How long are you going to watch the Hawks?

[Mick063]

My biggest complaint about the NFL is actually a VERY bad combination. A mix of two ingredients that make poison.

1st Ingredient: Giving referees a purely subjective, ill-defined judgement call (taunting) that can easily determine the final score spread (over/under) or outcome of the game.
2nd Ingredient: Partnering with online gambling companies and in some instances, inviting it into the stadiums.

Combine those two and you get poison. Absolute poison. You can easily hide the point shaving with a well-timed taunting call, and I don't think this was by accident. Remember that playoff tiebreakers can be determined by points as well. Ultimately, if I decide to abandon my fandom, it will because of that. The alluring environment has been created. Now it is just a matter of time. It is inevitable. Because the NFL has made gambling influences virtually undetectable and difficult to prove.

 

[MORGULON]

I'm sure there will be eye rolling, and in the absence of eye rolling, claims of heresy to say the least.

But, how long are you going to watch, follow and root for the hawks and/or NFL?

My gut tells me that when Pete is done, I'll be done. At least in the way that I follow it now. Once the nerf helmets are full time and in production, and the new kickoff rule morphs into 'whatever' 'trials' and 'pilot' projects will eventually take all kicks out of the game, AND the defensive rules get so watered down that it actually fulfills Fade's "Basketball on grass" predictions - and whatever else is going to get thrown at us for legal reasons - I think I'll be done. Make no mistake, it's coming in pieces.

Nerf helmets are infecting the CFL now too. The whole sport is going to get ridiculous if it keeps going.

Anyhow - 2025 is probably my expiry date for most of it. I might watch it in Red-Zone fashion - sorta how I watch baseball right now. If it's on on the weekend, I'll play it in the background while I'm doing something else more productive. I am looking forward to this season and Mr. Geno rocking the Kasbah. But after that.....

You?

I actually kind of throttled back how much I consume. I only watch the Seahawks , if I have any thing else to do
I'll catch highlights. There was a time when I didn't miss one play of one game for years ! It's very cool but not the most important thing in my life.

 

[keasley45]

Until I die, or the Seahawks leave Seattle.

 

[Okieseahawk]

I'm sure there will be eye rolling, and in the absence of eye rolling, claims of heresy to say the least.

But, how long are you going to watch, follow and root for the hawks and/or NFL?

My gut tells me that when Pete is done, I'll be done. At least in the way that I follow it now. Once the nerf helmets are full time and in production, and the new kickoff rule morphs into 'whatever' 'trials' and 'pilot' projects will eventually take all kicks out of the game, AND the defensive rules get so watered down that it actually fulfills Fade's "Basketball on grass" predictions - and whatever else is going to get thrown at us for legal reasons - I think I'll be done. Make no mistake, it's coming in pieces.

Nerf helmets are infecting the CFL now too. The whole sport is going to get ridiculous if it keeps going.

Anyhow - 2025 is probably my expiry date for most of it. I might watch it in Red-Zone fashion - sorta how I watch baseball right now. If it's on on the weekend, I'll play it in the background while I'm doing something else more productive. I am looking forward to this season and Mr. Geno rocking the Kasbah. But after that.....

You?

Since 1976, until death. Good or bad-I bleed Seahawk blue and silver.

 

[CalgaryFan05]

Yeah, sorry, not going to book it.

The NFL transitioning to flag football within 2-3 years is so absurd it's laughable.

Clarification: I did not say that the entire league would transition to flag football within 2-3 years.

I said it would inflicted on QB's first. Whether as a trial, or however they 'present' it.

2-3 years is not unfeasable for the QB change to flags. It's been talked about for 5-8 years now in articles that I can find.

And, oh yea, there's the pesky little detail: Remember the pro bowl from this year? Neither do I, 'cause I didn't watch that flag garbage.

Trust me. It's coming. You can quibble about the speed, presentation and value - but it's comin.

 

[AROS]

Strange question OP since this is a community full of diehards that bleed blue and green. How long? Hell, I will still be following them in the afterlife.

