Why do people go so crazy for the Seahawks?

[MizzouHawkGal]

Really informative post girl. :th2thumbs:

Thanks! I am also a man.

Damn. I mixed you up with another poster with a similar screen name that's actually an older woman. My apologies.

 

[Cartire]

Really informative post girl. :th2thumbs:

Thanks! I am also a man.

Totally ok. Mizzou is actually a man.

 

[Scottemojo]

Really informative post girl. :th2thumbs:

Thanks! I am also a man.

Totally ok. Mizzou is actually a man.

I been telling you fools this for years.

He is also a Chiefs fan. A Bi-fan, if you will.

 

[400WattHPSHawk]

Really informative post girl. :th2thumbs:

Thanks! I am also a man.

Totally ok. Mizzou is actually a man.

I been telling you fools this for years.

He is also a Chiefs fan. A Bi-fan, if you will.

Say it ain't so.... ukeface:

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

Really informative post girl. :th2thumbs:

Thanks! I am also a man.

Totally ok. Mizzou is actually a man.

I been telling you fools this for years.

He is also a Chiefs fan. A Bi-fan, if you will.

I love all you guys. It's just fun watching you guys being Dumb and Dumber with no pay.

Just a hint for you I mention the Chiefs and AFC because that's what I have to watch every week. Many of you beyond ScottMojo have no clue about the AFC. I don't like the Chiefs but I respect a team that is really good and really dangerous and that if they come to play will destroy both Denver and New England because both aren't balanced or complete terms while having easily exploited flaws.

 

[Scottemojo]

[

Thanks! I am also a man.

Totally ok. Mizzou is actually a man.

I been telling you fools this for years.

He is also a Chiefs fan. A Bi-fan, if you will.

I love all you guys. It's just fun watching you guys being Dumb and Dumber with no pay.

Just a hint for you I mention the Chiefs and AFC because that's what I have to watch every week. Many of you beyond ScottMojo have no clue about the AFC. I don't like the Chiefs but I respect a team that is really good and really dangerous and that if they come to play will destroy both Denver and New England because both aren't balanced or complete terms while having easily exploited flaws.

I kid because I care.

Sidepoint. I went to the Chiefs and Hawks last year. Now the Chiefs pester me every goddam week to buy tickets.

 

[Cartire]

Totally ok. Mizzou is actually a man.

I been telling you fools this for years.

He is also a Chiefs fan. A Bi-fan, if you will.

I love all you guys. It's just fun watching you guys being Dumb and Dumber with no pay.

Just a hint for you I mention the Chiefs and AFC because that's what I have to watch every week. Many of you beyond ScottMojo have no clue about the AFC. I don't like the Chiefs but I respect a team that is really good and really dangerous and that if they come to play will destroy both Denver and New England because both aren't balanced or complete terms while having easily exploited flaws.

... Sounds like early-stage bandwagoning, Dude. Riding the wave of success from your civic surroundings. Can lead you down a dangerous path, bro.

 

[Veilside]

Thanks to all who have given informative responses.

Here are responses to some of the questions for me,

I do understand the game of football, I watch it on occasion, I play the video game versions, I've played flag football, and would play real football if I had a chance. So I do understand the game, and can enjoy it similar to a good game of chess, or any other game. For me though, I have no favorite team, they are all professionals on similar ground and I could enjoy it no matter who wins. Also the game has been played for many years, and will be played for many more years, so for me I see no importance on any particular game. I could watch a new game, or one from 10 years ago, and it would be equal for me.

Its true, I think logically about almost everything, and base little off emotion. So maybe that is part of it. I don't have any typical bad habits like drinking, gambling, eating unhealthy food, failing to exercise, etc (other illogical things that baffle me about people) I do get excited about things, but they are more about things that actually affect me, like if I win a game myself, or do something thrilling, or something else that affects me. I can get a little excited about someone else's achievement, like an exceptional touchdown pass, but for me it is still more of an appreciation of the technical achievement of the maneuver and low odds of it happening, and I can appreciate the achievement while remaining calm, and perhaps giving a well mannered "nice job". I just don't understand people shouting their lungs out every chance they get for hours.

I have been told I have Aspergers as well. I've been in denial about this for over 15 years until just recently I'm starting to realize it is likely true.

