Anyone Else Think the #12 "Fan" Jerseys Are Dumb

[idahohawk]

Anyone else feel this way? I love being a part of the "12th man" here in Seattle, but don't really understand why anyone would want to by a jersey that says "Fan" on the back. To me, it's just kind of corny.

Sorry if I offended anyone, i'm sure many posters on here have that jersey. Just seeing if anyone else has the same feeling.

No.

You on WKC?

No idea what you are talking about.

 

[idahohawk]

The fan judgement here is fascinating.

 

[hawkfannj]

One word NO!

 

[AVL]

People use to get paid to wear corporate billboards for clothing. It was called advertising. Somehow it became cool and they actually paid good money to advertise these corporations. Pure genius.

 

[Cyrus12]

i got one and its better than my harvin jersey...

 

[Jayburd14]

However, the life the thing has taken on, and the whole "Twelves" thing is really annoying.

You can thank Texas A&M for that one

 

[RiverDog]

I'm pretty principled when it comes to wearing jerseys. I will not wear a jersey or other apparel with someone else's name or number on it as doing so, at least in my mind, is elevating the athlete above the level of the average Joe. I do not worship players no matter how good or how nice of a guy they appear to be. As far as I'm concerned, the players are no better or worse than any of us and I will not idolize them. Secondly, I don't like the idea of buying a jersey then having it become obsolete or an embarrassment, like all those folks in New England that bought an Aaron Hernandez jersey or Cowboys fans buying a Greg Hardy jersey. When I went to Houston in 2013, a Texans fan paid anther fellow Texan fan wearing a #8 Schuab jersey then proceeded to burn it in the parking lot.

So, I wear a #12 Seahawks home blue jersey with my moniker, River Dog, emblazoned across the back. I also have a wolf gray #12 that says "Fan" on the back that was given to me as a thank you by a friend of mine that I took to a Hawks game.

As far as "Fan" being used in lieu of a proper name, yea, it's a little corny. But you have to put something in that spot or else it would look out of place, and I'm not sure what generic name you could put there unless it was "Seahawks" or "Hawks".

 

[fenderbender123]

I don't have a problem with the whole "12s" thing, but I've never cared much to participate in the idea. I'm a fan of the team. Somebody bought me a 12 shirt this last year for a christmas exchange at work and I haven't worn it. It just seems odd to me.

I watched a lot of Seahawk ball as a kid in the 1990s, and I don't ever recall that term being used. It wasn't until the Holmgren years that I started hearing about it. So I guess I just never jumped onto that term.

 

[NINEster]

They are super lame

Here's the best way to rationally look at it:

What if 12 FAN was a NINER Jersey?

Raiders/Broncos/etc.

 

[ImTheScientist]

They are super lame

Here's the best way to rationally look at it:

What if 12 FAN was a NINER Jersey?

Raiders/Broncos/etc.

They would be equally as lame.

 

[RiverDog]

I watched a lot of Seahawk ball as a kid in the 1990s, and I don't ever recall that term being used. It wasn't until the Holmgren years that I started hearing about it. So I guess I just never jumped onto that term.

The 12th man actually got started back in the 80's during the Knox era. That's why the color of the flag is a light blue, which were the team colors back then rather than the steel blue of the Holmgren era or the dark blue we see today. The term went into hibernation for some time during he '90's until it was dusted off at some point after the move to the new stadium in 2002.

 

[pmedic920]

IMHO this is lame.

But he was a really nice/friendly guy.
I have a "fan" #12 jersey, I even spent the extra $ and got an "elite" one.
I'll admit it's kinda' corny or strange but I consider it our jersey, ours meaning Seahawk fans. Yes, we could have gone with something else but we didn't, so it's what I wear.
The upside is, it won't be stuck hanging in my closet because "Fan" got traded or was a flop and got cut, i.e. #11
:{)

 

[Laloosh]

^^ Never met the guy so you might be right. Then again, if it comes from a place of pride rather than riding coattails, I think it's fantastic.

 

[pmedic920]

^^ Never met the guy so you might be right. Then again, if it comes from a place of pride rather than riding coattails, I think it's fantastic.

Like I said it's just my opinion.
If he's comfortable with it, why should anybody really care?

 

[Jazzhawk]

Anyone else feel this way? I love being a part of the "12th man" here in Seattle, but don't really understand why anyone would want to by a jersey that says "Fan" on the back. To me, it's just kind of corny.

Sorry if I offended anyone, i'm sure many posters on here have that jersey. Just seeing if anyone else has the same feeling.

