StorytellerMatt
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- Jan 8, 2014
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Hello friends. I joined this board last week because I wanted to connect with Seahawks fans. As some of you know, I'm not from Seattle, did not grow up a Seahawks fan, but nevertheless had the good fortune to marry a lovely lady from the Emerald City. I met her back in 1996, when she took a job in my home state of Kansas, and since then we've been all over the world together.
In the course of our travels, we have been to a lot of cities and attended sporting events at a lot of stadiums and ballparks. That experience alone, with the various fans from different cities, is one of the reasons I am pulling for the Hawks this postseason.
I have never seen a fanbase more invested in their team. Outsiders like to mock the 12th Man and paint you all in a negative light, but I have yet to visit a stadium more raucous and passionate than the Clink, and yes, back when the Mariners were winning, Safeco had a pretty similar energy (I never visited the Kingdome; had tickets in 1999 but had to cancel my visit to Seattle with my wife because of work, so she took her sister instead).
I live in Cali now, and locals call me a bandwagon. Not at all. If Seattle loses this Sunday, it won't affect me personally. However, I have come to know and love the city and its wonderful people, and what would sting for me is knowing the disappointment you would feel. This last Saturday, my wife was louder and more involved in watching football on TV than ever. I love seeing her that thrilled and engaged and passionate. I would hate to see her passion tamped out, especially to a Forty-Whiner team that we both despise.
But most of all, I would hate to see Seattle's enthusiasm get a kick in the teeth. You are a great city, and often overlooked city. I almost resent how much of an afterthought Seattle can become in the hearts of the sports world.
Example: When 9-11 occurred, the sports media suddenly gurgled, "Everyone out there is a Yankees fan now!" When New Orleans bounced back after Katrina, the sports media sputtered, "You have to be a bit of a Saints fan after seeing how this community has bounced back." But nobody seemed to want to be "a bit of a Seattle fan" after the Nisqually quake of 2001.
Anyway, love your city, love your fans, and as one of the 12's said to me at my first and only visit to the Clink last month, the playoffs are almost like a half-court game in basketball. Keep the pressure, pin down Jim Har-bawwww! and the Forty-Whiners, and whatever you do, don't let up on the noise.
In the course of our travels, we have been to a lot of cities and attended sporting events at a lot of stadiums and ballparks. That experience alone, with the various fans from different cities, is one of the reasons I am pulling for the Hawks this postseason.
I have never seen a fanbase more invested in their team. Outsiders like to mock the 12th Man and paint you all in a negative light, but I have yet to visit a stadium more raucous and passionate than the Clink, and yes, back when the Mariners were winning, Safeco had a pretty similar energy (I never visited the Kingdome; had tickets in 1999 but had to cancel my visit to Seattle with my wife because of work, so she took her sister instead).
I live in Cali now, and locals call me a bandwagon. Not at all. If Seattle loses this Sunday, it won't affect me personally. However, I have come to know and love the city and its wonderful people, and what would sting for me is knowing the disappointment you would feel. This last Saturday, my wife was louder and more involved in watching football on TV than ever. I love seeing her that thrilled and engaged and passionate. I would hate to see her passion tamped out, especially to a Forty-Whiner team that we both despise.
But most of all, I would hate to see Seattle's enthusiasm get a kick in the teeth. You are a great city, and often overlooked city. I almost resent how much of an afterthought Seattle can become in the hearts of the sports world.
Example: When 9-11 occurred, the sports media suddenly gurgled, "Everyone out there is a Yankees fan now!" When New Orleans bounced back after Katrina, the sports media sputtered, "You have to be a bit of a Saints fan after seeing how this community has bounced back." But nobody seemed to want to be "a bit of a Seattle fan" after the Nisqually quake of 2001.
Anyway, love your city, love your fans, and as one of the 12's said to me at my first and only visit to the Clink last month, the playoffs are almost like a half-court game in basketball. Keep the pressure, pin down Jim Har-bawwww! and the Forty-Whiners, and whatever you do, don't let up on the noise.
