It’s been more than 30 years since the state of Minnesota last had a professional sports champion of its own.
During that stretch, the Minnesota Twins (who won the World Series in 1991), Vikings (who last won the NFL Championship in 1969), Timberwolves, Wild, and Minnesota United F.C. have all failed to break through.
That four-decade championship drought has placed extra importance for fans to find an attachment with the athletes that stick around, like Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon and Vikings do-it-all wideout Adam Thielen.
Those players have stuck it out, through thick (and mostly) thin, giving fans something to hang their hat on amid the continued sting of postseason defeats.
BetMinnesota.com searched for the most loyal athlete that currently plays in Minneapolis using a point system that awards two points for each season played with the team, two points for each contract signed, two points for each contract signed for three or more years and four points for any pay structure changes to allow cap space for the team.
There is no legal Minnesota sports betting as a way for fans to back their favorite teams and players.
Most Loyal Athletes in Minneapolis
Hockey, Football at Top of Most Loyal List
At the top of the loyalty leaderboard is 33-year-old defenseman Jared Spurgeon, who has played each of his 793 games in a Minnesota Wild uniform.
Spurgeon scored 26 points for playing 13 seasons with the Wild, along with 16 points for signing four contracts (and four contracts of at least three years), netting him 42 points in total.
A pair of Vikings, in wideout Adam Thielen and safety Harrison Smith, trail Spurgeon on our list, with Smith playing for Minnesota’s NFL franchise the longest (11 seasons), while Thielen has signed more contracts (five) than his teammate.
Both Thielen and Smith wound up in a tie for second, at 38 points overall, thanks to the two-time Pro Bowler signing two more contracts with the club than the six-time Pro Bowl safety.
The two Vikings were the only players on our list to score points for negotiating a pay structure change to their contract, with each doing so once, for four points apiece.
Rounding out our list was Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin, who has played with Minnesota for 11 seasons, signing three contracts (all of which were at least three years in length), netting the Swede 34 points to finish fourth on our list.
Loyalty may be a dying breed in professional sports but try telling that to the four Minnesota stalwarts that have played 44 seasons between them in the Twin Cities.
