Minnesota Vikings fandom leads to lucrative gig for local dad

By Mick Garry, for Pigeon605

There are plenty of people in this area of the world who have paid dearly in an emotional sense for their unwavering support of the Minnesota Vikings. Few have been paid back monetarily for that commitment.

Dustin Baker of Harrisburg is one who has evened the scales a bit. It turns out Vikings fans have a nearly inexhaustible appetite for smart, stats-based information, analysis and commentary about their team. Baker, a University of Minnesota grad with a degree in political science who is married and has two kids, is more than happy to give it to them.

 Is his story about how you turn your laptop into a cash register in five easy steps? Not exactly. It’s more about astutely making the most of a few instances of serendipity. There was some luck, in other words, but it had nothing to do with dumb luck.

“Once I figured out that my audience craved succinct articles – and I had the talent to write them very quickly – then I really understood how this could click,” Baker said. “You learn to create a balance – you want to be informative, but you also want people to read the article. You don’t want clickbait, but you don’t want to bore people either.”

Baker is the editor and a writer for Vikings Territory, a website that shovels newsy updates and analysis at those who can’t do without it. His YouTube channel, VikesNow, debuted last week. He also hosts a podcast Bleav in Vikings with Bryant McKinnie, the large and friendly former Vikings offensive lineman, that airs every Wednesday.

That’s the big-picture view of Baker’s enterprises. More to the point within his own life, he is a writing machine. On a recent Sunday alone, he had posted five stories that dug into what has become a very compelling Vikings’ offseason.

Since the team’s last game, they fired general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer and then followed that by hiring Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as GM and Kevin O’Connell as head coach.

That’s meaty stuff for serious Vikings and NFL fans. Each of the hires invites accompanying deep dives – which Baker delivers in manageable amounts – of analysis and speculation regarding the direction of the franchise.

Throw in Vikings fans’ ongoing Twitter feuding over the status of quarterback Kirk Cousins, and you have a golden era in interest, along with a steady supply of provocative topics that beckon readers back to the site on a daily basis.

It’s a great time to be alive for a well-organized Vikings website that offers up fresh fare daily.

“You get constant feedback from people on Twitter or Facebook or even in your own WordPress comments under your stories,” Baker said. “With Google Analytics, you can get a very vivid picture of the traffic. Right now, anything to do with Kirk Cousins is wild. Anything about a possible Cousins trade is an absolute magnet. Whether you love him or hate him or are right in the middle, everyone wants to read about where he might play next year. You write an article about him going to the Panthers or going to the Broncos, and people are guaranteed to swarm to it.”

Ultimately, the pandemic played a role in steering Baker toward his new opportunities.

When the start of the COVID-19 pandemic brought his children Violet, 10, and Stone, 5, home from school, Baker and his wife, Natasha, needed to find a way of staying home with them. He ultimately gave up his job to address that issue and then began looking for another job where working from home would be a lighter lift.

“I’d apply for jobs in the morning when I realized what the pandemic world was looking like, and then, due to boredom, I’d get on Twitter in the afternoon,” he said. “I had all this Vikings knowledge stored up from 25 years of fandom. Plus, I love statistics. I just started tweeting those, and then I gained a following.”

He was contacted by a few people who wondered if he was interested in writing about the Vikings. He replied that he was a political scientist who had done a lot of writing on the way to getting his degree. In time, he was contacted by Joe Johnson, owner and editor of Vikings Territory, and was offered 75 percent of whatever money his stories brought in.

When Johnson died unexpectedly last July, Baker ended up taking over as editor.

“Joe always had the philosophy of the more the merrier for content,” Baker said. “My personality has always been addiction-based, so it was like a perfect blend for me. It was astonishing to me how much these football articles make.”

Month-by-month, Baker’s haul from his articles got bigger. In time, he made the decision that, although he enjoyed his work as a project manager at the Washington Pavilion, it was time to direct full-time effort into writing about the Vikings.

“It got to the point where I was wondering what I’m doing – I have a great job at the Washington Pavilion, but I was making more writing about football,” he said. “I decided I needed to maximize this.”

Beginning today, the Vikings are Baker’s full-time gig.

The income that has pushed Baker off the conventional 8-to-5 grid comes from advertising. People with products are willing to pay for access to potential customers. Vikings Territory is in partnership with Publisher Desk, a company that marshals advertisers to websites and facilitates placement of ads. The more readers, the more money.

“We’re all paying for access to eyeballs,” Baker said. “It’s the same way Facebook works. Whenever and wherever capitalism started, it began with them knowing there is bona fide proof that when you see advertisements, you’re going to buy other people’s products. …The more people read your article, the more the piggy bank gets stocked. It’s the same philosophy as commercials on television.”

For Baker, this venture into self-employment is not all about the money, though by bringing in five figures a month and six figures a year, it gave him the opportunity to leave his previous job. With it comes flexibility that is far more conducive to family life.

“I was inspired by Dan Patrick,” Baker said, referring to the former ESPN personality who has since charted his own path. “It was a Twitter link to a video of him explaining why he did what he did. He told his wife he wasn’t going to sign his next contract with ESPN. He was going to bet on himself. It turns out it was the best decision he ever made.”

Patrick talked about how it made him a better father and a husband in ways that he didn’t realize until he was on his own. Baker is looking forward to the same.

“If I want to take my kids out for lunch, now I can do it,” he said. “I mean, I feel like I’m already a pretty damn good dad as it is, but this will hopefully make me better.”

Baker would like to expand his brand beyond the Vikings, though he promised to never tire of writing about the NFL team that had him hooked as a youngster. Movies and politics are two potential avenues, though it could be just about anything.

“It’s possible to monetize your hobbies,” Baker said. “It might sound a little silly. I’ve told people this a few times, and they’re like ‘How can I monetize eating pretzels?’ And I say, well it might be a little tricky, but you can find a way to make money at something that you’re already good at, something that you’re already obsessed about. Just be a little creative, and it’s definitely possible.”