Merrianne Do, a stay-at-home mom of four in Southern California and a Twin Cities native, never intended on going viral, despite what some social media users think. 

On Monday, Oct. 16, during the Chargers vs. Chiefs game at Sofi Stadium, Do was repeatedly shown on live TV. Her energetic reactions caught the attention of both the broadcasters and football fans, some of whom were quick to meme her on social media. “I’m not a social media mogul. I don’t know much about it at all, so getting the messages and everything was surprising,” she said. “When I logged in and saw all of the images and all of the comments and posts that people were making, it was a lot. It was intense, it was crazy [and] kind of unreal.”

After gaining views online, Do became the center of a conspiracy. One of the most liked comments under the original video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, by @SportsCenter, which currently has 7.9M views, is, “She gotta be planted there to make it seem like LA has Chargers fans.”

Another X user posted, “NFL planting this fake Chargers fan has to be the most pathetic thing they’ve ever done.” A skeptical TikTok user posted a video saying, “No Chargers fan cares that much, at least any Chargers fan in Los Angeles.” 

Do finds the allegations both funny and ridiculous. “Before this, I’ve never heard of something called an NFL plant. I didn’t even know what they meant by that, and to think they would pay a fan to be there is pretty shocking to me,” she said.

A resurfaced photo of Do in a Vikings jersey increased speculation from some. “Viral Chargers fan sporting a Vikings jersey. Nothing is real,” posted an X user.

But no, she’s just a fan of both teams. Do, who grew up in Minnesota and graduated from Roseville Area High School, has always been a Vikings fan. “I am still cheering for the Vikings from California,” she said.

She explains how, after moving to California, she “fell for the way that Philip Rivers plays,” which sparked her admiration for the Chargers. “I just love his grit, his fight, but he’s still so kind,” said Do.

Her spirit is not reserved for football alone, which led her children to wonder why she gained popularity online when she always cheers that way. “I’m like that at soccer, I’m like that at basketball, I’m like that at flag football…even spelling bee,” she said.

What she learned from her experience going viral is that, “Social media is a freaking beast. It gets you places but also takes you down, so just shake it off if it’s anything negative.” She said she believes that to apply for high schoolers especially.