Christian Sopkowiak/Winonan

Your heart races as you rise to your feet, you begin to feel nervous, your palms begin to sweat, and your eyes stay focused on the action. This is it, you tell yourself, it’s finally happening. I have been through all of the hardships, and now I am being rewarded.

Then the inevitable happens, and your heart drops. You plop back down in your seat, your faith crushed, your love ripped apart. You stare at them, that team that you have loved for years, this state that you have followed for as long as you can remember. All you have given them is loyalty, and all they give in return is heartbreak.

You thought that this might be the year, but it wasn’t. And, now you are not sure it ever can be. This is the life of a Minnesota sports fan.

My love for Minnesota is simple: I was born here, and I love it here. My love for sports is simple: they are entertaining, competitive and full of excitement. My love for Minnesota sports is not so simple.

I watched Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson end our hopes in 2009. I watched the Timberwolves underachieve the past few years. I watched the Twins go from a perennial playoff contender to a basement dweller. I watched the Wild suffer through utter mediocrity before possibly breaking out with the recent signings. I watched the Gophers become a stepping block in both football and basketball.

However, I also have heard about the Twins winning the World Series in 1991 and 1987. I have heard about the Kevin Garnett years and how the Timberwolves should have won a championship. I have heard about the Gopher powerhouse years and how they were a regular in the top 25.

But, most of all, I hear about 1998. The year the Vikings were destined to win it all and the year that a kicker went from perfect to inferior. The year the most dynamic rookie in NFL history couldn’t even help us win a championship. The year that should have been. The year of the missing rings.

Well, I guess all we can do is wait. Sit here and listen to the successes of Wisconsin, Chicago and Detroit. Keep holding on to the dream of a Minnesota championship. Hopefully one will come if we stay loyal, keep our heads high and keep on cheering. That’s all we can do is hope.

Hey, at least we have the Minnesota Lynx, right?

Contact Christian at [email protected]