Why do people go so crazy for the Seahawks?

[hawknation2015]

Update - I'm not a troll. It may not be completely fluent grammer, as I typed it quickly based on my thoughts without major revisions.

People say I should understand, but I don't yet, because I am good at understanding logical things. There are many different things I like, some a bit better than others, but I like them all within balance. When it comes to football/seahawks, people seem completely off balance with their extreme level of passion so incredibly above and beyond any other related interests to a point beyond any logic which I can see.

Emotional attachment is not inherently irrational. Are you a Buddhist? If you are then I could understand why your choice of philosophy leads you to your belief that the kind of attachment people feel for the Seahawks is "without balance." Or perhaps you have participated in some sort of therapy in regards to your autism that has emphasized the irrationality or "imbalance" of emotional attachment.

In reality, logic does not require emotional deattachment or the avoidance of emotional imbalance or passion. That is just the particular philosophical choice that you have made for your life. If thinking this way helps you, then who are we to dismiss it? I would just suggest that you be cognizant that you think this way becausit it is part of your particular belief system, one others may not choose to share.

 

[pmedic920]

The way I see it friend, if you have to ask, you won't understand the answer either.

No disrespect intended, just how I honestly see it.

GoHawks

 

[therealjohncarlson]

Shame on some of you for your responses to this new poster. He comes up with a series of very intelligent questions relating to the fact that we are all seemingly obsesses with an activity that has no tangible impact on our lives and which we don't even participate in. I can see how it's kind of an elephant in the room for outsiders looking at a group of people cheering incessantly for others playing a sport. Embarrassing showing by some of you here being so close minded.

 

[RussB]

Because The Seahawks are the best damn team in the NFL.

^ he got it right.

 

[2_0_6]

Shame on some of you for your responses to this new poster. He comes up with a series of very intelligent questions relating to the fact that we are all seemingly obsesses with an activity that has no tangible impact on our lives and which we don't even participate in. I can see how it's kind of an elephant in the room for outsiders looking at a group of people cheering incessantly for others playing a sport. Embarrassing showing by some of you here being so close minded.

Wow.

Better hold on tight, that horse you rode in on is pretty high.

 

[Maulbert]

This really isn't meant as an insult to your condition, I would say this to anyone who asked this question, but if you can't understand, you never will, it's ineffable. But to each his own.

 

[fenderbender123]

Okay so honest question to the OP. Where do you live? Why are you singling out Seahawk fans? I ask because there are lots of sports teams that have passionate fans. Have you not noticed them?

People might think you're a troll...but only because this is exactly the kind of topic a troll would make. So pay no attention to them

 

[Cartire]

The honest, 100% truth, is because we love endorphins. And because we have invested so much into the sport (as Kearly mentions), we get a GIGANTIC release of endorphins when we win, especially important games. The feeling can be almost orgasmic over long periods of time.

Of course, just like any drug, it comes with its downs as well. When we suck, the bottom is far to low.

 

[halps80]

You're a class act, Kearly

 

[therealjohncarlson]

Shame on some of you for your responses to this new poster. He comes up with a series of very intelligent questions relating to the fact that we are all seemingly obsesses with an activity that has no tangible impact on our lives and which we don't even participate in. I can see how it's kind of an elephant in the room for outsiders looking at a group of people cheering incessantly for others playing a sport. Embarrassing showing by some of you here being so close minded.

Cry me a river. Then go away.

Oh boy did I strike a nerve?

 

[johnnyfever]

1.)people want to win
2.)people want to be part of something bigger than themselves, or to put it another way, be part of something that they could never accomplish on their own.
3.) people want to be part of a social group.


Once in a while, like now with the seahawks, you are getting all three. That feeling, and the endorphins the brain releases due to this feeling, keeps the person coming back.

I have found with myself that when the seahawks are not winning I am not nearly as interested. I am a third generation seahawks fan, never been a fan of another team. I am a very busy person who along with my wife own several decent sized companies, commercial and residential property and have 3 kids. I have a lot of responsibilities, so if the team can't get it together enough to do well against other teams, even when it seems obvious to everyone else why they are not doing well, then I have better things to do. I am still a fan, still wear my jersey on gameday and watch the game, but I will not be watching all the press conferences, looking up stats, posting on .net etc.

