It’s a great day to be a Minnesota sports fan.

Today’s playoff game could send the Vikings into the Super Bowl for the first time since 1977.

In that year, I was celebrating my first birthday, probably stuffing my face with cake.

Jimmy Carter was the President of the United States. Elvis Presley died.

Star Wars was the top grossing film, and the list continues.

Three’s Company premiered. Seattle Slew won the Kentucky Derby. The New York Yankees won the World Series. The top music hits were songs about flying like an eagle, looking for a lost shaker of salt, a hotel called California and a jet airliner.

The Vikings have played in four Super Bowls — they’ve lost them all — and they all came in a decade when bell bottoms were cool.

Win or lose, with this great Vikings football season, Minnesota sports fans have an opportunity here.

Embrace it, remember it and think about it every time there’s a close loss or even a bad one, because those will happen.

The bottom line is, we have to trudge through it, stick with the team and show support all season long, year in and year out, regardless of the amount of interceptions or touchdowns.

Fan support is key to any sports team. It shows we’re there with them.

A packed house can inspire the players to perform at a higher level, and if they know a whole state is behind them, who knows what can happen.

Minnesota — as a whole — seems reluctant to embrace its teams through an entire season, through the ups and the downs and rightfully so.

There’s been a lot of heartache over the years.

The Gophers start well in basketball and football, but they can’t close the deal.

The Twins have hit a slow spell in the postseason, and the Wild and the Timberwolves have yet to have deep runs in the playoffs in their respective sports.

Minnesota is a great sports state, and there are diehard fans who display their team’s colors from Vikings purple and gold to the Twins red and blue all season long.

What’s missing is strong support statewide in good times and in bad.

Such support could have a positive ripple effect that continues to the players and to the management and that from time to time even produces championships.

Today is a great day to be a Minnesota sports fan.

And every other day should be too.