253hawk":w6ynv5oj said:
If A&M really cared about it, they'd never have put a price on it and let Paul Allen rent it to begin with.
That's not accurate. I remember getting into some insane online arguments with Aggies during the 2005 postseason. They all wanted to stop us from using the term at all in any capacity. The fact that they came to a settlement showed the inherent weakness of their legal position. The settlement really stuck in the craw of Aggies. What made it more insulting to them was the fact that the Seahawks paid a nominal fee to be allowed to use the phrase, instead of getting royalties for everything sold with a 12 on it.
They care. But getting a settlement was the best they could do.
EthanCW":w6ynv5oj said:
One element that is misunderstood about the Texas A&M 12th Man is that it's not just football. The 12th Man shows up for Women's Soccer, Baseball, Softball, Equestrian Sports, Basketball, Track & Field, ect.
When the 12th Man starts showing up for Mariners or Sounders games, you're only just beginning to scratch the surface of what the 12th Man means.
Being loud is just the beginning. It's not just being a "fan", it's actually being ready to enter the field of play.
I'm a Seattle Seahawks fan, and I know plenty of other Aggie Seahawks fans; but there's only one true 12th Man, and Red Bryant said it best.
You must not be from Seattle. If you were, you would know that the Seattle 12th Man shows up for Sounders games. The rest of professional soccer in the U.S. wishes they could replicate the attendance and game day atmosphere in Seattle.
There is no 12th Man in baseball, softball, basketball, etc. It would be the 10th Man or 6th Man, and you don't hear Aggies talking about that.
"...it's actually being ready to enter the field of play." You can NOT be serious. The supposed readiness to enter the field of play is symbolic, not actual. Even the original 12th Man himself, old Whatzizname, wasn't the 12th man. He was the 18th Man or the 25th Man, or whatever the gameday roster was +1. And it wasn't like he was just some volunteer in the stands who suited up so the team wouldn't get disqualified with another injury, he was a former member of the team. Aggies attribute a lot of legend and mystique to the situation that it doesn't deserve IMO. Unusual and admirable? Sure. Legendary? Not really.
The Seahawks' 12th Man does enter the field of play. It is quantified by the number of false starts and timeouts and delay of game penalties. The on-field influence of Seahawks fans has been profound from the beginning, so much so that the number 12 was retired over 30 years ago. Seattle's 12th Man enters the field of play exactly in the same way and only way A&M's 12th Man can, we're just better at it.