A few idiots don't make a fan base

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60 percent of the time..........it works........every time

Some of you want to come over here and watch a football game. That'd be a real eye opener. You'd be lucky to come away with hurt feelings if you walked into a football stadium wearing the opposition jersey. It's simple really - don't wear a Niners jersey. The day you stop a vast minority of football fans among a 70K crowd swearing at a game is the day you ban alcohol from the city on game day and achieve a degree of world peace.

The most mess I've ever talked to a fellow fan was "hey bro your team is trash, I'm sorry" that was the beat down we put on Philly last season.

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Official Tharold Simon Fan Club Member

Two unsolicited e-mails started this? That seems low.

When I've worn the wrong colors/gear to games I've always expected and gotten verbal abuse, most of it in good nature, much of the rest by fans who should avoid alcohol.

Dressing your kids up to away games or razzing kids is stupid/wrong.

How embarrassing. I would like to think we are better than this. It's only a game. I have had this stuff happen to me years ago at a raider game. Not fun.

Imagine what the atmosphere would be like at an NFL game if they sold Marijuana instead of Alcohol. So, instead of paying seven to ten bucks for a 16 oz plastic bottle of beer, you would pay the same amount for some fresh Indica* tightly rolled up in a joint. Yeah, I know this would never happen. Not in my lifetime anyway. But if you could just imagine all the folks who consume enough alcohol to lose self-control, sometimes violently; If you could just imagine those people smoked marijuana at the game instead of drinking. How much more enjoyable the games would be. Of course there would be a smoking and non-smoking section.

I don't think selling and allowing the consumption of marijuana at Century Link would be good though. The 12th Man wouldn't be as loud. Everyone would either be in line to buy junk food, or they'd be sitting silently in their seats, eating junk food. If Century Link were the first stadium in the NFL to distribute and allow the consumption of marijuana. The Clink would no longer be the loudest stadium in the league, it would be the most silent. Perhaps even in the world. The only noise would be from the field and the occasional giggling of some 'first time smoker' in the seats.



* FYI - Indica is a species of Cannabis that has a higher Cannabidiol:THC ratio, which causes more relaxation and even has an anxiolytic [anti-anxiety] effect. Unlike Cannabis "Sativa" which has a higher THC:Cannabidiol ratio. Sativa is more popular in Marijuana's black market, most likely because its easier to grow and maintain than Indica (or so i've been told by friends that grow, legally). Anyway, Sativa is known for having more of a cerebral high, which smokers often call a 'head high', while India is a 'body high'. Not sure about the reasoning behind this, I rarely smoke, but when I do it's all the same to me. I do notice more paranoia with Sativa than Indica though..

Sorry for the lesson on pot species, haha.. Not necessary, but i'm a bit bored. If you couldn't already tell.

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~ The Stache'

That.

I second this.

But its more like a few thousand. Out of the 67,000 that CenturyLink Field seats, I would estimate (from my experience at 25+ games at Clink/Qwest), that at least 7,000 of those people are drunk and somewhat out of control. Playoff games can be even worse. I've only been to three playoff games in Seattle, but every one of them, I saw at least twice as many people out of control than a regular season home game.

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~ The Stache'

That's it? One letter? No one hurt? Just some feelings ruffled from an opposing teams fan who admits to retaliating to seemingly every comment?

Well considering an evening game, alchohal that had likely been getting consumed for multiple hours before the game even started and against our biggest rival (and well known most vocal shit talkers themselves) in a highly heated event with very heavy implications between two smash mouth teams that obviously hate each other, the best the Seattle times can come up with is a disgruntled Niner fan who admittedly retaliated on several occasion?

I think some are blowing this out of proportion. If you believe a completely emotionless free environment is possible while also being known as the loudest and rowdiest crowd in the league. I think your really reaching.

I would feel different if there was a large volume of complaints or there were actual acts of violence but that is not the case. This is one isolated complaint that we have no idea how much is exaggerated or blown out of proportion, let alone how much of it was brought on by the person complaining.

Chastising an entire fan base (one known for it's emotional input) because one person complained is over the top. I have heard way to many good stories from opposing teams fans about their experience in Seattle to believe we are all just drunken/ignorant thugs. If you really believe there should be zero ribbing at games with opposing teams fans then by all means, stay home.

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"cheating", Eddie D. pled to a FELONY to avoid prison and paid players under the table. Brent Jones was paid 500k the year after he stopped playing for "services" in the 90's.. Of course, there is Carmen Policy also

I have seen every one of these things happen. Rarely is it physical. Too much in your face yelling though.

But it is not the majority. We as fans need to do a better job of keeping it to boos as opposing fans walk by. Less in your face and less dropping f bombs.

