I watched a man perform the Minnesota Vikings Skol clap inside the QuikTrip at 6:45 this morning. I was getting my frozen coffee and this interaction took place near the register, so it was already a surprise.

The larger surprise was the fact this was taking place after the same team in question was unquestionably thrashed less than 12 hours ago, embarrassing themselves in the NFC Championship game and rendering their miracle win from last week obsolete, another moment to be remembered and easily forgotten without the context and substance of a trip to the Big Game.

Nevertheless, it’s interesting to see anyone perform it, especially in a day and age where random uniform physical actions can be taken in a variety of ways. But the action itself is a corporate creation.

The Minnesota Vikings, “opened their cutting-edge home at U.S. Bank Stadium by introducing a new tradition, the “Vikings SKOL Chant.” … Fans raised their arms in the shape of a V, waited for two drum beats separated by a dramatic pause, then clapped their hands while chanting “SKOL” in unison.”

I will say seeing it done befor the game delivered the intended intent from me. But unless you’re the starting quarterback after the single greatest event you’re likely to be publicly associated with, it’s a strange thing to see.

Sadly, it was being done to mock a young man wearing a Vikings jersey. It was a childless move, especially since it was done by a complete stranger with little to no reason. I admit I wasn’t watching their prior possible interaction, but it couldn’t have been that long; long enough for someone to mock a complete stranger.

It’s just sad to see anyone do something like that…unless that’s your close friend. That is the world of sports. You can root hard for your team and root hard against teams you dislike, but there’s a time and a place for that. It’s not the register of a QuikTrip at 6:45 in the morning.

Some other ways to not be a fan:

Pick a team and stick with it. When I attended school in Boston, I would attend games at Fenway Park and cheer for the Red Sox…unless they were playing the Mets. The Mets are my team and since the Sox are in the American League, their outcomes don’t affect the Mets.

It’s OK to root for other teams, so long as you have one you call your own. If you don’t and switch teams with the winds of the moment, then you’re not a true fan. That just means it’s insincere to be loud like you’ve rode with said team from jump.

Your emotions are your own. I’m an enternal optimist when it comes to the Mets. Baseball allows for it with a 162 game season that means it’s months before you truly know your team, then another six to eight weeks before their fate is decided and an additional six weeks where they could always get hot and be right back in it.

Another group of fans are angered by every loss, living with the annual expectation that their team will be champions and anything less is unacceptable. While I could never cheer like this, it is acceptable so long as you keep it to yourself and your fan group. When you push this one-minded agenda onto others, especially when it’s not directly associated with a game, it gets as confusing as that last sentence and sad.

To be honest, however you want to be a fan is about you. Taking it outside, whether that’s at an athletic event or inside an establishment showing the game, means you’re interacting with others. Those that can’t seem to separate sports and how humans should properly interact with each other are the ones that make some think the worst about those that watch sports and that’s the truth.