Call me a fairweather fan if you like, does not bother me. What bothers me are all the years we shat the bed due to mismanagement and no fire. I will never switch teams, but I will lose interest if the players and coaches lose interest.

I would rate my importance of the three above just as they are listed. If number 1 goes away for too long, i satisfy numbers 2 and 3 somewhere else in another endeavor. I think most people are similar to me.

 

[treesquirrel]

There have been some good responses. I agree with Hawk_Nation's statement as well about the obsession on an activity with no tangible impact on peoples lives and that they don't participate in.

Also the reason I care so much about this, is things that do not make sense to me really bother me and stick in my head. It is impossible to avoid all these things I ask about because I am bombarded with it nonstop everywhere I go, and its harder to even talk to people because it seems the primary topic of their conversations during the season.

A very good point was pointed out by a couple people that may have led to a better understanding for why people like football so dramatically more than other sports. They said people may choose football because it is the most popular sport. Well If it is already the most popular, and people choose to like it because it is the most popular, this would create an endless loop and lead to exponential growth. If you look at an exponential growth chart, the right most high point will shoot up so fast, and absolutely dwarf all other parts of the chart. Do you guys think this exponential theory, based on the human herd mentality of liking what is already popular, is the correct reason football is so much more popular?

Also kearly and Gametime pointed out the tribe mentality aspect. So in theory, humans seem to find the inherant need to form tribes, and choosing the Seahawks as their favorite is the obvious choice based primarily on distance metrics, of how far away the team is. If everyone chose teams based on logical preferences, the tribe would be more divided than if they choose the favorite team based on locality. Do you guys think this distance metrics theory is the correct reason the Seahawks get chosen?

If both of these are true, then if somehow another sport surpassed the popularity of football would you switch your focus to the more popular sport, and hang flags, paint houses/cars/faces, and yell loudly for the current local team in that sport instead, with an equal amount of passion as what is put towards the seahawks now?

 

[soje]

Trying to answer your question is almost like trying to explain what love is. What we feel for the Seahawks (and I'm pretty sure other fan bases feel exactly the same about their teams) can be defined as love. We can't stop talking about it, we can't stop thinking about it, we want to brag about it all the time!

And the Seahawks have been good for a while now, so what we have is reciprocated love. We love the Seahawks and the Seahawks love us back by winning.

I am autistic, so there are many social conventions I don't quite understand. One of the biggest ones is why people are so over the top infatuated with the Seahawks and football.

They drape large flags over buildings and on mountains. They paint their houses and cars. They buy wardrobes full of outfits. They swarm in massive mobs where they make extremely large amounts of noise and yelling and screaming and jumping around nonsensically They exclude themselves from any non-sports family or friends gatherings in order to watch the games on their phones or listen on the radio. It seems the primary topic of most of their conversations, and hoping the Seahawks win seems to be the number one concern in their life. Recently, in my quiet neighborhood I suddenly heard seahawks shouting coming from all corners, fireworks going off, etc The examples of the extreme over the top obsession could go on forever.

But why is this? Maybe it is my Autism, but I just don't understand
There are hundereds of great games or sports like baseball, volleyball, golf, ski competitions, freestyle motocross, fencing, gymnastics, board game competitions, film festival competitions, etc. But nobody seems to get even a fraction of how manically excited they get about football and the seahawks, in such a way where it consumes their lives or all social interaction. So why is it different for the Seahawks? Why aren't you equally as excited for the local tennis player, volleyball team, or chess champion? Why don't they swarm, yell, and plaster all their buildings equally for them?

And also why do they find constant football talk so thrilling? It is a good sport, like many others. But frankly it is over 100 years old, and the seahawks are over 40 years old. There are so many other teams in the league roughly equally as good as well. It would be logical that someone would be happy if either team won, and since it is a 100 year old game, its just not very important the outcome of the current game, since there have been many before, and will be many after. Yet the fans seem to defy this logic and often appear borderline psychotic with their level of engagement, mass swarming and seemingly screaming their lungs out towards whole world, as if the each current game is the most important event in their entire lives?

