading an opponent’s stadium, Vikings’ fans are the most colorful fans in the entire league. Not only do their purple and gold colored gear jump out like the special effects in a 3D flick, in between plays Vikings’ fans’ attitudes often become like a main feature on the big screen of a jumbotron.
When you hear, “Skol! Skol! Skol!” burst through the air in harmony with their signature clap, look out! Vikings’ fans are in an uproar!
“The Vikings were in New York yelling skol chants like it was their own house,” a fan posted on October 6th after the Vikings and Fans invaded the MetLife Stadium and the Giants’ fans crumbled in silence as their team got beat 28 to 10.
The win played out like pages in the middle of the “The Vicious Vikings” rhyming slam book:
“Now realizing the ship was a wreck,
The Vikings secured their food on deck,
And then went out in search for wood to mend their hole….
“…But as they got to the mountain top,
Greedy Giants ordered them to stop,
Since they worked for Chargers charging a buck a toll.
“Seeing the Giants were wasting time,
Since the Vikings weren’t paying a dime,
The Vikings started chopping at the Giants knees…
“…Just when the Giants’ knees got limber,
Is when the Vikings yelled out tiiiiiiiiiimber!
And all the Giants started falling like big trees.”
“The Vicious Vikings” looks like it would be for children, but it’s really a book for all ages. It is the first of a 32 book football fantasy series, featuring a different NFL team conquering the other 31 teams. The series is a “must have” for football fanatics and poetry lovers alike.
This book has also been dubbed, “The Miracle Book,” by the author, M,A,Yah, because the original manuscript survived the fire caused by arson to the first building The Heartland News’ headquarters was located in. Most of his property was destroyed by the flames, but it was as if the angels had protected his precious manuscripts. The pattern of the fire appeared to have burned around the papers.
Due to the miracle, and his own life being spared, M,A,Yah has decided to use the proceeds from the sale of “The Vicious Vikings” to help fight poverty. Here’s how the combination of the proceeds and support of the fans will help the homeless. The Heartland News is a nonprofit organization that helps the homeless by giving them jobs. Our mission is: To bridge the gap between the community and the homeless, by educating the public of the various causes of homelessness and poverty and to provide income for the socially excluded, through our vendor program and special training. At $14.99 plus shipping and handling, “The Vicious Vikings” is a great keepsake. The book can also be purchased for special occasions. By doing so, a fan can give two gifts in one. The book itself as a gift to a loved one, and the proceeds as a gift towards helping a homeless person at a second chance in life.
Now for a limited time only, all members of the Minnesota Vikings’ family can purchase the book for $10.99, plus shipping and handling. If you’re not a member of the Minnesota Vikings’ family and would like to become one, go to Minnesota Vikings Family on Facebook.
The Heartland News’ goal is to sell 10,000 books, and with The Heartland News and over 64,000 Vikings fans paired up like a bowl of chips and dip before a game, the sale of 10,000 books can be easily reached by the middle of this season.
However, by chance you are a Packers’ fan, still buy a book and join the fight against homeless. But also take heed to the words of Sir Death in the following message:
Say “Go Pack Go” in our new
stadium just one time…I dare you.
