I have been a long time lurker and reader of this fantastic board and know most of you regulars well (I look forward to Ken's and Rob's weekly posts, etc). I have been a fan since 2nd grade in 1993. While I read this board constantly, I do not post much. You can see by my join date just how long I have been on here....Please pardon my terrible writing.
I have finally been compelled to start a thread, and what finally did it was moving to Seattle a year ago and going through two seasons of Seahawks out here. I was born and raised in Central Mass, but moved here for work. And I was recently home on business. Here are some observations...
1. Seattle fans LOVE their team in the most positive way:
People here are generally friendly and enjoy good football. Throughout the season, there was an optimism that I have not seen in NE. I mean, this team was 6 and 4 at one point in the season and looking up at Arizona (three games back) and were nowhere in the wildcard hunt. They were struggling offensively. Nevertheless, everyone wore their Number 12 jerseys every Friday to work, everyone smiled and enjoyed the games, everyone cheered on the team during the worst of games. There is a certain amount of unconditional love here. I see unconditional love in NE as well, but the fans there are more like an old grumpy demanding patriarch of a family, where they love and would die for a family member (i.e. patriots team), but would have no problem cussing them out and screaming at them when they feel emotional for whatever reason.
Let's say Seattle loses an away playoff game (or the superbowl), the city will be disappointed, yes, but there will still be 1000s of people at SeaTac airport to greet the team's plane and thank them for an amazing ride. In NE, the talk would be about the end of the Brady era, who should get fired, and how worthless and a bunch of losers the team is.
2. Seattle fans are united.
As I said, EVERYONE wears Seattle gear every Friday to work (even hospital employees where I work). The skyscrapers are lit up with number 12s everywhere. There are number 12 signs in every store window and number 12 flags on every car. There is a giant number 12 flag that gets raised over the space needle before the game and that flag travels to the superbowl! Now, yes, a lot of this is bandwagon since last year, but the bandwagoners out here are not d*cks. And the diehards welcome the bandwagoners without getting all self-righteous about it. The bandwagoners in NE are the worst type of fans. They pretend to be know-it-alls and then make ridiculous comments about the team, whether it be overconfidence vs catastrophizing everything. The game day thread here is kind of an example.
3. Seattle fans are quietly confident while maintaining a healthy respect for the opponent.
There is a quiet confidence out here. This could be a good thing or a bad thing. What I mean is that Seattle fans are enjoying this run, vs many patriots fans (myself included) are crapping their pants during every game. As awesome as that Baltimore game was, I almost threw up many times during that game and do NOT want to see another game like that again. I mean it was AMAZING, but I can't say I enjoyed every second of it (is that normal???). Seattle fans have savored every moment this year (and last year). Moreover, most people are very much respecting Green Bay and there was a lot of respect for Carolina last week.
4. Seattle sports talk radio is actually good.
This is what actually was the impetus to me posting. I was listening to talk radio out here (and I stream the radio at home). The radio guys are just like the fans! They are excited and enjoying the Seahawks! There is no axe to grind against the team. There is no "we will roll over Green Bay." There is balanced football analysis of the weaknesses of the team (they do exist) like the offensive line and the receivers, while still maintaining a healthy sense of homerism. I mean, I don't think there is a Shaugnessy type or a Felger type out here. They debate statistics and genuinely analyze strengths and weaknesses. And they appreciate any win! Seattle beat Carolina 13-9 in October. Talk radio was mostly positive the next day. If we beat a team 13-9, there would be nothing but talk about the crappy offense! Similarly, Seattle beat SF 17-7. All positive talk while genuinely acknowledging weaknesses. There is NOTHING but positivity heading into tomorrow's game on the radio out here, while in Boston, it's either "Pats will wipe them out tomorrow and if we don't, and if they don't, they're garbage" or "Our offensive line sucks, there is no pass rush, D gave up 30 points last week, Andrew Luck is due to go off!"
Boston sports culture is very deeply rooted in history (15 years without championship; Red Sox curse; 18-1, etc). But I think it's a bigger New England culture to be demanding, pessimistic, egotistical, and (sometimes) just plain idiocy. Maybe an East Coast West Coast thing. It has been a tough adjustment out here. I tend to be quiet and shy in general, but out here, I'm considered a total a** hole! I don't follow the lights when crossing the street (NO ONE J WALKS HERE!) and I don't make small talk with the barista or the bus driver. Whatevs.
Thoughts?
