Quote:
Originally Posted by browna
Cheapshot comparos to the Canucks here. Remember the Seattle riots of 2014 when they won the SB? That's because there were none...700k people estimated at the parade though.
The Flames run in 2004 shows what team success does to a city and region. Car flags on every 3rd car in this city in late May 2004 when there were none in late March 2004. Even Flames gear burning parties in Edmonton after the Flames lost on June 7th because there were so many fans up there the Flames converted for the two months. Flames flags flying in Washington at the Canadian Embassy. If the Flames had made it the next year as well to the Finals, can only imagine those that got on the wagon late in 2004, now had a full run to take part in in 2006.
If the Blue Jays made it to the WS, there would be a lot of baseball fans popping out of nowhere in this city, and Vancouver, and Winnipeg and all over Canada. I recall there being a party on Electric Ave back in 1993 after the back to back WS wins by Toronto. Its just the nature of sports success.
Don't have to justify my support for the team at all here, but it stems from the mid 80's after we got full cable, and KHQ (NBC) Spokane showed every Seahawks game, every week, and that continues...from Vancouver to Calgary (I think Sask and MAN gets the Vikings, T&P), you can see every Seahawk game on "regular" cable. That sort of accessibility helps draw new, casual fans in and builds that regional support in teams, which is what the NFL wants.
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Twice in this thread you've made long-winded posts defending West Coast bandwagon Seahawks "fans."
Not sure why, since nobody's lumping you in with them anyway. Your reason for supporting them seems legitimate and no different than many Canadians who have cheered for them for many years now.
But it is impossible to deny - IMPOSSIBLE - that sports fans on the lower mainland and west coast area are a special breed. There is a real finite history there of having a bandwagon mentality. Not sure why this is - though several hypotheses have been put out there before.
Perhaps a large influx of immigrants who didn't grow up watching hockey or football - hence many "new" fans who are only now getting into it because the Seahawks (or the canucks in 2011) are the talk of the town.
Perhaps it's the natural geography and climate of that area. There are so many activities and options available for a mostly-rich demographic to spend their money and time on, that when the canucks or Seahawks suck it's easy to just do something else. It's like the anti-Saskatchewan, who still think the CFL is real football because there's literally nothing else to do year-round.
These are all just guesses though. The one thing that cannot be denied though, is that there is something in the sports DNA of that area that gives it its bandwagon-y complex. Retiring a number that didn't even belong to a player. Erecting a statue of someone waving a white flag as a symbol of pride. And most of all, being absolutely nowhere to be found 99% of the time, and then suddenly popping up when the inevitable cyclical nature of sports finally lands their team on top for a year or two.
You're free to be a Seahawks fan. Nobody's begrudging you for it. But please, stop trying to deny that many Hawks "fans" have only surfaced recently and please stop trying to deny that there's similarities there to canucks fans. It's the exact same group of people actually. One and the same, and so is their behaviour.