I did go to a seahawks game once, someone gave me free tickets. It was a horrible experience for me, being in the overexcited swarm which was constantly yelling their lungs out, and doing other maniacal things even when nothing was happening. My ears were ringing for a long time. There was no way I could enjoy the game among the madness. I left 1/4 of the way through.

So I have some more questions.

1) It seems one of the biggest things people are pointing out as the appeal is the social aspect, of using it as the most popular tool to form social connection with others, and feeling like they are a part of something big. So in a theoretical situation, what if one day football became something which was looked down upon by the overwhelming majority of the population? If for some reason most people decided it was immoral and obscene. In this case would you, or do you think most fans, would continue wearing the clothes constantly, painting their cars/houses/faces, yelling and talking about it at all times, and in general revolving their lives around it? Would they move on to the next most popular and accepted social bonding conduit, and become a fan of that with equal passion as what they currently have for the seahawks?

2) Why does it seem so important to watch the game live. I've seen family members seclude themselves from their family at gatherings to watch the game on their phone. I was once on vacation in a tropical paradise, but a guy chose to not partake in the activities but listen to the radio in a parking lot instead. Also not only this, but they dress up in seahawks gear to watch/listen by themselves. I've seen many other things like those examples, and the one thing in common, they all could have just watched the game a couple hours later at their convenience. So why not do that?

3) I still can't quite understand why the excitement level is so over the top. Personally I can like things and get excited, but am still quite calm and collected. It seems with seahawks people yell at their tv's, jump up and down, throw things, shout out to the whole neighborhood, and write 12 on everything possible. It seems often a group will behave in a maniacal fashion and another group will try and compulsively one up their level of insanity and wild behavior. I just can't imagine any logical reason for excitement levels to rise this high over anything. And then real things that truly affect and make a tangible difference the peoples lives, they often don't really care about or even give a second thought or acknowledge them. Why is this?

1. Under your hypothetical scenario, for the "overwhelming majority" of people to find Football "immoral and obscene" the game would have to change drastically because in this country the "overwhelming majority" would consist of many fans due to it's popularity. For us fans to turn against the game due to finding it immoral and obscene, they would have to start doing live abortions and beheadings of minorities during halftime (or something to this degree). To go with the scenario though, I believe some people would find another sport to watch while some would just drop sports altogether and find something else to do. You as a logical thinker can probably see that there is a large spectrum of people and how they react to things based on their attained knowledge and past experiences. Me personally, I won't really know unless I'm in that situation. I can tell you one thing though, I'm a big Mariners fan too and if they ever stop underachieving, you will see a similar reaction by people in regards to MLB and the Mariners. Seattle was also pretty fond of their Sonics back when we had an elite team.

2. In this day and age, watching the game live is more important than ever due to the internet and social media. It's almost impossible to avoid "spoilers" from the game if you wait to watch it later. You pretty much have to cut contact with everyone including reading any social media or basically any internet at all if you want to be able to watch the game from a clean slate. I'm pissed if I gain any information at all because then I can deduce whats going to happen before I watch it and I want to be surprised.

3. When it comes to extreme emotional outbursts I am the wrong person to explain it. The last time I really felt a loud, positive emotional outburst was "The Tip". Since then I just haven't felt the need to be loud. During the Superbowl we won I just kinda watched silently in amazement as to how dominate we looked against such a seemingly over hyped team. The last time I felt a rush of excitement like The Tip provided was Kearse's OT catch in the NFCCG last year, and this time I just stood and held my arms up in the air silently while everyone in the bar I was in were jumping up and down screaming. I feel kind of out of place now, but accept that I just don't get as excited from Seahawks games as I used to. This does have it's positives though because it allowed me to move on much faster from the Superbowl loss than others that I observed. Bad calls, losses... I can control my football emotions so much better now which actually kind of makes the game more enjoyable as the pain from losing was always many times more impactful than the joy that came from winning.

And then real things that truly affect and make a tangible difference the peoples lives, they often don't really care about or even give a second thought or acknowledge them.

This part may have to do with the people you're personally observing and their lives. It's possible that watching Football is really the best thing they have going for them so they use it as an escape. Countless possibilities really. This kind of goes hand in hand with the first question as people are all different and therefore handle things in their lives differently.

