So we’ve been telling you about this book for a while. In the interest of full disclosure, the author was the best man at our wedding and has been a partner in causing general mayhem for about 18 years. So we would have been foisting it upon you regardless of its quality. But fear not: “My Least Favorite Team is My Favorite Team: How the Minnesota Vikings Have Made Me Hate Every Team in Professional Football,” is not only one of the longest titles you will ever find, it is also a must-read for anybody who has ever felt an undying rage against the Purple but couldn’t find the words to express that rage. This book — in which the author musters up hate for all 32 NFL teams based on Vikings-related outcomes throughout the years — cuts to the bone of that rage in an often very funny and meaningful way. It is out now via the link above or at Amazon.com. In one of the easiest interviews we have ever procured, we caught up with Mr. Keith Richotte for a Q&A recently. Please do enjoy.

RB: This book seems a little crazy. Are you crazy?
KR: It reminds me of an old family saying (and rest assured, my family is very familiar with the topic), “The definition of insanity is to repeat the same action over and over again and to expect different results.” So, if every year I keep watching the Vikings and hoping and expecting them to win a
Super Bowl, well then …

RB: “My least favorite team …” was written in an obsolete vernacular. Discuss.
KR: Wildcat … Wildcat. Wrooowr. I gotta go.

RB: But seriously, how did you muster up the knowledge and hate for all 31 teams?
KR: That would be 32 teams. In any event, I mustered up this knowledge and hate by watching this team with a surprisingly unwavering fidelity for over a quarter of a century. There was some research involved to make sure my blinding rage didn’t obscure some of the facts. Other than that, it all comes from an angry heart’s wounded memories.

RB: How long did it take you to finish this project, and why did you even start it?
KR: As any true Vikings fan can imagine, the words flowed freely as if a muse were whispering in my ear as I typed. It was a very easy book to write. I started it in the middle of last season and finished it in the middle of the summer. It would not have nearly taken me as long as it did were it not for the fact that I had some other important projects going on. I actually first decided to start writing it because one night I couldn’t get to sleep and I began thinking about the Vikings. Then, as if struck by a lightning bolt, I came up with a hypothesis. Did I hate every team in the NFL because of something they have done to the Minnesota Vikings? At first it seemed ludicrous. Did I really hate teams like the Chargers, Seahawks, and Texans? The next day I sat down and began writing to find out if my hypothesis is true. Turns out it is.

RB: Explain the decision to self-publish.
KR: It was the quickest way to get the book out to the public. As soon as I figured out that I hated every team in the NFL and could come up with a reason why, I knew that there were other Vikings fans just like me. The bottom line is that it is not all that much fun being a Vikings fan. I have an addiction to the Minnesota Vikings, as do several other folks out there. I needed to let folks know, in the most scathingly humorous manner possible, that they are not alone.

RB: Do you feel the need to update the Lions, Chiefs and Packers part merely after 4 weeks this season?
KR: As I stated, I began the book in the middle of the last season. As such, there is not as much about the Childress era as there should be. I would be lying if I were to claim that I have not already considered a second edition. Having noted that, if you hated Mike Tice, you will enjoy this book.

RB: Who are your top 3 and bottom 3 all-time favorite and least-favorite Vikings players?
KR: Top three in no particular order — Alan Page, Joey Browner, and Randy Moss. Bottom three in no particular order — Spergeon Wynn, Jeff Brady, and Randy Moss.

RB: Daunte Culpepper is the personification of this franchise. Discuss.
KR: Daunte gets his due in the book as well. Basically, he is the epitome of the Denny Green and Mice Tice eras. He has (or maybe “had” nowadays) a healthy amount of talent that he brought to the offensive side of the team, but some seriously poor decisionmaking on and off the field destroyed a seemingly limitless amount of potential. Plus, he had small, girlish hands.

RB: Tell me again where I can buy this book.
KR: The best place to get it is at myleastfavoriteteam.com. It is also available on Amazon, but I don’t make as much money if you buy it there. If you have any inkling of the misery that is being a Vikings fan (or if you know anyone who does) you will like the book. I promise.

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