It seems that I literally live for this time of year. Ever since I was a young boy I knew the first arrival of chill in the air meant that fall is upon us and I could throw my glove in the closet and get ready to play my favorite sport, football. I was lucky enough to get to play for 14 straight years and as much as I love watching the Seahawks and my Huskies, it's way more fun to play the game than it is to watch it.
I still remember the first uniform my mom bought me. The night I got it, it was raining but I went out and ran up and down this field next to our place for hours in the dark pouring rain. I would imagine myself in a game and would launch myself into the ground just to try and feel what it would be like to get hit and end up in a pile of bodies. By the time my mom finally forced me to come in, my new uniform was unrecognizable with green grass stains and mud covering every single inch. Big clumps of turf protruded from the corners of my helmet and face mask. My mom looked at me and just shook her head. I still remember it being one of the happiest moments of my life.
That was then though, and this is now. The joy of playing football has been replaced by the joy of watching football. I have been fortunate enough to be part of this remarkable journey that is the 12's. It has been truly amazing to watch as a team, coaching staff, administration, and fans come together as one cohesive unit. Every "blue" Friday you can see men, women, cars, houses, and dogs all decked out in their finest Seahawk regalia. Even on non game days you can hear people replacing common greetings with "Go Hawks" or hear the war-cry "Seeeeee......Hawwkksss!" It's sounds like I'm being melodramatic but in this era of polarized divisiveness this Seahawk phenomena has brought an entire community together. People of very disparate backgrounds show an open commonality that I have not seen before.
The reason I am writing all this drivel is because three times last night we saw people try to introduce a theme that has nothing to do with the Seahawks or football. I have seen this type of thing before where a football board can devolve into petty name calling and even threats of violence. I understand that you have strong feelings around this issue, so do I, but this is NOT the place to discuss it. I don't have any ownership here and I am not a mod, but I would respectfully ask that you refrain from politics here so we can at least have one place in our lives free of the issues that separate us and simply enjoy the greatest game ever invented.
