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A Fan’s Guide to Avoiding Hypothermia

It’s going to be a cold Home Opener for Minnesota United. Let’s share some tips on staying warm!

NFL: NFC Wild Card-Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

For the Loons Home Opener, we welcome in our expansion friends from the great state of Georgia...And they get to come to the cold!

It’s going to be cold. Forecasts have been in the mid 20s, and there is a (probably pretty strong) possibility of snow flying during the game. We thought it would be wise to remind our fans of how to stay warm as well as helping our friends from the South.
Layers:

NFL: NFC Wild Card-Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Layers are the key to surviving in Minnesota. When the Vikings hosted the Seahawks last year at TCF Bank stadium, any fans that were there looked like they were on an expedition to the South Pole. (Also, sorry Vikes fans for the memory of that game.)

Layers allow for warmth and flexibility. If it gets warmer, you can take off that third jacket. If the sun goes away and you are shivering, throw it back on! Genius!

Hand and Foot Warmers:

NHL: Stadium Series-Chicago Blackhawks at Minnesota Wild Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

I don’t have a good picture of these as there are plenty of brands, but hand warmers are a gift from above. I don’t know who invented them, but they are responsible for single-handedly (ha, get it?) allowing the North enjoyment of its outdoors in the winter. (I’m sure I could Google the inventor, but that takes too long.)

Hopefully, local stores haven’t put away their winter stock of warmers. But, this is Minnesota. The recent warmth should not have lured anyone into a false sense of security.

Hot Drinks:

An Espresso Macchiato Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Even if you don’t like hot coffee or hot chocolate, grabbing a warm drink can do the same thing as grabbing a hand warmer.

(For those of age, there are plenty of options for warm adult beverages that are delicious. I would be surprised to find any at TCF Bank Stadium, but there are some good bars in the area.)

Most of all, EMBRACE IT:

NFL: NFC Wild Card-Seattle Seahawks at Minnesota Vikings
That Miller Lite in the picture is probably frozen
Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Some call us crazy. We are. But, Minnesotans would be stuck inside for a minimum of five months out of the year if we we avoided the cold weather. We have learned to embrace it. What should we do when the local pond freezes over? Lace up the skates and spend the day outside. Maybe we will even drill a hole and see if the fish are biting.

It makes sense that the home opener for our team will be freezing. Really, I don’t think we would want it any other way. We ask you, Atlanta United, to embrace the cold with us this weekend. (Just...be safe when you do it.)

Fans! Do you have any more tips you can share with our Southern friends? Share them or any cold weather sports (or not) memories that you have below!