Let’s be clear about this one thing: It’s more than just a game.
Football is an identity, it is a litmus test, it is a boon and it is a curse. It is a source of great joy and frustration and the locus of an incredible, intoxicating power that anyone who has ever caught a touchdown pass, be it on a dirt lot or in a roaring stadium, will tell you is very real. It can make a simple human being feel like a hero and it can make that same person act like a heel. And it can make millions of interested bystanders convulse with emotion that, at times, will bring them closer to their neighbors and, at others, will lead them to abandon their better judgement completely.
Over the course of the last 93 years the National Football League has attempted to capture that power and direct it into building a collosal empire. It has succeeded, boasting 32 teams in distant cities across the country, and bringing in untold riches. Each year those teams fight for the opportunity to play for the league’s championship in the Super Bowl. This year the Seattle Seahawks are in a better position than ever before to win it all.
On the occasion of this potentially historic run, Seattle Weekly has collected five stories of how this team, winners of 13 regular season games, are impacting us as individuals and as a community. And we consider what awaits us when this season comes to a close with a win or, daresay, a loss. Enjoy. And … Go Hawks!
Blue and a Little Green
The Seahawks’ success has proven great for the city’s psyche and, for some, the bottom line. By Ellis E. Conklin
As Bad as It Gets
To better appreciate the best Seahawks team in franchise history, a look back at the very worst. By Daniel Person
That “Finally” Moment
This lifelong 49ers fan has something to say to Seahawks fans. By Kevin Sur
Fighting the Weather
In the inescapable crush of a championship-caliber season, what is a committed football hater to do? By Paige Richmond
To Root Is to Suffer
A look into the psychological state of the traumatized Seattle sports fan. By Seth Kolloen