Hey you know what? As Hawk fans we are better than this year. As real Hawk fans we don't act like that. So stop trying to pretend that the entire fan base is out of control, and yes that is what you are acting like.

You know who does crap like this? Drunk jackasses who aren't even real fans, just morons looking for excuses to be drunk fools in public. The ones who yell at fans like that (I've only seen this on a few occasions and none to the level of that lady who wrote to the garbage times) and yeah, one time I did step in and tell the "hawk" fan to cool it. Don't tell us how we should feel and act when you don't know how we feel and act.

I just don't believe this story happened the way it was written. I've been a season ticket holder in the 300's section and have been to plenty of games in the 100's section too, never have I ever seen anything close to what she described. So ya, we are better than that.

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Team Hansen

After reading this article, the lady who is complaining about being abused made several mistakes. You go wearing the other teams colors in a critical game, you must realize that you are going to get ribbed. When you get ribbed you just smile, accept it and go on. You do not do what this lady did repeatedly, you don't tell the people to shut up, that just makes the situation ten times worse. Nope you smile, and make subtle moves to defuse the situation.

I have gone to a lot of road games and I tell you the way this lady reacted was completely the wrong way to go about it.

70,000 people + Alcohol = a few isolated incidents of cussing and verbal harassment according to a couple of stories that were submitted by email and cannot be confirmed?

Wow...how does this even make the newspaper? The fact that there are that many people there and so few incidents you'd think the Times would be running a story about how relatively safe a pro football game compared to driving, going to a bar, or even taking a bath

And like what others have said...you don't tell opposing fans to shut up if they cuss at you at your family. They're just cuss words...sticks and stones and all that.

I've gotta agree. My family and I went to the Titan's game in Nashville back in '05. My sister and I wore Seahawks' jerseys, my parents Titans. The worst I got was just a little ribbing, nothing big. I simply joked around with the people, and everything then just turned into light banter. It turns out, most of the Titan's fans I talked to were big fans of Shaun Alexander (it is SEC country), so maybe that had something to do with it.

Even before the game while tailgating, it wasn't anything serious. I heard a lot of "Seahawks suck!" and "We're gonna kick ya'lls a..", but that is normal behavior. I honestly had a great time at the game, even being an opposing fan. Though, it's not like the Seahawks and Titan's are bitter rivals either.

A couple years back, there was a son and his dad at Qwest field; the son must have been six or so. They came from Arizona to watch the Cardinals play the Seahawks. What a joy to watch those two as they had just witnessed the Cards hand the Hawks their hind ends and Daddy and son were just giddy. Daddy was carrying son on his shoulders....

I couldn't help but feel good for them. I had my camera and took a couple of pictures of the two as we walked along the concourse exiting the stadium just because of the good feeling they gave me as I watched them two.

I asked him for his email address and told him I would email him the pictures I took. Following the email I corresponded with him a couple of times........finally there was nothing to talk about anymore and I haven't heard from him since.

I still smile as I think back on that time of my life....we aren't all that bad.

This goes on in every city just about, sadly. And it goes both ways. This year at the Vikings game I sat next to one smart-ass viking fan. 10 years or so ago at the Eagles game at Husky stadium, I got quite the verbal abuse as I was in section full of Eagles fans.

There's always good-natured ribbing, such as booing the opposing fan when they come to their seat...but there is other BS. A couple years back at the Rams game I saw two big Seahawks fans corner a a guy wearing a Rams jersey against the wall and they were screaming in his face.

There is no need to cuss people out, especially kids. That's the worse part when it's a family with kids getting ripped.

I once saw a woman cut in two at a game, it was awesome! Best half time entertainment ever.

This is very simple, don't show up to a Seattle game dressed in 49er gear and Duck gear. Problem solved. If you don't like being harassed, don't go, and especially don't write a letter to the Times crying about it. Period.

The best thing about this article is hearing they won't be back.

If it is just a "few bad apples" than we can call them out and embarrass them in the act. If it's representative of a larger group/normal behavior one would find at a football game, then yeah - go into it with expectation.

I hope she doesn't boycott Seattle for good though, because the Seahawks are just one aspect of what makes this a world class city. I suppose Vancouver folks do most of their shopping in Portland though, location and no sales tax y'know.

I live in Illinois...Not proud of it, just a fact.
I've been to see the Hawks at Soldier Field, Lambeau Field, Metrodome, and Ford Field(Yep...On that fateful day).
I've always worn Hawks gear to these games, and people are going to spout off...
It is how you respond to it that is the key.
I generally end up buying the people around me a few beers, they buy me a few beers, and we talk crap about each others teams...
When it's all said and done, we shake hands and go home...
I can't imagine why this screeching harpy that was telling everyone to 'Shut up! had a bad time?