Minnesota Vikings Cancel All 2020 Game ‘Events’ on Facebook

The Minnesota Vikings have canceled all of their Facebook Events for their 2020 regular season games. This comes only a few months after the full schedule was released in May.

This ‘news’ was first broken by Vikings Central on Twitter, as the page admin noticed a few unusual notifications in his Facebook notification box.

VOX (@PAOnTheMic) reacts to the release of the 2020 @Vikings schedule…https://t.co/34lieVUqMy

— KFAN1003 (@KFAN1003) May 7, 2020

Welp. pic.twitter.com/xlzBR6E5Mu

— Vikings Central (@MNVikescentral) July 20, 2020

What could this mean for the Minnesota Vikings’ season? As I see it, this could mean one of two things. Here are my odds for both:

1. NFL Players are Boycotting the Season – <1% Chance

NFL players have been unhappy about the work conditions put forth by the NFL and their respective teams. The hashtag #WeWantToPlay has been flooding Twitter as players express their concerns with the conditions of their environment.

Some Minnesota Vikings players have even chimed in.

According to Adam Schefter, Since the online movement has started, the NFL has scheduled a meeting to discuss their health and safety measures for players, staff, and anyone else involved in the league.

Sense a trend…. pic.twitter.com/KJQqo7nKSI

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 19, 2020

I want to play football and I know the fans want to watch football this year! For that to happen, we need the @NFL to step up and create a safe work environment for us players! #wewanttoplay pic.twitter.com/50oeWK5V33

— Anthony Barr (@AnthonyBarr) July 19, 2020

Since January, all I’ve wanted to do is get back on the field and play the game I love, but I also want to protect my family and my teammates. #WeWantToPlay but health and safety has to come first let’s not play things by ear, let’s be certain.

— kirkcousins8 (@KirkCousins8) July 19, 2020

Updated: owners meeting at 2 ET today. https://t.co/RWNxMlDTeQ

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 20, 2020

2. There will be No Fans in Attendance – >99% Chance

As of now, the NBA is not allowing fans inside their Orlando bubble to watch the remaining portion of the NBA season and their playoffs. Chances are, these event cancellations simply mean the NFL is moving in the no fans in stands direction too, or at least limiting the number of fans that can come.

The NFL has stated that they are willing to let cities make decisions on how many fans can attend games in each stadium.

Though the NFL says it is OK with some NFL cities allowing fans while others do not, I’ll be surprised if that really happens. More to the point, if there are NFL games, I’ll be surprised if the Eagles can’t work something out with the city for socially-distanced seating.

— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) July 15, 2020

There has been no official word on how Minneapolis and the State of Minnesota will address having fans inside US Bank Stadium this coming NFL season.

However, in May, Rochelle Olson of the Star Tribune reported that a bill was passed to allow Minnesota Vikings fans to tailgate outside the stadium on game day. The team has not made a final decision on the matter.

“Team vice president Lester Bagley said there’s no game plan yet for selling alcohol in the park.

“The biggest issue is the lack of fan gathering spaces and disappearing tailgating opportunities — a time-honored tradition for the Vikings fans in the days of yore,” Bagley said.”

-Rochelle Olson, Star Tribune

Canceling the online event should truly hold no bearing on if the season resumes, but fans love to read the online tea leaves (e.g. Stefon Diggs social media). We also get a lot of traffic from our facebook page, so I’m sure some of you noticed this happening as well.

For now, just sit back and relax. Sure, you might not be able to see the NFL in person this season, but as of now, you can watch 75% of Mitch Trubisky’s throws hit the barren ground at Soldier Field from the comfort of your own home.

Brendan Hedtke | Minnesota Sports Fan