Viking row: gesture from Norwegian fans was a teacher's idea and became the country's No. 1 song

Norwegian national team celebrates victory with 'Viking row'
Dylan Martinez/Reuters
The Norwegian national team, which faces Brazil this Sunday (5), has not participated in a World Cup since 1998. Therefore, the country's football confederation and some of its fans have invested in ways to engage fans to support the team this year.
Hence the "Viking row": the moment in which fans (and sometimes, themselves) athletes) make a rowing gesture in sync and chant "Ro!" (rowing).
The gesture became a rage among Norwegians and caught the world's attention in record time: it was only a few months ago that the song appeared. The idea came from a Norwegian professor, was embraced by the fans and even became the most listened to song in the country. Understand:
The origin of rowing
The idea came from professor Ole Frøystad. He says he had the dream of thinking up a song that would engage the fans and prepared between 10 and 15 ideas.
"It became a goal, kind of a dream of mine. So I sat down and learned a lot last year about different chants. I was walking around during the day listening to music, just trying to explore different approaches and think about what could make an impact. I wanted it to be short. I wanted it to be easy. I wanted it to have cultural elements and make a big impact," he told Australian ESPN.
Inspired by Iceland's Viking claps, he thought about the Vikings' rowing gestures... and realized he had a great idea on his hands. the body, it's going to be like that 'ola' in the stadiums. It's going to be incredible."
Initial plugin text
The idea was tested for the first time in March, during a friendly against Switzerland, one of Norway's last games before the World Cup.
After that, it was just a matter of spreading the word. Frøystad and the organized fans began producing videos for social media and local news channels, teaching in detail how fans should "row" in a coordinated way so that the movement would be visually impactful.
The content reached 38 million views and almost 3 million likes. There was criticism, of course, but there was no lack of support. And right before the World Cup, Frøystad realized that the celebration would be an absolute phenomenon during the World Cup.
Norwegian fans do the 'Viking row' during the World Cup game
Jeenah Moon/Reuters
The song is a hit in Norway
The song became a song called "Vikingblod", officially released by the Oljeberget fans with the participation of singer Petter Katastrofe. The track is the most listened to on Norwegian Spotify.
"We are Norway, we know we are not the greatest / But Odin knows we arrived first / We crossed the Atlantic, we will row all the way / In our veins runs Viking blood", says the chorus.
It's worth saying that the idea of Vikings doesn't appeal to everyone. Of the song, the Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang (VG) wrote: "Do we really have nothing more to offer than this empty, touristy representation of these enigmatic people who migrated north a thousand years ago?"
Fan Emil Anners Lappen went viral for refusing to join the paddling movement. "I think this row was a stupid idea from the beginning. I never liked it," he told newspaper VG.
With the support of the entire country or not, the fact is that the Viking paddle marked Norway's history in this World Cup. And if you fail, it will last for the next few years.

Source: G1