 

[FireHawk79]

So there are many reasons I am a Seahawks fan. The two most significant being my father was a huge Hawks fan and Paul skansi is a cousin on my dads side and I met him once when I was very young. That solidified my fandom real early on. As far as why I think people go so crazy for their team is simply passion. When you invest so much time into watching a certain team for so long it just becomes a passion. Much like those who truly enjoy working on cars, playing a specific sport or woodworking for example. After you do something and you truly enjoy it you become passionate about it. I became passionate about the Seahawks due to all my fond memories of watching games with my dad and family and how it brought everyone together! That's my answer. Through all the highs and lows over the years that passion still exists and even for teams who haven't had success their passion still exists because they always have hope at the beginning of each season. I appreciate your question OP it made me reflect and think hard about where my fandom sprouted from and brought back some great memories

 

[oldhawkfan]

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 don't think it has anything to do with the popularity of football itself. It's kind of like the chicken and the egg argument. Which came first? Is football popular because people more people follow it or is it popular because more people like it? For example, humans have likes and dislikes for everything possible. Food, beverages, colors, shapes, house styles, vacation spots, you name it. Is one of these things intrinsically better than the others or is there an internal mechanism that makes us gravitate to one thing or another. Human behavior has an instinctive logical quality about it's predictiveness. Statisticians and actuaries make their living by predicting what events may happen based on humans likelihood to do or like something.

Is chocolate ice cream better than strawberry icecream? Not to someone who likes strawberry better. A strawberry icecream lover won't start preferring chocolate ice cream just because it's more popular. Same thing with football. You either like it or you don't. Most people I would argue seem to like it. There are varying degrees of passion within a given persons fondness for football. Or anything else for that matter.

As for the Seahawks passion, the answers as to why would most likely be as wide and diverse as each member of the collective 12's.

For those of you questioning the OP, ...really! This person comes on here and asks a legitimate question and some of you have to bash him. If you want to know the answer to a legitimate question it only makes sense to go to the heart of the matter. Who else would know the answer to this question but us?

 

[Hawkscanner]

Why all the craze for the Seahawks specifically, you ask treesquirrel? I've got a good response to that question ... and I'll do so by building off one of the responses by Tical21 ...

Welcome. My son is autistic as well. It's a cool question to ask. I'll give it my theory.

In the old days, the baseball players were the coolest guys on the planet. Everybody wanted to be Joe Dimaggio. Everybody wanted to hang out with Babe Ruth. Nowadays, football players are the coolest. Why football and not volleyball? Football players are the most bad-arse, cool guys of them all. We're all incredibly jealous. We all wish we were that good, that cool. We all wish we had what it takes to physically dominate someone and get the girl. We live through these guys, and those three hours that we watch them allows us to escape from our normal lives and step vicariously into a world that we crave.

Why the Seahawks? Well, because most of us are from Seattle. Why the Seahawks craze? One, because they're good, really good, better than they ever have been, and two, because they're the coolest team of all the teams, with the coolest guys in the league, maybe some of the coolest athletes on the planet. How much fun would it be to be Richard Sherman? Marshawn Lynch is quite possibly the baddest dude on the planet. Russell Wilson is dating Ciara. Earl Thomas is so cool he doesn't even have to try to be cool. Our coach is a cool version of Richard Simmons.

YES, that is absolutely who the Seahawks are NOW ... but it wasn't always that way. I don't know how much you know about the history of this Seahawks franchise (or Seattle sports in general), but for the vast majority of us who are 40 years old or older ... Seahawks football used to mean something quite different. Seahawks football used to mean disappointment. Seahawks football used to mean embarrassment. Seahawks football used to mean a team who came in with high hopes ... but always found a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory -- found a way to screw things up. Under coaches Patera and Knox, they were a mediocre franchise that tried hard, but for one reason or another always fell short of fans' expectations of being a championship quality team.

To many people (both in the Pacific Northwest and around the country), they were the "Sea-Chickens" -- a laughingstock -- a team that many people found every opportunity in the world to make fun of.

And then things went from mediocre to worse once Ken Behring bought the team. He and his group took a team who had a 10 year long waiting list to get season tickets when he bought the team in 1988 … and through mismanagement drove it in to the ground. He tried moving the team to Los Angeles in 1996 before Paul Allen stepped up and saved the day …
http://www.seattletimes.com/sports/...ks-were-saved-from-californiarsquos-clutches/

You see, people who are my age or older remember those dark days. We remember what it was like to say you were a Seahawks fan and have people laugh at and make fun of you.