 

[ElvisInBlue]

Well if that's the conspiracy theory, then it's horribly backfired on the league and Vegas. The officiating is the most randomly chaotic it's ever been.

IMO it's FAR more about keeping the stars of the league healthy and upright bringing in high ratings and keeping the billion dollar industry of things like fantasy football/gambling humming like a well oiled machine, rather than safety.

On the contrary, it’s produced the desired result. Margin of victory has never been lower and games decided in the final two minutes has never been higher.

I‘d like to think I’d stop watching when it reaches WWE levels of scripting, but I’m probably kidding myself.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Is this a legit question? Why would you ever stop watching your team? Damn

 

[keasley45]

Is this a legit question? Why would you ever stop watching your team? Damn

I thought the same thing when I first read it, but some folks are diehard... until they aren't. My dad for example was a diehard Hawks fan when we were stationed at Ft Lewis in the early 80s and maintained his Fandom for the next 11 years or so through assignments to Maryland, Texas and Germany. But when he retired to the Blatimore area in the 90s and the Ravens were born, he sold his soul to the home team. He still likes the Hawks (2nd favorite team) but bleeds for Baltimore because they're the home team. So I can understand someone changing allegiances because of where they are or if a particular set of players they rooted for moves on.

Me? My dad got me tix to a game in 1982 and I haven't been the same since. Nosebleed seats, blowout loss to the Giants... but the die was cast and then broken. The only way I ever stop rooting for the Hawks is if I die, the team dies (moves), or an owner comes in and turns them into the west coasts version of the Dan Snyder Redskins. And even then, I'd probbaly just cheer from a distance and bide my time until stability returned.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Fair enough.

 

[AROS]

I guess it's how we define the term "diehard". For me, once you have chosen to become a diehard, it means you bleed, support, stand by, love that team above all others your entire life win or lose. You can still be a great fan and decide to switch allegiances for any number of reasons but I wouldn't call that person a diehard. A fan? Absolutely. For me personally, a diehard is someone who lives and breathes their team to the day they die.

 

[CalgaryFan05]

Strange question OP since this is a community full of diehards that bleed blue and green. How long? Hell, I will still be following them in the afterlife.

It's really not that strange of a question.

I'm surprised with all the changes that are/will be happening to 'our' game in the next couple of years - that people think that it's a strange question.

I mean, c'mon - we're not Soccer yet - we don't 'quite' have people rolling around in a big vegas show trying to draw penalties - but there's certainly changes coming.

Even Pete said the other day with respect to the Fair catch rule: "Gotta be careful with this - it's 'our game' that's at stake here". He then filled it with a word salad giving props to the 'player safety' component of it. But even he's worried.

I can assure you that pretty much everyone in the NFL on special teams is paying attention to this watering down, and the possibility that their jobs are on the line.

What I find 'strange' - is the way that the league continues to talk out of both sides of it's mouth, and really 'what' it gets by many of these things - aside from alienating fans to varying degrees.

And - as a final 'c'mon man' - I'd say: "Yea, I love the hawks, but it's not my RELIGION" or anything. When football stops being largely football, I'll be mostly/all the way out - which was the original question.

If others want a blue and green colored coffin - absolutely no problem - that was kinda the question, wasn't it?

Edit: Wife and I were just discussing this and playing a little 'would you rather' type game. Mora comes back as head coach - you still watching? AND here's a kicker - Aaron Rodgers is signed as our QB - you still watching?

 

[AROS]

I see what you mean. I took it to mean just your love for the Seahawks in general. If you are talking about being turned off by the way the game is headed I totally understand. I don't know how much time I have left on this earth but if it's decades I am sure I will be pretty disillusioned by what I see as NFL football in two decades or so versus what it used to be. Dave Wyman reminds me of myself in a few years. He uses levity a lot but you can tell the softening of the game bothers him.

