Mike Wobschall Q&A
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re already familiar with Mike Wobschall. Affectionately known as “Wobby” among the Vikings faithful (and, as he says, among pretty much everyone else, too), Mike is the Content Manager for the Vikings Entertainment Network, the official digital media arm of the Vikings. He’s the most visible part of the team’s online presence—as a writer and on-camera interviewer for Vikings.com—and acts as a link between the legions of Vikings fans and the organization itself.
Wobschall grew up in Waseca, Minnesota, and went to college at Gustavus. He began working for the Vikings as their Written Content Coordinator in 2005, and has been with them ever since. Beyond his online contributions for Vikings.com and the VEN, Wobby makes regular appearances on KFAN, where he riffs with his good friend Paul Allen and keeps fans up to date with the happenings around Winter Park.
As Wobby has become more and more familiar to Vikings fans, his popularity has grown, largely because of the genuine, approachable way he does his job. Whether it’s on the radio, on camera, or in print, there’s something about Mike Wobschall that’s intrinsically relatable; he’s professional, but an everyman—a reporter, but a fan. He isn’t just someone doing a job, but a Minnesota native tasked with the unique responsibility of sending daily dispatches from inside the belly of the state’s most beloved franchise. He’s one of us, and, all Dan Barreiro joking aside, that means something.
Lately, too, Mike Wobschall has used his platform to help promote a different cause. In May, he was named one of the “Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Twin Cities Finest” for his work to raise funds for and spread awareness about cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic disease affecting 30,000 people in the United States. Mike has set a goal of raising $15,000 for the cause, and you can help by making a donation here.
Mike was kind enough to take some time to an interview with us last week. We discussed his work with the CF Foundation, his career path, his all-time favorite Vikings, and a lot more. He was, unsurprisingly, exceedingly accommodating and down-to-earth.
Vikings Territory: How long have people called you “Wobby?” Does anyone still call you “Michael?”
Mike Wobschall: I’ve been called Wobby ever since I can remember playing sports as a youngster growing up in Waseca, Minnesota. Family and teachers have called me by my first name, but pretty much everyone else uses Wobby, and I’m totally cool with that. A few people have called me Michael throughout the years, including my mom and my high school principal, who also happened to be one of my best friend’s mom. At the end of the day, I’m called a lot of things by a lot of people, especially on Twitter and in my inbox after we lose, so it’s all good.
VT: Did you grow up a Vikings fan?
MW: I did. Growing up in Waseca, a small town in southcentral Minnesota, I grew up a fan of all Minnesota sports teams but I also became a fan of sports in general. I took a liking to the Yankees, Notre Dame, the Patriots and the Lakers, too. After some introspection, it became apparent to me that in addition to my provincial loyalties I also particularly enjoyed watching great teams and dynasties. I believe to this day that heroes and villains are important to the popularity of a sport. Sports were always a big part of my life and consumed a lot of my time, whether it was playing sports, watching sports and even playing sports video games. I had a curiosity for what life was like in the sports industry beyond what we see for a couple hours on the field of play. That’s why being “inside the ropes” during my professional career has been such a thrill for me – it’s a continuous satisfaction of a curiosity I developed while growing up.
VT: You worked in sports information in college. Did you know at that point you wanted to pursue a career in the sports info field, and did you every envision it turning into the job you have now?
MW: I never envisioned my four years in the sports information office at Gustavus turning into the job I have right now. But once I became committed to my work study job in the SID office at Gustavus, I did know I wanted to pursue a career in sports. I also knew, though, that there was no rubric or set of standard operating procedures to land a sports job. I knew it was a “right time, right place” type of thing, so I never truly honed in exclusively on a job in sports. I spent part of my time in college wondering what I would do when I graduated, all while working in the SID office and trying to land internships in the sports world for when I graduated. Eventually, the Sports Information Director at Gustavus at the time, Tim Kennedy, became aware of an internship the Vikings were looking to fill and so he recommended me for the job. I interviewed and was offered the position. I’ve been with the Vikings since that time. To this day, Tim remains a close friend and trusted advisor. He would have been regardless of the Vikings internship and subsequent full-time position because while I worked for him over 4 years I learned a lot of critical skills and, more importantly, a lot of important values such as commitment, hard work, thoroughness, selflessness, positivity and resiliency. Those were values and traits I was taught by my parents and family while growing up, but Tim was the first to instill those within in me while on the job.
VT: I’m wondering about how you view your role as a content creator. How is what you do different from the mainstream media and/or blogs that are unaffiliated with the team?
MW: I feel fortunate to have the role I have with the team. The Vikings are a storied franchise and a very popular team, and I get a front row seat to see all that is happening in and around our organization. My primary role is to promote the team and the individuals within our organization. I’m also responsible for covering the team on the field and being the fans’ eye on what’s going on with players and coaches. The Vikings Entertainment Network looks to accomplish these goals by maximizing exclusive access to provide content that fans can’t get anywhere else. I also have a hand in a lot of the strategic planning in terms of our content, so even with the content I don’t produce myself I still feel like I’m able to be a part of the effort. Some could look at a person in my position and question the objectivity of the content, but I feel a closer look reveals that our access to information and our dedication to providing exclusive content makes us the premier source for Vikings news and information. I thoroughly enjoy being positive about the team because I believe in being a part of something that is being built and not being someone who takes away from it. Being in sports for all of youth, I appreciate the team concept and even though I’m not on the field playing or on the sidelines coaching, I do feel a part of the team.
VT: You mentioned the perception about objectivity. Is it ever a challenge to balance the “reporting” aspect of your job with the fact that you’re directly employed by the team? I imagine it’s a lot about the organization having trust in you.
