Even if You're Not a Seattle, Seahawks Fan... You Can Be a 12th Man, Too!
Friends. The air here is palpable. It’s electric. It’s exciting.
There’s a frenzy broiling beneath the surface of my town, Seattle. Everyone is going about their daily lives with an extra layer of exuberance.
I grew up in a house where football was the highlight of our television year. Sitcoms could come and go, news broadcasts were a dime a dozen, cooking shows weren’t even acknowledged, but football… Football was the lynchpin of our Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Before my siblings and I ever really had interest in the game, we would spend Sundays going about our business while my mom hooted and hollered at the players on the television. If anyone ever wonders where my louder than necessary attitude came from, you need only peek inside my childhood home during a football game.
We’re a Seahawks, Packers, Redskins family. ((Sorry, Nana. You make silly faces.))
As I got older and became more interested in football (read: after my skulky, attitudenal teenage years), I put an effort in to learn about the game. As I started to understand the process, the rules, regulations, and the roles that various positions played, football began to be a source of entertainment for me. It helped that my husband, the Captain, who is as big of a fan as my mom, is ever-so-patient with my (still) consistent questions.
I became more interested in football for another BIG reason; with family, and a spouse, that devoted so much time to watching this game they love, I felt that I had two choices: Be a part of it, or find something else to do. For me, it was a simple choice. There are few things better than snuggling up on the couch with Captain, enjoying snacks, and sharing in the triumphs of our team.
Our team, the Seattle Seahawks.
As fans, we are called the 12th Man. Thirty years ago the franchise decided that their fans were so important that they needed to be honored with an official place on the team. If you ever watch football, you may have come across a team getting a penalty for having 12 men on the field, since only 11 are allowed to be in play for each team at any given time. But the Seattle fans embodied such a fierce love for the game that the number 12 jersey was officially retired, just for the fans.
Recently, the 12th Man has become less of an honorary position and more of a physical one. The Seahawks have led the nation in false starts due to the noise level the 12th Man can incur. Seismic activity has been recorded as the 12th Man goes wild for their team’s extraordinary plays. It’s an amazing feeling, to be part of the tidal wave that comes crashing down on a team visiting the Emerald City.
I’m a 12th man, and it’s an amazing feeling! Many people want to be a part of this camraderie. But the term ‘bandwagoners’ is tossed around like a hot, filthy brand to mark people as ‘not real fans,’ people who are simply jumping on something popular in the moment.
But, we don’t care. And our team doesn’t care. If half of the 12th Man is made up by “bandwagoners”, I say, “Welcome!”
If you, my neighbor, want to climb aboard this train of excitement and skill and sweat and tears and hooting and hollering, then don your colors, whatever they may be, and scream loud when your teams gets that touchdown. Revel in the thrill of the goosebumps that will take over your body when a pass is dropped or an interception is made.
It’s not for love of the colors, the uniforms, the wins or losses, or the glory (I’m also a Buccaneers fan. There is NO bandwagon for them).
It’s for the love of the game.
I’ll see you on Sunday. I’ll be the loud one with the blue and green hair.
Jessica is the Domestic Pirate, Renn Faire Privateer, gone Mom. When she’s not blogging about anything and everything, she’s taking care of the Captain and their 4 Cabin Kids. She’s obsessed with Pirates and the internet, and is convinced that the dough is always better than the cookie. Aside from her blog, you can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.
