The Minnesota sports landscape is on the precipice of the biggest shakeup in its hierarchy since the Twins and Vikings came to town in 1961. The Timberwolves are on the verge of turning Minnesota into a basketball state for the first time in the franchise’s 35-year history.
We can quibble with the details or certain years in which the order might have switched. But generally in my lifetime, which started three months before the Twins won the 1991 World Series, goes as follows:
- Vikings
- Twins
- Wild
- Gophers
- Timberwolves
- Lynx
With all due respect, Minnesota United and the Minnesota Frost haven’t been around long enough to make a huge dent in the culture. But the Timberwolves have been at or near the bottom of the list since their inaugural season in 1989. Since then, the Twins have won a World Series and 10 division titles. The Vikings have suffered some of the most heartbreaking losses in NFL history and still have gone to the NFC Championship game four times since 1998. The Wild have been mostly first-round fodder since 2000. Gopher athletics is nothing like when the football team was a powerhouse between world wars. Still, they hold some cache throughout the state. And the Lynx won four championships and went to the finals six times between 2011 and 2017.
In this time, the Timberwolves have been one of the worst teams in the NBA and among the worst franchises in all of sports. They’ve gone to the Western Conference Finals only two times and are mostly known for embarrassing draft picks and unstable front-office regimes. But as a great Minnesotan once said, the times, they are a changing.
The Wolves just completed one of the best seasons in franchise history and announced themselves as true contenders. Anthony Edwards is one of the coolest athletes out there and a rising superstar. Naz Reid is Paul Bunyan with a three-ball. And the coach and front office haven’t f—–d anything up yet. The Wolves are getting Minnesota sports fans horny again, and now might be their best opportunity to rise up and become the No. 1 team in our hearts for the first time.
While the Wolves are on the rise, most of Minnesota’s remaining teams are in some form of sports purgatory. After six years of mostly elevated mediocrity with Kirk Cousins, the Vikings moved on to the J.J. McCarthy Era, choosing the former Michigan quarterback 10th in this past draft. In true Minnesota sports fashion, McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason, and the Vikings had to pivot to Sam Darnold in hopes that he can keep things taped together just enough not to ignite a total rebuild. The Vikings will likely always be Minnesota’s No. 1 team. However, they haven’t even been to a Super Bowl since 1976, and there’s no end to the drought in sight. The fans will always back the Vikings, but the passion could be waning just a little bit.
The Twins finally won their first playoff game in almost 20 years last season but are doing everything they can to crash out of an all-but-guaranteed wild card spot this year. Ownership drastically cut the payroll from last season, and the Royce Lewis, Byron Buxton, and Carlos Correa triumvirate can hardly stay on the field. Of Minnesota’s professional sports teams, the Twins always seem to take on the fanbase’s identity and paint themselves as hard-working, scrappy Midwest underdogs. They will always hold a special place in the fandom.
The Wild’s point total has decreased each of the last three seasons, and the team seems stuck in neutral with some exciting young talent, but not enough to be contenders. It will be hard to overcome the Wild in the state of hockey, but fans are desperate for them to get out of the first round once in a while.
The Gophers are mostly invisible in the new-look Big Ten and haven’t been taken seriously since the ’60s.
In terms of quality, the Lynx are the Wolves’ true challenger. The Lynx are in the midst of their best season since the dynasty. Led by MVP candidate Napheesa Collier, the Lynx are legitimate title contenders at a time when women’s sports, especially women’s basketball, are exploding in popularity. Things are heading in the right direction for the one franchise in Minnesota with a true winning pedigree.
Saying the Timberwolves will be the most popular team in Minnesota after this season might feel far-fetched. But there’s no better moment for the Wolves to build on their popularity and show the world that the state of hockey is actually the state of basketball going forward.