Agree 100%

 

[Sports Hernia]

Like I said up thread, it's not for me, but if others choose to do it, I'm cool with. It doesn't make them a better or worse fan IMHO.

 

[RiverDog]

Like I said up thread, it's not for me, but if others choose to do it, I'm cool with. It doesn't make them a better or worse fan IMHO.

Precisely.

The important part isn't what name is on the back or what number you're wearing. The important part is that you're wearing our colors and have identified yourself as being part of our team.

 

[Anonymous]

By retiring the number 12, and lofting a banner to be displayed prominently next to the HOF'ers banners, the Seahawks probably had several meetings to discuss how and what to inscribe above that number 12 so that it simply was not left blank before they did so.

Just like they did for "Hooshyourmama", they could have used the same small letters to install "Your Name Here" above the "12", but they chose "Fan" instead. Somebody made a judgment call. Not having researched the decision on the term "Fan" before this post, I have no idea whether it was a group decision, or one made by Allen himself. Either way, it was chosen from several ideas that didn't make the cut. It was the safest choice, and there is nothing wrong with that.

All that being said, (and I've said it before) my personal preference is to wear the jersey of a given player to honor them and their contributions to the team in the course of history, and to let the world know I am a Seattle Seahawks fan. If that player left the team somehow, I feel the contributions they made while here are more than enough coolness to qualify that player's jersey to be worn proudly. Although I fully respect the positions that my friend RiverDog and others have laid down, I am among those with an opposite viewpoint on the subject. I might take a moment to consider whether that individual didn't kill anybody innocent in a drunken crash first, but that's about it. If that player did at least one cool thing on the field of play, that's all it takes.

To me, being in line at the grocery store wearing my #4 Dilfer jersey, or my #30 Ahman Green, and having a random person say, "wow dude, that's rare/random Hawk's jersey you got there man!", well... that makes my day. To wear the jersey of a player that was part of Seahawks history, however brief and/or unsuccessfully, is just my thing.

If I see somebody wearing a David Carr Texans jersey around here (and it happens...), I'm the one dude that will say something to that person. I'm like: "Hey man, did that guy ever wash all the pieces of turf and mud out of his butt-crack?". Then, after some lighthearted chuckling, I'd follow up with some empathy, like: "Seriously, if he had a decent O-line and a coordinator, he might have lasted a lot longer", which might be the olive branch statement that Carr-jersey-wearing guy needed to make wearing that jersey possible in the first place.

I mean, that DC jersey may have been the only thing clean in the pile on the floor that morning. Or dude may have picked it up at Good Will for .50 cents, but that is irrelevant. He is wearing a part of NFL history, is an NFL football fan, and is not taking the safe route. That should be an effort that is applauded, not ridiculed. Like those that wear shirts and hats for a political candidate they support, the person that dons that Kelly Stouffer jersey is letting the world know that a choice has been made, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Nope, "Fan" never played a down in a real NFL game. He did pay thousands for tickets and airfare, and was there when Ryan threw that pass to Gilliam last year and he should be respected for that. But he is not me, and that is just fine. I will high five that person anyway, because that is his/her personal choice, and we should all be glad we have those choices to make.

 

[RiverDog]

All that being said, (and I've said it before) my personal preference is to wear the jersey of a given player to honor them and their contributions to the team in the course of history, and to let the world know I am a Seattle Seahawks fan. If that player left the team somehow, I feel the contributions they made while here are more than enough coolness to qualify that player's jersey to be worn proudly. Although I fully respect the positions that my friend RiverDog and others have laid down, I am among those with an opposite viewpoint on the subject. I might take a moment to consider whether that individual didn't kill anybody innocent in a drunken crash first, but that's about it. If that player did at least one cool thing on the field of play, that's all it takes.

Sorry to truncate such an elegant and well prepared response. You really put some thought into your comments, but I wanted only to reply to that which was directed at me.

I fully realize that my position towards wearing someone else's name and number is a minority opinion, and I certainly don't expect everyone to understand it and expect even fewer to follow my lead. I think no less of a person that wants to wear #3 or #24, and you have some very good reasoning for feeling the way you do about the subject. It's just not my bag.

A lot of my refusal to adapt other's name/number is because I truly do not feel that any player, including Russell Wilson who is perhaps my favorite Seahawks since Steve Largent, deserves more respect than my friends and associates. If Russell Wilson were to walk into a bar, I'd treat him the same as I would you, no better and no worse. They're just people.

 

[Smellyman]

Wearing a Jersey of any kind is corny.