Ragnar, the bearded, motorcycle-riding, axe-wielding Vikings mascot, has been a fixture in Minnesota since 1994. (His real name is Joe Juranitch, but we’re just going to keep calling him Ragnar for this story if it’s okay with you). That is, he was a fixture until the Vikings’ home opener against the Detroit Lions, for which he was noticeably absent. Then, soon after the game ended, Ragnar posted this to his Facebook page:
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The question was soon on Vikings fans’ lips: Did the team ban Ragnar from games? Why would they do such a thing? Now it appears we have our answer, thanks to the Associated Press:
Sources say Ragnar was asking for $20K per game from Vikings over next 10 yrs. That's $1.6M for 8 reg season home games.
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) September 22, 2015
$1.6 million! That’s more than some Vikings players make — the veteran minimum salary maxes out at $970,000, according to Spotrac — and, if we had to guess, more than any mascot makes in American sports.
PackersNews.com reports that fans have started an online petition demanding the Vikings bring back Ragnar, but it would be extremely hard for any team to justify paying one part-time employee $20,000 per game, especially in light of how criminally underpaid NFL cheerleaders tend to be. Ragnar’s a fun part of the game and all, but if this report is true, he may be overvaluing himself. After all, the Vikings did beat the Lions in Ragnar’s absence, and a superstitious fan may see the beginning of a lucky streak.
(Via AP and PackersNews.com)
