In 2006, a good friend of mine, Ried Holien, wrote a book called “Purple People.” The fun thing about this? It featured some of the stories from my childhood, and evolving passion for the Minnesota Vikings.
Since 1997, I have been tailgating with the coolest people in the NFL; Vikings fans. I was honored to be one of the subjects in this book, along with many other Vikings fans who have felt the pain of big losses, and glory of perceived dominance in should-of-have-been championship seasons.
The book is now a rare one to find online. I recently searched for it’s homepage and found that it no longer exists (kind of like the Vikings offense of late). I did find a few links to copies available on Amazon, ebay and Barnes & Noble with the reviews copy and pasted below. For my part, I will be sharing some of the stories that Ried wrote about me in the book in the near future on this blog because these stories will tell a part about my life that has molded who I, TheSportsdaddy.com, am today; a fun loving sports fan, a husband, a father and very passionate, loyal hardworking professional. Stay tuned.
Reviews from Amazon, ebay, and other online sources
Purple People is a unique book because it focuses on the wild, wonderful, bizarre NFL fans, focusing virtually the total book on the fans of the Minnesota Viking, though there is a great story about the young boy who dared to be Green Bay Packer fan at the wrong time and the wrong place. The boy’s parents sued for their son’s right to wear a Green Bay Packer jersey!
Purple People covers everything that makes Vikings fans the best fans in all of sports. You ll hear about the tailgating parties where Benchwarmer Bob drank beers with the fans, and how the fans had a season-ending pig roast and the players showed up. It will examine how the move indoors and the loss of tailgating took away the fans identity, but how they themselves led a resurgence in team spirit and came back better than ever. Purple People features interviews with famous Vikings players, commentary from people inside the organization, and profiles on great Vikings fans, including every official Fan of the Year.
This book tells the story of the great and glorious Purple Pride nation. From fan clubs in sunny Los Angeles to lifelong season-ticket holders in Duluth, from partiers to priests, from guys to gals, from Norm Van Brocklin and Metropolitan Stadium to Brad Childress at the Metrodome, Purple People covers everything that makes Vikings fans the best fans in all of sports. Any fan will laugh to read the stories, and love coming to understand the great and glorious community of fans they belong to. Purple People … for anyone who bleeds purple.
