Blair Walsh may be the most polarizing figure in Minnesota sports at the moment, but by no means have Vikings fans turned against him. In fact, local first-graders wrote letters to the Vikings kicker telling him the opposite: Not only do they not hate him, but they like him. They feel sorry for him.
To some of them, he's still "the best."
In a video published by the Minneapolis Star Tribune, several kids share their letters and messages of encouragement to the kicker. It's got all the cuteness and doe-eyed virtue you'd expect a classroom of first-graders to possess.
Here's a sample of their artwork:
In case you were recently thawed from a cryogenic freeze, Walsh missed a chip-shot field goal that would have won Minnesota's NFC Wild Card game against the Seattle Seahawks. Instead, Walsh's missed kick was another chapter added to the long history of disappointing moments in sports history.
At least we've got these first graders around to make sure we have some perspective on things.
"You are a awesome kicker," says one student. "Everyone makes mistakes. One time I had the same problem as you and we lost the divisional playoffs. I play football too. You and your team the Vikings came in 11-6. You rock Blair Walsh."
True that. And Vikings fans, remember to keep the faith.
"One day I bet the Vikings become a really good team and an awesome team."
One day. One day.
