In teasing to an offseason report card story from ESPN.com sportswriter Bill Barnwell, ESPN asserted that “The Green Bay Packers are defending NFC North champs. The Minnesota Vikings’ offseason could change that.” Up until early Tuesday afternoon, that statement, which was posted on the network’s Facebook page, was still up.
The Vikings actually won the NFC North division last season after defeating the Packers in the final regular-season game at Lambeau Field. Vikings fans immediately took to ESPN’s Facebook page, posting words like “idiots” and “disrespectful.”
The Minnesota team’s Twitter feed also soon afterwards posted a perfectly witty response: a photo of the purple 2015 NFC North banner proving the Vikings were champions with the words, “Guess we should probably return this then, right @ESPN?”
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The error was highlighted on Twitter by Vikings fan Adam Carlson, co-editor of the Viking Age and co-host of the Purple People Podcast.
ESPN’s Facebook page has over 14.6 million followers. The post was up for about two hours and was then taken down.
The Vikings are set to host the Packers in Week 2 next season.
PHOTO: MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JANUARY 10: Teddy Bridgewater #5 of the Minnesota Vikings drops back in the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks during the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at TCFBank Stadium on January 10, 2016 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
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