Minnesota Sports Franchises Change Players, Coaches, But Don’t Change Results

The popularity of modern professional sports is built on change. Changes drive news cycles and the speculation that goes with them, which increases fan interest.

By the 1990s, the NFL was closed for months. Ultimately the league was keenly aware that he could be as popular in May as he was in October, and that realization could make free agency as important as championship games and series. Created the landscape of modern sports.

The promise of transformative change will increase fan interest in free agency, trades, coaching decisions, coaching changes and player development.

Minnesotans might like to admit that the illusion of change rarely changes reality.

The Vikings existed for 61 years. They have never won a league championship or a Super Bowl. They have produced great teams, coaches and players. In January 2023, a new General Manager, Coach, Offensive and Defensive in his scheme and the addition of some key personnel put them once again in danger of making the playoffs and will fall short of the title.

The Twins won the World Series in 1987 and 1991. If the Vikings were cursed with their disappointing postseason performance, the Twins were cursed with injuries.

Before and after the championship season, the Twins have seen the careers of nearly every great player marred or cut short by injury, and since 1991 they have reached the postseason with all of their most important players available. I rarely do.

The injured list includes Tony Oliva, Kirby Puckett, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, Irving Santana (playoff game at Yankee Stadium) and Johan Santana (Yankee Stadium). stadium playoff matches), Cristian Gassmann and Kent. Hrbek, Rick Aguilera (after agreeing to be the starter in 1996), Francisco Liriano, Josh Donaldson (who missed his only playoff series with the Twins) and his once-promising 2022 squad almost everyone.

Wild shocked the hockey world by reaching the conference finals in 2003, his third season. They never came back. They haven’t won a playoff series since his 2015. Their results were almost always the same.

The Timberwolves brand is dysfunctional. This season, a new, acclaimed basketball boss, a new owner, made the move and made the NBA’s biggest deal of the offseason.

Minnesota United are about to start their seventh MLS season. Of those seasons, they only won one playoff game, and in 2020 they won two.

Since 1962, Gophers football has been ranked in the Associated Press Top 20 three times. In 1999 Glenn ranked him 18th under Mason, 20th under Mason in 2003 and 10th under PJ Fleck in 2019.

Its 2019 season ranks among the best the Gophers have produced since 1962, raising hopes that Fleck can elevate Minnesota to Big Ten championship contender status. Instead, this year he’s one of the best running backs in the country, a number of quality seniors in his sixth grade, and the easiest schedule Minnesota has ever had, with him going 5-4 in the conference. and settled on a bowl with a sloppy name. baseball Ground.

The Gophers men’s basketball has officially won two NCAA tournament games in the last 30 years. One by Tubby Smith, who was fired shortly after achieving the biggest unsanctioned success in recent program history, and his other by Richard Pitino, who was fired two years after him. I hope Ben Johnson can transform a program that normally only excels when cheating.

Minnesota’s sports outlier remains the lynx. They won four titles in his seven years, missing just one-fifth, and from a championship year he advanced to the league semi-finals after losing four out of five stars. I was. Their failure in 2022 was just a reminder that they’ve either been great or very competitive for 11 straight seasons.

Lynx should bounce. Gopher female hoops should develop into strength. The Gophers’ low-income sports should continue to excel.

When it comes to Minnesota’s most popular men’s team, it’s easier to change the players than to change the DNA of the franchise.