Jumping on the bandwagon: a note from a new Seahawks fan

Last fall, a dear friend posted this on my Facebook profile, which basically sums up how I have always felt about football.

But, then something happened that changed everything: my kids became Seahawks fans. It started with scrounging our closets for anything remotely Seahawks colored for “Blue Fridays” at the elementary school where they wore blue and green before big Seahawks games. From there it turned into Sundays spent watching the game at different locations around town and eventually it culminated in a party for the Super Bowl {or Super Ball, if you're my daughter}.

And, the truth is, it was kind of fun to have something to cheer for together. Granted, I didn’t always know what I was cheering for, and sometimes I would get frustrated after cheering only to find out that for some reason that touchdown didn’t count {side note: whyyyyy?}. But, the point was that we were cheering for a team – Seattle’s team – together.

And, it wasn’t just my kiddos that got me on the Seahawks bandwagon, it was all of my friends and family who have been rooting for the Hawks for over three decades. Through good seasons and bad, through the Super Bowl XL upset, and throughout their championship year, it seems like everyone I know and love has been rooting for the Seahawks. This year I joined them.

And, it was a very good year to be a Seahawks fan.

But, more than that, it was a great year to be a SEATTLE fan. Because the Seahawks are about more than just football; it’s about community, and it’s about pride for our amazing city that we love so much, and it’s about coming together with neighbors, family, and friends to support an amazing team who deserve all this love and admiration.

Some may say that the Super Bowl was boring this year and that it made them uncomfortable to see a team like the Broncos brought to their knees, but it was far from boring where I sat. To see my father surrounded by his kids and grandkids rooting for his team would have been enough for my sappy self, but when that team played with all the grace and the finesse that I saw that night, I was completely done for. Our family, like all Seahawks fans, needed this win, but, more than that, Seattle needed this win and I was happy we could all be there together to see it happen.

Throughout the Seahawks Championship season I’ve witnessed strangers sending over drinks to other Seahawks fans, I’ve seen people embrace each other with each great play, and I’ve seen the way that the streets fire up with cheers and honks with each 12th man flag flying at the end of a great game. Everyone seems okay with the fact that “GO HAWKS” has become interchangeable for niceties on the sidewalks, and I’ve seen those sidewalks filled to capacity with some of the kindest and most courteous fans as Seattle opened its doors to 750,000+ people dressed in blue and green to welcome our beloved team back home after their win. Image source: King Seattle. Read their recount of the parade here

This year I got to experience all of that and more, through the eyes of a new fan as well as through the eyes of my children. It was a magical experience that’s hard to put into words. It may have taken me over thirty years to become a Seahawks fan, but I’m glad I’m here now. Just so you can see what kind of excitement I'm talking about, here's a bit from an interview with Scott Waugh and Aaron Paul promoting their new film, Need for Speed. Seattle managed to take something completely un-football related and quickly turn it into a Seahawks pep rally – within the first 15 seconds of the interview. Bonus: there's also a piece my daughter did where she shows her team spirit. You can thank me later.

Disclaimer: This is no way means that I like football. Liking the Seahawks and liking football are two very separate things.