Well, who’s laughing now? This Seahawks team has gone from one of the worst teams in the NFL … to one of the truly elite teams in all of Professional Sports (thanks in large part to the efforts of team owner Paul Allen). In order to truly understand the craze that people from the Northwest have with Seahawks football you have to understand all of that. You have to understand that the ONLY Professional Sports championship that the city of Seattle had prior to the Seahawks winning it all in 2013 [No offense to the Seattle Storm] … was clear back in 1979 when the Sonics won the NBA Championship. Outside of a few seasons, the Mariners have historically been a disappointment … the Sonics outside of that 1979 Season never won another championship … and the Seahawks until recent years always fell short of expectations. Until recent years, Seattle sports (for many fans of this region) has always meant frustration.

People in America DO like football, yes. It’s the #1 Sport in America for a reason. Americans love the whole physical, punishing gladiator aspect of the game – that’s all true.

But the bottom line on why I believe people who are either from the Northwest or who have connections to the Northwest are so crazed about this Seahawks team … is because for the first time ever they’re no longer losers – they’re winners. They’ve gone from being considered a laughingstock nationally … to being a team that has the respect and is the envy of everyone in the NFL. The Seahawks are no longer a joke – they are the class of the NFL. They have gone from a team whom most fans expected to always lose … to a team whom most fans always expect to win. People inherently LOVE being winners. They love that feeling of being King of the Mountain (especially when they know what it feels like to be the other). That history of having been mediocre to terrible for so many years … and now being elite I would contend is a major factor behind why people are so passionate about Seahawks football. People love to feel respected and love to be winners – bottom line.

 

[SonicHawk]

#1. Competition. We as humans are taught from the moment we are born that we are in constant competition. We love competition, we live for it. We want to be the other team. You'll find that pacifists are often not the biggest sports fans.

#2. Tribalism. So why do we often choose a single team to root for and have difficulty changing teams? Well, because this is OUR team. We wear our uniforms and march towards glory. When we are losing the less die-hards retreat out of their seats into the cars, the true believers will die on the front lines even when hope is lost. On a final note about tribalism, this gives us meaning. We work together for the greater good. We feel included, we feel needed and necessary and successful.

3. Addiction & Obsession. Let's face it, those of us who consider ourselves die-hard fans often have issues with addiction and/or obsession. I'm a workaholic. I love smoking, drinking and gambling. When I do something, I don't stop.

This is not an exhaustive list.

 

[treesquirrel]

I appreciate all of the input from everyone. I do feel like I have a much greater understanding than before. I plan to type out my theories for review and critiquing when finished.

In brief summary however, it seems most of the decisions found so confusing, are not actually made with conscious reasoning. Rather they are made through combination of inherited human instincts, combined with some statistical probability. Decisions a made primarily subconsciously based on emotions, rather than logical thinking. The person may not even realize they are making a decision, until that decision is already made for them in a subconscious portion of the brain. Does this sound accurate?

One thing I do wonder, that has been brought up a few times, including the post right above, is how addiction and obsession factors in. Do you guys feel there is a direct correlation, that the most maniacal, over the top fans, are the most likely to also be prone to other forms of addiction like drugs, gambling, and alcohol?

I know in the limited sample of my own observations, if I think of the 3 biggest seahawks fans which I am personally acquainted with, one of them nearly bankrupt his family with a gambling problem. The other 2 have severe alcohol problems which have caused great disarray in their lives. All 3 of them suffer from problems with self control and overindulgence of food, which has left them obese. They have claimed the desire to solve all of these on many occasion but been futile in their attempts. They are good hearted friendly people however, who could be said to exhibit an abundance of emotion.

Also, in my observations of football gatherings, it seems commonplace for there to be gratuitous amounts of alcohol. Often the gathering are even held at bars. There also seems to be a correlation with gambling at these events, where people create gambling pots.

Any input on this? Do you feel there is a direct correlation between the magnitude of fandom, and the likelihood of other addictions?

