Norway plays the Ivory Coast this afternoon in the first knockout phase of the soccer World Cup, and one suspects the New York Times will be backing the Norsemen.
The Gray Lady has gone gaga for Norway’s “Viking Row,” a synchronized routine where fans mime the rowing of a Viking longboat to the bang of a drum. It’s caught on among the Norwegian players as well as politicians back in Norway, who performed the row in parliament last week.
For the last two weeks the NYT has been publishing breathless pieces about the zany Norwegians and their Viking antics. “The ‘Viking Row’ is in full flow” was one headline on June 18; five days later they described how it “has taken the World Cup by storm.” And their editorial office from the sound of things.
You would have to be a crotchety killjoy to complain about the Viking Row. It’s just a bit of humorous high jinks. Humorous but also a little hypocritical.
The man who claims he came up with the idea of the Viking Row is Ole Froystad, who goes by the nickname “Mr. Row Row.” He recently explained the thinking behind the stunt. “It’s about rowing for the team, making sure that we get the team to feel good… A thousand years ago, the Vikings rowed.”
