Three years ago, Seahwaks coach Pete Carroll made the daring decision to start rookie Russell Wilson over popular free agent Matt Flynn. Seahawks fans, popularly known as the 12th man, had no clue about the roller coaster ride they were about to experience.
At the same time in August of 2012, members of the Puget Sound class of 2016 said tough goodbyes to their friends and families as they left their childhood homes for the first time to embark on the college experience. Those who were NFL fans from out of state had no clue about the nightmare they were about to experience in the next three years.
Since Pete Carroll’s fateful decision to start Russell Wilson, the Seahawks have a combined 36-12 regular season record, three playoff appearances, two NFC championships, one Super Bowl title and the 12th man has exploded from a local badge of pride to a nationwide phenomenon. Coincidentally, as the Seahawks grew in popularity across the country, animosity towards the Seahawks and their fans grew across the country as well. The Puget Sound campus, with 82 percent of the student body being from states other than Washington, was no exception to this trend.
“When I lived back in
California the Seahawks were a team I really didn’t know much about,” self proclaimed “pond pigeon” (Seahawk) hater senior Parker Brisebois (Chula Vista, California) said. “I figured I might be able to casually enjoy watching them up here because the team doesn’t usually play the [San Diego] Chargers. But ever since I became surrounded by [Seahawks] fans, my distaste for them has grown exponentially over these past four years.”
Seahawks fans, who are notorious for being a raucous home crowd that has created the best homefield advantage in the NFL (Seahawks hold a 22-2 record at home since 2012) first became known as the 12th man in 1984 when the Seahawks retired the number 12 in honor of their fans for being so loud. Despite the common misconception that the 12th man has only been embraced since 2012, Seahawks fans have a long history of creating problems for opposing teams with their crowd noise. In 1985, the NFL instituted a rule (which was later abandoned) regulating crowd noise after the Denver Broncos complained that the Kingdome was too loud for their offense to communicate. In 2005, the 12th man caused ten false starts in one game (false starts often happen when players cannot hear the quarterback). And in 2010, the jumping and celebrating of the 12th man after Marshawn Lynch’s legendary touchdown run in the playoffs registered as an earthquake on local seismometers.
However, the recent run of success has made the 12th man unbearable to some.
“[Seahawks] fans have serious trouble admitting shortcomings in their current team,” Brisebois said, “And they are loud and in- your-face.”
“They are irritating and arrogant,” senior Dan Nakamura (Honolulu, Hawaii) said. Nakamura added that the fans rarely show respect for other fans or other teams.
Both Brisebois and Nakamura also agreed that the fans have an exaggerated sense of their importance to the Seahawks organization.
“They love to make a bunch of noise at the stadium,” Brisebois said, “But they have an over- inflated idea of what they as individuals mean to the team. Every Seahawks fan thinks that the team needs them.”
While Seahawks fans may be a little too loud and proud, the newfound arrogance of the 12th man may simply be a product of the excitement of fans finally getting to witness their favorite team succeeding after years of suffering not only watching the Seahawks, but also watching Pacific Northwest sports as a whole for their entire lives. With the Seahawks 2013 Super Bowl victory being the first championship in the Northwest region since the Seattle Supersonics won an NBA title in 1979. As a result of the Seahawks’ Super Bowl victory, a whole generation of people got to experience the feeling of rooting for a winner for the first time in their lives. The 12th man is finally getting the payoff for all the seasons that ended poorly and are enjoying their time at the top of the mountain while they can.
So, Seahawks fans, continue to wave your flags, wear your jerseys and talk smack like Richard Sherman. And 12th man haters, take solace in the fact that about 80 percent of the students on this campus despise the Seahawks and their fans just like you do.