Seattle - The Creation of a Community

So the Seattle Seahawks are playing the biggest game of their lives this weekend. You know… just incase you hadn’t heard. Just incase you hadn’t noticed the city awash in Blue and Green. Just incase you didn’t see the blue flags sporting the number 12 flying EVERYWHERE. Just incase.

I am an outsider. I am new here to the city. I’ve even been told I don’t have the right to cheer and be part of this celebration. But I’ve watched this city transform into something crazy, something amazing, something that I’ve never seen before.

Over the past 4 years I’ve been watching and learning about the Pacific Northwest through the eyes of an outsider looking in. Observing and noticing things that Seattleites just don’t see. I’ve seen them grow as a community. That’s a pretty cool thing for such a large place.

There are no major sports teams where I come from. The closest thing is a Major Junior Hockey team; who are awesome, but no where near the scale of an NFL team. Where I come from community is standard. It’s just always been there. I didn’t originally feel that way when I moved to Seattle. Neighbors didn’t talk to one another, strangers passed each other on the street without so much as a “Hello!” or a “Crappy weather again today isn’t it?!”. People just accepted the grey monotony and trudged onwards day after day.

Then it started happening. There were whispers, murmurs, a “Beast Quake”.

Now don’t get me wrong. The 12^th Man has always been loud and proud but usually you’d see the Seahawks gear come out on Blue Fridays and on game days and that was it.  But now it’s different. It really started last season. Jerseys were out in full force everyday. Buildings proudly flew their 12^th Man flags. Blue and green were seen everywhere.

This season… things are out of control in the best way possible. Everyone and their dog are decked out in Seahawks colors and the local shops and restaurants are getting in on the fun. And I mean really, Skittles make everything better, right? Fans line the streets by the thousands to wish our team farewell and good luck as the buses crawl by en route to the airport. Hell, we even have a 12^th man plane flying 12s all over this state!

But more than the colors being worn, or the buildings lit up at night, or the post-it notes in the windows, or the flags hanging out of every window; it’s the people I notice the change in the most. People are walking with more of a skip in their step. People are friendlier. Strangers have things to talk about. Even Cougars and Huskies fans seem to be able to find some common ground. There’s a new sense of pride out there.

While the rest of the country is only now starting to take notice, the party is already in full swing up here in the Northwest. This city is gearing up for one hell of a weekend and I know it really will be “Sleepless in Seattle” come Saturday night. There will be parties and pig roasts and jello shots and chili and so much nacho cheese you could drown in it. I highly suggest not doing that though; you’d miss all the fun!

I know that come kickoff time the streets of Seattle will be a virtual ghost town and it will be silent save for the random cheers emanating from bars and living rooms across the state. The party will continue into next week. There will be thousands and thousands turn up at the airport to greet our team and welcome them home. There will be parties and parades and fireworks and the 12^th Man flag will fly high. There will be much celebration. But it won’t die down. We might take a day or two to recover and take a step back and say “Wow! What a ride!”. But this fever, this new found sense of whatever it is, will stay. The people of this great city will continue to smile and share and create. This community is on fire and this is one flame that is eternal.

I am part of the 12^th man. The greatest fan base on earth. We are loud. We are proud. And we are ready. Go Hawks!