MW: It’s a question I get a fair amount. But I don’t look at the fact that I’m employed by the team as something that makes what we do less credible. Rather, I think it can even add a layer of credibility in some cases, because we’re armed with all the information. That’s also why we take what we do so seriously—we have access to everything, so we have a responsibility to have consistently great content. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves in that area. If our stuff isn’t great, something’s wrong.
It also helps that there are different types of media who have a responsibility to be critical of the team, and that’s just simply not my job. I think people understand that. For people who are fans of the team, I think at the end of the day, we all want to read something positive. We want the Vikings to do well, and we want reasons to be positive about them. That’s why we’re fans. I’ve never been in a different spot, but I really appreciate the spot I’m in.
VT: How did you initially learn about Cystic Fibrosis, and what led you to want to get involved?
MW: Aside from cursory knowledge of the disease and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, I didn’t know much about either before last year. One of my childhood friends was a Twin Cities Finest Honoree last year and it was through him and his fundraising efforts that I began to learn more about the disease and the Foundation. I was able to secure sideline passes for my friend and a young man with CF who was being mentored by my friend. As small a gesture as that was, it did motivate me to become more involved.
VT: You were recently named one of the “Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Twin Cities Finest.” How did that come about?
MW: I was nominated to be an honoree this year and was chosen by a committee to be one of 25 honorees for 2016. I know that my friend from back home, Nick Rathmann, nominated me and I was excited about it all because I know he had such a positive experience going through it himself. Nick is the Athletic Director at The Blake School and is one of the best people I know, both in terms of being a professional in his work environment and in giving back to his community and to those he loves. I was truly honored and humbled to be honored by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and I remain excited about having the opportunity to help in the fight to find a cure for CF.
VT: Why is this particular cause so important?
MW: There are many reasons it’s an important cause. A couple of things that really drew me in were that it impacts so many young people, and now I’m a father of three children so that especially hits home. Also, I love that the Foundation’s goal is absolute victory – a cure for CF. I love being a part of a winner, and I love that the Foundation’s goal is to find a cure and I know that the Foundation is a winning team.
VT: You set a goal of raising $15,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. How has the response been so far?
MW: I am grateful to all of those who’ve helped me advance toward the goal. A lot of people have done more than their part and that is great. But I haven’t done everything I can, yet. I plan to increase my efforts in the coming weeks to make more progress toward the overall goal.
VT: Where can people go to donate?
MW: People can go to my personal Twin Cities Finest page to donate and help me reach my goal. Here is a link to the page: https://finest.cff.org/mike-wobschalls-finest.
VT: Do you and Paul Allen really talk and text more than people know? Honestly, it seems like you guys have a fun, yet very deep relationship. How did that come about?
MW: As much as it’s joked that PA and I talk and text more than people know, it is true that we have an extremely close relationship. He is one of my best friends as well as one of my most trusted mentors and advisers, both in my personal life and professional life. He and I have starkly different backgrounds and perhaps even some different values, but we share many commonalities and those mutual interests and influences have brought us close together. We both work for the Vikings, we both love sports and earn a living because of sports, we are both fathers, etc. There are so many more common traits between us and they are the bonds that have forged our friendship and relationship. He is the godfather of our youngest daughter, Lucy. This all came about over time, but it started when I began traveling to road games with the team in 2006. Obviously he is also on those trips and has been ever since he became radio voice of the Vikings. Once we interacted on those road trips in 2006, our relationship continued to grow, both professionally with team-related business but then also personally as we got to know each other more and more.
VT: In your opinion, who is the most underrated player on the Vikings’ current roster?
MW: There are several different ways one could go with this one. I think there are times Adrian Peterson is underrated, particularly when people continue to predict a decline in his production because of age or injury. Eventually, people are going to be right about that because Father Time is undefeated. But so far, anyone who has ever predicted a decline for 28 has been wrong. I also think Marcus Sherels, Adam Thielen and Matt Kalil could be argued as underrated players for a variety of reasons. But my answer to this question would be Eric Kendricks. I think he’s the best player no one talks about on the Vikings defense. He played sparingly in the first few games last year, yet he still led the team in tackles with 105. That is impressive for a rookie Mike LB in a Mike Zimmer defense. Assuming he is able to progress the way it looked like he would after his rookie season, I believe he could post some impressive statistics in 2016 and really emerge as a leader and vital component to the defense.
VT: Who is your favorite Viking of all time?
MW: A lot of good options here, too, but the answer is Matt Birk. He was a great player who was dedicated to the team, played through injury, was a leader and was a great center in what is a long line of great centers in Vikings history. But he was also able to forge positive and long-lasting relationships with a lot of members of the organization. He was professional when dealing with VEN during his playing days and remains helpful and available to the organization today. I can’t say enough good things about Matt.
VT: Last thing: between, home games, road games, preseason, and offseason, your Sundays are probably jam-packed most of the time, but I imagine what you’re doing can vary quite a bit. Describe your perfect Sunday.
MW: Waking up at home on a Sunday in late January and having breakfast with my beautiful, loving and supportive wife, Ali, and our 3 kids. Then playing with them in the house for a couple hours before putting the kids down for a nap. Once the kids are down, enjoy a last cup of coffee with Ali before getting dressed up in a suit to head to U.S. Bank Stadium. Arrive at the stadium in time to see kickoff of the AFC Championship Game between the Patriots and Bengals and continue to watch that game in the press box while beginning to hone in on pregame activities and that night’s NFC Championship Game between the Cowboys and Vikings. Skol!