 

[hgwellz12]

Is this a legit question? Why would you ever stop watching your team? Damn

I stopped watching football altogether for about 2 seasons after XL. I can totally see myself doing it again if something like that ever happens to my Hawks again.

 

[fire_marshall_bill]

Between the kneeling, the greed, and the ultra woke social media presence the Seahawks have, it's tough. Once I get into the season a few weeks, the resentment fades, but it's still there.

Then there's the rule changes. Things that noone blinked at 20 years ago are now targeting and a five game suspension or something. Call a fair catch at the nine. Get it at the 25. It's not football. The gambling and fantasy barrage gets old. The commercials are awful. It's the crap one would expect while watching, "The View." I could go on for a while...

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Nah, NFL football isn't perfect, but I will never stop watching it. Ever.

 

[CalgaryFan05]

Between the kneeling, the greed, and the ultra woke social media presence the Seahawks have, it's tough. Once I get into the season a few weeks, the resentment fades, but it's still there.

Then there's the rule changes. Things that noone blinked at 20 years ago are now targeting and a five game suspension or something. Call a fair catch at the nine. Get it at the 25. It's not football. The gambling and fantasy barrage gets old. The commercials are awful. It's the crap one would expect while watching, "The View." I could go on for a while...

It's absolutely getting watered down. Much of my original points are about the same -

Fade's pretty accurate with the 'basketball on grass' thing - My expiration date will probably line up somewhat with the nerf pointy klingon helmet covers making it into a production game, or the QB position going Flag. The kickoff rule really bugged me too this year. Bugged alot of coaches too - including ours. And, just to know that their stated direction is to get rid of punts, and probably field goals - well - you definately lose me at that point. My tinfoil hat tells me that they want to get kicks out of the game to remove the surprise elements that can tip games - and keep them closer to the odds 'predictably'.

It's a shame - in the name of 'fixing' the sport they seem to be ruining it piece by piece. Hell - CFL isn't even the same - I couldn't stomach watching 1 game north of the 49th this year.

Sucks - but.... time marches on I suppose -

 

[Rat]

Probably death, but I was thinking about new teams to follow when that rumor that we were the early favorites for DeShaun Watson came out. Something like that is probably it.

 

[Ostatehawk]

Till Death.

My other Pro Sports rooting interests are:

SF Giants - Down at current and I am less than hopeful for next year.
SJ Sharks - Currently historically bad - as in maybe taking a run at establishing the worst season long record in NHL history.

So the Hawks are currently my only hope. Sharks and Giants losing doesn't hurt near as much as the Hawks doing poorly.

The NBA is ridiculous, and I refuse to watch it.

 

[PateratoWilson]

I'm sure there will be eye rolling, and in the absence of eye rolling, claims of heresy to say the least.

But, how long are you going to watch, follow and root for the hawks and/or NFL?

My gut tells me that when Pete is done, I'll be done. At least in the way that I follow it now. Once the nerf helmets are full time and in production, and the new kickoff rule morphs into 'whatever' 'trials' and 'pilot' projects will eventually take all kicks out of the game, AND the defensive rules get so watered down that it actually fulfills Fade's "Basketball on grass" predictions - and whatever else is going to get thrown at us for legal reasons - I think I'll be done. Make no mistake, it's coming in pieces.

Nerf helmets are infecting the CFL now too. The whole sport is going to get ridiculous if it keeps going.

Anyhow - 2025 is probably my expiry date for most of it. I might watch it in Red-Zone fashion - sorta how I watch baseball right now. If it's on on the weekend, I'll play it in the background while I'm doing something else more productive. I am looking forward to this season and Mr. Geno rocking the Kasbah. But after that.....

You?

I truly appreciate what you’re saying and I’m NOBODY in any realm… but the fact that you’re bailing when Pete leaves cracks me up. In honesty, I’m surprised many of us haven’t left BECAUSE of Pete. But, I must be getting old...

It’s a disease… I’ll be here until it takes me under and I’ll be reborn when Pete leaves and new leadership takes over.