I hope I haven't typed this in any way that offends. We are all equals. I just am struggling to understand this illogical concept. Can anyone help?

 

[mrt144]

Throw the logic out and there it is. There's a communal and social payoff in rooting for the home team and forming bonds about it. Collective shared memories.

Some people are unduly obsessive about football to the point that it's obnoxious and anti-social but most of us enjoy the social aspect of it. Why football? I appreciate the strategic elements of it and enjoyed playing it the most.

 

[Maulbert]

Football is the sport that called to me, and baseball was more popular at the time, and the Hawks were not a popular team. I don't love football and the Hawks because it's the 'in' thing. I am a nerd, and have nerdy loves. Star Wars, Video Games, Movies, Anime, Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels, D&D. Amongst my group of friends, I am the only Seahawk/Football fan. It is one of the few things I bond with my brother over, but that's not why I love them either. I love the tension, the strategy, the pace of football. I just love it. I can't convert a non-believer. I can only tell you why I love it, and it's not for fellowship.

 

[Crizilla]

because we like sports and we dont care who knows, from pre game show to the super bowl.

 

[Gametime]

There have been some good responses. I agree with Hawk_Nation's statement as well about the obsession on an activity with no tangible impact on peoples lives and that they don't participate in.

Also the reason I care so much about this, is things that do not make sense to me really bother me and stick in my head. It is impossible to avoid all these things I ask about because I am bombarded with it nonstop everywhere I go, and its harder to even talk to people because it seems the primary topic of their conversations during the season.

A very good point was pointed out by a couple people that may have led to a better understanding for why people like football so dramatically more than other sports. They said people may choose football because it is the most popular sport. Well If it is already the most popular, and people choose to like it because it is the most popular, this would create an endless loop and lead to exponential growth. If you look at an exponential growth chart, the right most high point will shoot up so fast, and absolutely dwarf all other parts of the chart. Do you guys think this exponential theory, based on the human herd mentality of liking what is already popular, is the correct reason football is so much more popular?

Also kearly and Gametime pointed out the tribe mentality aspect. So in theory, humans seem to find the inherant need to form tribes, and choosing the Seahawks as their favorite is the obvious choice based primarily on distance metrics, of how far away the team is. If everyone chose teams based on logical preferences, the tribe would be more divided than if they choose the favorite team based on locality. Do you guys think this distance metrics theory is the correct reason the Seahawks get chosen?

If both of these are true, then if somehow another sport surpassed the popularity of football would you switch your focus to the more popular sport, and hang flags, paint houses/cars/faces, and yell loudly for the current local team in that sport instead, with an equal amount of passion as what is put towards the seahawks now?

I think that it's different in that sports have defined seasons. You can't deny that winning is attractive. It brings energy and life that draws in more casual fans in. What some would call bandwagon or fair weather fans. Losing is tough because the tribe has more negative energy and it's easy to not have the same passion you do when winning. Its human nature. The Seahawks are in the middle of an unprecedented window of winning and winning big. I still have fond memories of the 1995 Mainers run. Somewhat the same vibe for baseball. The city was electric and when there are games nearly everyday in baseball as opposed to once a week in football, you don't have to kill as much time talking about theories and such. But........that's what makes football so addictive. Each game carries more weight. There's more on the line so it's more electric. I think proximity to the core fan base definitely strengthens things. I lived in CA for several years in the military and moving home was like Christmas as a fan. Just seeing all the fan support and flags was awesome. Like being with family I hadn't seen in years.

 

[hawknation2015]

The honest, 100% truth, is because we love endorphins. And because we have invested so much into the sport (as Kearly mentions), we get a GIGANTIC release of endorphins when we win, especially important games. The feeling can be almost orgasmic over long periods of time.

Of course, just like any drug, it comes with its downs as well. When we suck, the bottom is far to low.

It's also an evolutionary trait. The reward we experience after working out, watching our team win, creating and enjoying a great work of art, etc. How much of human creation and progress can be attributed to the regulation of the central nervous system?

 

[djb28]

Maybe I am simple. I have the same enthusiasm each year when the Mint shakes come around.

 

[hawkfansam]

I work daily with people who have autism. This is the highest functioning person with autism I've come by. The spectrum is very wide... But really?