Is the actual act of being a raving fan, and partaking in its associated activities and behaviors, almost like a form of a drug, which those most prone to addiction are addicted to? Is this fandom, and all of its associated behaviors, something people may suffer withdraws from? Also like a drug, do the most addicted fans also get accustomed to to the effects, and require ever increasing doses? Which in this case would mean more buying of gear and painting of objects, shouting louder, attempting to constantly one up themselves with increasing levels of enthusiasm, etc?

 

[hawknation2016]

I appreciate all of the input from everyone. I do feel like I have a much greater understanding than before. I plan to type out my theories for review and critiquing when finished.

In brief summary however, it seems most of the decisions found so confusing, are not actually made with conscious reasoning. Rather they are made through combination of inherited human instincts, combined with some statistical probability. Decisions a made primarily subconsciously based on emotions, rather than logical thinking. The person may not even realize they are making a decision, until that decision is already made for them in a subconscious portion of the brain. Does this sound accurate?

No.

One thing I do wonder, that has been brought up a few times, including the post right above, is how addiction and obsession factors in. Do you guys feel there is a direct correlation, that the most maniacal, over the top fans, are the most likely to also be prone to other forms of addiction like drugs, gambling, and alcohol?

I know in the limited sample of my own observations, if I think of the 3 biggest seahawks fans which I am personally acquainted with, one of them nearly bankrupt his family with a gambling problem. The other 2 have severe alcohol problems which have caused great disarray in their lives. All 3 of them suffer from problems with self control and overindulgence of food, which has left them obese. They have claimed the desire to solve all of these on many occasion but been futile in their attempts. They are good hearted friendly people however, who could be said to exhibit an abundance of emotion.

Also, in my observations of football gatherings, it seems commonplace for there to be gratuitous amounts of alcohol. Often the gathering are even held at bars. There also seems to be a correlation with gambling at these events, where people create gambling pots.

Any input on this? Do you feel there is a direct correlation between the magnitude of fandom, and the likelihood of other addictions?

Anecdotal.

Is the actual act of being a raving fan, and partaking in its associated activities and behaviors, almost like a form of a drug, which those most prone to addiction are addicted to? Is this fandom, and all of its associated behaviors, something people may suffer withdraws from? Also like a drug, do the most addicted fans also get accustomed to to the effects, and require ever increasing doses? Which in this case would mean more buying of gear and painting of objects, shouting louder, attempting to constantly one up themselves with increasing levels of enthusiasm, etc?

No, this is not the case for the vast majority of football fans.

 

[HawKnPeppa]

Really informative post girl. :th2thumbs:

Thanks! I am also a man.

You're sayin you are both?! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

 

[dutchman063]

Most of them are bandwaggoners who will disappear once the team returns to mediocrity

 

[BirdsCommaAngry]

Really informative post girl. :th2thumbs:

Thanks! I am also a man.

You're sayin you are both?! :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

Touche lol.

 

[BirdsCommaAngry]

In brief summary however, it seems most of the decisions found so confusing, are not actually made with conscious reasoning. Rather they are made through combination of inherited human instincts, combined with some statistical probability. Decisions a made primarily subconsciously based on emotions, rather than logical thinking. The person may not even realize they are making a decision, until that decision is already made for them in a subconscious portion of the brain. Does this sound accurate?

For the more habitual behaviors, it does. However, if you were to go on what current psychological study suggests, then our subconscious and more automatic thinking is not inherently illogical (in many situations and especially those involving developed expertise, our automatic thinking can prove more adept at behaving well and more optimally performing tasks). Automatic thinking can be more prone to certain tricks and biases which undoubtedly play a role in our fandom and every other aspect of everyone's' lives though. The way our brains work in everyday life doesn't usually involve switching back and forth from conscious to unconscious. Instead, these modes of thinking will be working in tandem. For example, as you write a response to this thread, you may more consciously think over what to write while unconsciously performing another task, like taking a drink from a glass. You will also be unconsciously thinking about what to write while consciously reading a post from someone else.

I think the hardest part for us to attempt to explain to you about fandom are the all the pleasures fans can receive from interacting with one another. Imagine eating a snack that tastes really good and how you easily intuit someone along the lines of "Wow, I like this!" Fans feel something similarly pleasurable just by being around one another. Similarly, interactions with rival fans can be bitter and abrasive, like listening to a song you dislike. I've seen addiction and it's something considerably stronger than what the overwhelming majority of fans experience in their relationship with football. A more appropriate word for what you're describing is obsession.