The Minnesota Vikings, sitting at 14 wins, have one game left this season, and it’s a big one. As you’ve probably heard, they’re heading to Detroit to face the Lions. The stakes couldn’t be higher, as whoever comes out on top will be crowned NFC North champions. The winner will also claim the No. 1 NFC seed in the playoffs.
Not playing at home is definitely a big disadvantage, especially in a game with this level of importance. But the Minnesota Vikings’ owners are doing everything they can to make sure Vikings fans show up in Detroit to support.
The Wilf family, who are owners of the Minnesota Vikings, just did something pretty unexpected and honestly, really awesome. They personally stepped in and dropped $2 million to buy 1,900 tickets, which they’re reselling to Vikings fans at a much lower price.
“In the days leading up to Sunday night’s showdown against the Detroit Lions, the Vikings took the unusual measure of buying around 1,900 tickets for the road game on the secondary market, at about $1,000 apiece, for a total approaching $2 million. The team then turned around and sent an email to season ticket holders, offering the opportunity to buy the tickets at a much lower price point, and in some cases for as little as $200 per ticket.“
According to Albert Breer of SI, the Vikings are offering the tickets to season ticket holders for as low as, in some cases, $200 each. He also noted that the Detroit Lions raised concerns and contacted the NFL about it, but the league determined that the Vikings weren’t breaking any rules.
“The rival Lions flagged it, with the team’s ticket office noticing the unusual activity, then finding out about the email. The email said, “As a valued season ticket member, we want to offer you the opportunity to purchase lower-level seats for Sunday night’s game.” The tickets were available on a first-come-first-serve basis, and the team added in the email that they were “intended to be used by Vikings fans and not positioned for resale.
The Lions contacted the league office about it and were told, per sources, that the Vikings didn’t break any rules in the process of pulling this off.”
This is what top-notch ownership looks like: owners who care about their fans and do everything possible to give the team an advantage. Breer also pointed out that these tickets are positioned right behind the Vikings’ sideline, which should hopefully make sideline communication a bit smoother.
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Vikings Under Fire for Inappropriate Action Before Lions Matchup
The Minnesota Vikings will try to bring a bit of home to Ford Field for a winner-take-all season finale against the Detroit Lions.
The teams will meet on Sunday night in the final game of the NFL season, with the winner taking the NFC North title and the loser heading to the opening round of the playoffs as the only 14-win wild card in league history.
The Vikings took an unusual action to gain a bit of an edge, scooping up a six-figure sum worth of tickets to cut into the Detroit crowd.
Lions Contact NFL About Vikings’ Buying Spree
Albert Breer of SI.com reported on Jan. 4 that the Vikings have been buying available tickets on the secondary market and then offered them to season ticket holders at a discount over the purchase price.
“In the days leading up to Sunday night’s showdown against the Detroit Lions, the Vikings took the unusual measure of buying around 1,900 tickets for the road game on the secondary market, at about $1,000 apiece, for a total approaching $2 million,” Breer reported.
“The team then turned around and sent an email to season ticket holders, offering the opportunity to buy the tickets at a much lower price point, and in some cases for as little as $200 per ticket.”
The Lions contacted the league office about the ticket-buying scheme, but the NFL informed them that there was nothing against the rules.
The Vikings were strategic about the purchase, Breer reported, buying a block of tickets behind the visitor’s bench.
“The seats the Vikings bought are centralized behind the visiting team bench area at Ford Field, which, obviously, would cut into the percentage of home fans in the stadium and could also work to help the Vikings’ ability to communicate on the sideline,” Breer reported.
Lions Close to Season Goal
The Lions have set a number of team and league records this season, but need one more win to reach their regular-season goal to win a second straight NFC North title. Lions head coach Dan Campbell said this week that the team has worked hard all season for this opportunity.
“Well, you just, you try to set yourself up the best you can and that’s why you put those goals out there,” Campbell said, via NBC Sports.
“So yeah, it’s been there for a while, so certainly this is something we want to do and we’ve had in our minds. Division and one seed and all that, and it’s right here in our hands.”
Campbell added that this will be a leave-it-all-on-the-field game for his team.
“Our mindset is wholly on this game right now. It’s about this next game and it’s about finding a way to win, no different than what we just did,” Campbell said.
“We had to find a way to win that game, San Francisco, against a team that really — they gave us what they had and they played hard. We had to do it in Chicago the week before, so it’s the next one in front of us, and we’ve got to find a way to win this game, period, and really don’t care what it looks like, we’ve just got to win.”
