Erin Jeffery and friend at a Seattle Seahawks preseason game. Erin is not wearing a toque. Selfie by Erin Jeffery.
Articles, Football

Why aren’t we 12?

This past Thursday, a friend of mine took me to Century Link Field for the Seattle Seahawks fourth preseason game. This is the preseason game that ‘the 12‘ are excited about. The starters all have their places on the roster locked down (they hope), and on the field are the bench players vying for position. Deep bench. Waaaay deep bench.

Even with empty seats, the atmosphere at Century Link beats anything we see at sold out stadiums in Vancouver. Photo by Erin Jeffery.
Even with empty seats, the atmosphere at Century Link beats anything we see at sold out stadiums in Vancouver. Photo by Erin Jeffery.

Russell Wilson came on the field for one play. He threw a touchdown. Then had a nap.

The Legion of Boom were looking for their swag. Marshawn Lynch was eating Skittles(TM). The guys sitting behind us (who ESPN needs to hire STAT) kept exclaiming things like:

“Is that another one of them Smith boys?”

“Who the…what the…who the hell is THAT guy?”

“Son, you’ve gotta throw the ball sometime.” (See below.)

“Remember, it’s preseason for the refs too. No way they be making that dumbass call during regular season.”

For the last half of the game, the quarterback was this guy.

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BJ Daniels. Wide Receiver.

They don’t even list him as a backup quarterback. Also explains why he rushed most of the time.. really well, I must admit. So well that the Raiders sent six guys on him at one point and made a giant Daniels sandwich.

Boom indeed.

This game was a warm up for the big home opener this Saturday. A chance to make sure the cuts that needed to be made, were made. A chance for the new Seagals to get used to the routines (SERIOUSLY FELIONS! WHY DO YOU EVEN BOTHER? WHY???) A chance for Pete Carroll to continue to be the nicest coach in pro football.

And the 12 were there every step of the way.

Vancouver fans… we’ve got a lot to learn.

I love the Seahawks. Except for a brief stint in the eighties where I was obsessed with Howie Long and the Raiders, I’ve been a Seahawks fan as long as I can remember. But I never truly realized what it meant to be a member of the 12.

This sports fans, is love.

There is no doubt in my mind that the 12 are the loudest and most supportive group of fans in professional sports. I was awash in a sea of blue and green. I bought a toque. I don’t wear toques. I almost came home wearing a Richard Sherman jersey. I felt every cheer. In my bones. In my heart. In my soul. I was invested in every rush, every pass, every interception. These fans are lifers. The term fairweather fan does NOT exist in Seattle. (You hear me, Canucks fans? YOU HEAR ME?) You are in or you are out. And Seattle people… they are in.

Erin Jeffery and friend at a Seattle Seahawks preseason game. Erin is not wearing a toque. Selfie by Erin Jeffery.
Erin Jeffery and friend at a Seattle Seahawks preseason game. Erin is not wearing a toque. Selfie by Erin Jeffery.

There was a guy behind me wearing a fedora with a purple feather in it, reading a novel and eating popcorn. He looked like every English Lit teacher I ever had. Apparently he’s been a season’s ticket holder for over 10 years. He cheers and reads and looks damn fancy doing it. The little old ladies sitting beside us make cookies for EVERY GAME and hand them out to the people sitting around them. Which means the security guards LET THEM BRING COOKIES! The guy in front of me high fives everyone at every first down (after doing the eponymous first down arm chop). Seattle fans are in it together through thick and thin, cookies and novels and first downs (insert arm chop). Remember when I left that game six minutes early? Seahawks fans don’t do that.

Also… Blue Thunder.

So what’s our problem? What’s with the apathy? Why can’t we have pride? I could get all political and talk about how not engaging in things seems to be a national problem, and might be how we got our current leader with only 39% of the popular vote. Perhaps it’s indicative of our desire to remain neutral. But that wouldn’t explain Toronto Maple Leafs fans then, would it?

Whitecaps fans almost have it. They’re getting there at least. Lions fans are thinking about it. Canucks fans… Well, let’s just not even go there, you bunch of fairweather bandwagon jumpers.

I think we need to put down our yoga pants and and cold pressed vegan juices. Drink our craft beer and cold-brewed coffee while hanging out with a few thousand friends and cheer for something. Like a sport. Or a play. (Yes, we suck at supporting the arts, too. But that’s a talk for another blog.) Or anything that doesn’t involve dressing in white and being just a bit too much.

I fear we may have started taking ourselves just a little bit too seriously, and have forgotten how to have fun. We’re no longer West Coast laid back active people. We’re fancy. We’ve got really expensive real estate and too much plastic surgery. We have become the enemy.

So this is my call to action. My call to be loud and proud. Register to vote (seriously people, register to vote), dress in orange (or blue) and cheer it loud and proud. Soccer, football, hockey, lacrosse, polo…whatever! Wear funny costumes, high five your neighbours and love them through thick and thin (seriously Canuck fans…seriously)

Let’s show our neighbours down south that we too can be the twelve. Only nicer. And funnier. And with really really great yoga pants.