Last week I wrote a bit about my NFL identity crisis this season, in that I’m having a hard time deciding between rooting for the local team here in my current home of Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Minnesota Vikings, or to get behind my hometown team, the New York Jets (despite their acquisition of Tim Tebow).
Well, after week one of the regular season, my decision hasn’t been helped by the games themselves. Both the Vikings and the Jets won their first games—the Vikings pulled it out in dramatic fashion with an overtime win over Jacksonville (a game I got to actually watch) while the Jets demolished Buffalo (in a game I did not get to watch). As far as records go, they’re both neck and neck.
But over the last week, a Vikings player has been making some headlines in a way that’s gotten my attention, and has given Minnesota the edge in capturing my affections: punter Chris Kluwe took a stand for marriage equality in a Not Safe for Work open letter on Deadspin addressed to Maryland state delegate Emmett C. Burns Jr. Long story short, Kluwe spoke out on a controversial topic, and did so in a highly entertaining (and profane) way, and he is now my favorite player. Ever. And all he does is kick the football down the field!
So I want to show my support and make his jersey my first. Because he’s just a punter, the official NFL shop doesn’t stock his jersey, but other sites that sell football merchandise stock custom-made gear have Kluwe jerseys for not too high a price. Even though I’d love to get the elite version of the jersey, made from nylon and spandex and featuring embroidered letters and numbers, $128 is a little out of my price range…even for a freedom-loving punter.
The limited version with embroidered letters and numbers, but made of polyester, is a bit more reasonable at $98. But even still, the $78 screen-printed jersey is the one for me. It may be the lowest end available…but I’m not exactly rolling in dough here.
[Update! The site that was previously linked in the above paragraphs have been revealed to be fakes, so their links have been removed. Apologies for anyone who got duped...as I almost did...]
What jerseys do you have in your collection? Oh, also: go Vikes!
[Via Deadspin]
