Passion For The Game Drives Lindsey Young’s Journey
Brent LaBathe
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Training camp is an intense grind day in and day out, for all who are involved. What the practice highlights don’t show you is the mass of people who are a part of the machine that produces an NFL product every Sunday.
The modern day NFL, however, is a 24/7 job for so many others who are a part of the Vikings organization, including Viking Territory’s good friend Lindsey Young. You wouldn’t have to spend much time hanging around these parts to bump in Young’s work.
For more than two years, Young brought a unique perspective to your day-to-day Vikings coverage and explored the personal stories tied to the team. Her work became so well known and respected, it caught the attention of the Vikings themselves, and she departed Vikings Territory to become the first female writer in Vikings history.
After a little less than a year with the organization, I thought it would be fun to highlight Young’s transition to the NFL. After sharing so many stories with us, it might be nice to hear hers.
Young’s niche is a knack for telling compelling stories that mesh with the game we all follow so closely. Whether it was the feature on our once beloved ‘Babs‘ or her 1-on-1 interview with Vikings legend Bud Grant, Young’s reputation for thoughtful content opened the door to a dream job.
“I was fortunate enough to meet a long distance mentor in Greg Bishop from Sports Illustrated,” Young told me. “He told me right away, ‘It’s hard. Be sure to know what you love and commit.'”
That’s the thing, a dream job is still a job.
As fans pack the bleachers each day of training camp, you hear the loud ‘Oooooohs’ and ‘Ahhhhhhs’ as Adrian Peterson turns the corner or Diggs puts shifty moves on the secondary. The fandom of the game is what often brings you, but there has to be more than that.
“You do have to separate from being a fan almost immediately,” Young added. “There are still days where I walk into Winter Park and feel like ‘this isn’t real life,‘” she said. But that doesn’t mean the pace of the players, the team and league doesn’t demand a lot from everyone.
“Today [Vikings.com writer Eric Smith], is counting every single catch Laquon Treadwell makes for a piece,” Young told me Friday during the team’s walk-thru at Blakeslee Stadium on Mankato’s campus. A part of the 24/7 demand of the NFL is producing engaging content for droves of fans starved by the offseason.
“I’m always looking for story ideas. I’ll spend time reading every player’s biography looking for unique points of interest or little-known facts that could give readers a new look at the players they love to watch on the field,” Young said. That knowledge and sincere interest in the players she covers provides trust and mutual respect that allows Lindsey to produce the best stories.
Those relationships also give Young a sight line into other aspects of the organization, and her appreciation for what the Vikings stand for has grown since she walked into the building.
“There has always been huge belief internally that the Vikings should be a part of the community, and that connectivity with the local fan base is always a priority. My loyalty to the team has only grown as I’ve worked more closely with it,” Young shares.
The very day I sat down to talk with Lindsey, the New York Times released a feature interview with Vikings Chief Operating Officer (COO) Kevin Warren. The timing was nothing short of peculiar, as Young had just spent a good amount of time sharing some insight about the Vikings’ senior leadership internally.
“There is a top-down trust that can be felt within the office. Leadership is very visible across the organization and you know that influence is a big part of the unity you feel,” Young said. “That trust extends across the organization as the need to work closely together is important.“
Young told me how welcomed she felt on her first day. “It was the best feeling in the world, because I was pretty nervous going into my first day. People were so welcoming though; my peers, coaches, everyone stopped by and offered to lend a hand as I got started. It was really reassuring.”
“I can’t speak for other teams, because the Vikings are the only team I’ve worked with,” Young said, as Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer pulled his cart onto the practice field.
Other national media members have told Young that the Vikings are different, and you have to believe the unity of the organization is fueling the team’s current momentum. “It sounds cliche, but it’s a well-oiled machine. It’s fun to watch all the pieces work together.”
Every minute of training camp is scheduled, and that cliché “machine” was on full display Friday as players hustled to and from different drills. Vikings personnel gathered footballs, moved equipment, and refilled water bottles in perfect unison. And then there was Young, scribbling notes and preparing for a post-practice interview with Audie Cole; an interview for a story that will go live on Vikings.com in fewer than 12 hours, fulfilling the relentless need for training camp news.
[quote_center]”I’m very fortunate to have found a dream job at this point in my life.”[/quote_center]
I share these stories because in the hyper-analysis of the NFL and the Minnesota Vikings, we often fail to acknowledge all of the gears of the machine. During the season, Young is almost always on call and connected to the team.
“Without the passion for what you’re doing, it would be so easy to disconnect after you ‘clock out’ for the day,” she said. “I just can’t with this, though. It means too much.“
“When I think back to it, it felt like such a long journey at the time. Sitting here now, I realize there were little doors that kept opening for me, but in the moment, I didn’t know if I’d ever have an opportunity to do what I do now,” Young commented.
As those doors opened, Young continued to develop her craft. “Vikings Territory was a huge part of my journey, and I learned a lot during my time with the team,” Young said. “I’ve learned more since joining the Vikings and will continue to.”
Just like that, practice ends and a stampede of players head back to the locker room. Somehow, not lost within a crowd of NFL players stands Young, working on her next story.