The Bandwagon Jumpers
It’s funny how everyone in my office is suddenly Seahawks fans. They are all receiving sweatshirts and hats from the vendors, yet they only started talking about the Seahawks when the playoffs started. They all act like they have been fans for years. Where were you during the regular season? I bet 90% of the people talking about the Seahawks & going to the pep-rallies never even watched a regular season game.
This is standard issue Seattle. Seattle does in fact have some very loud fans, but the greater majority of them are all bandwagon jumpers. Who ever is doing well, they shall cheer for. These very same bandwagon jumpers are the first to say a team sucks or to complain about the national media not giving the local teams enough attention. Well, where were you all when the team wasn’t performing well?
Look at the Mariners. They sucked for years! The Kingdome was always empty. Suddenly in 1995, they start doing well. Everyone has the baseball fever. The Huskies dominated the Pac-10 for years and recently they have been on a decline. Are all those Husky fans still going to the games? Nope! You only find the real fans. Same goes for the Sonics.
I am not saying that someone has more of a right to celebrate the success of the Seahawks, but I am really tired of these people jumping on the bandwagon. Some of these bastards should be forced to experience a loosing season. I would like to send out a big thanks to the “13 man” for the years of support they gave to the Seattle Seahawks. You have earned your right to bask in the glory of the game. If you all you are going to do is enjoy the winning times, how can you truly enjoy this moment? How can you totally comprehend the achievement made by the team?
I guess I’m one of the fairweather fans. I started watching the ‘hawks when the playoffs hype began. Of course, I don’t watch much sports at all. I guess it comes down to the realization that if I had watched 3 hours of football for 10-12 successive weekends, that’s full three days (and nearly a week of waking days) of my life I could have spent otherwise.
Since I grew up overseas, my favorite adopted team was the 49ers from about 1984 until the mid-nineties. When Steve Young and Jerry Rice left the 9ers, I even began rooting for the Raiders (because Rice was there).
But over the past decade, I haven’t given a damn about the NFL, including the Seahawks. Now that I had no “favorite team”, I got excited about the Seahawks as they began winning. That’s quite an accomplishment for someone who didn’t even know who was playing the SuperBowl for the last decade until the day before the event (and that would be the only game I’d watch).
I might say the same thing about the Mariners. I never liked baseball (I could go on a five minute rant about the game), but as we would get free tickets from work, I’d go and find it exciting to “root for the home team”.
But ultimately, the Seahawks and Mariners are businesses. While some fans may begrudge the fairweather fans for whom the game is just a game, I’m sure the franchises don’t really mind much if they get a few more fans (and more $$$) when they’re doing well.
So in answer to your questions, I enjoy this moment simply because the home team is doing well, and Seattle is in the Superbowl. What do you want me to do, root for the Steelers?
As far as comprehending the achievement of the team, it’s no more or less significant than any other one-time attendee to the SuperBowl. I would place the Seahawks’ accomplishment only one step ahead of those of the Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars
and New Orleans Saints (who have never played to compete for “Football’s Finest Honor”).
If the hawks win, that’ll place them also ahead of the Bills, the Vikings, the Bengals, the Eagles, the Falcons, the Panthers, the Chargers, and the Titans, all of whom have never won at the Superbowl.
That’s how I approach it, relatively objectively. So shoot me.
My biggest issue is with the local media. The local TV stations drive me nuts!
Remember when the Seattle Storm won the championship? How much pub did they get?
We need fans like European soccer fans. We need some crazy loyal bastards.
How bout you and me start a street riot then? We gotta go find some Steeler fans willing to show their faces after the hawks win though.
Where’s my euro-mullet wig?