Amidst all the Seattle Seahawks news and notes of the week, sometimes the little things that a franchise does for its fans gets lost in the shuffle. But not for me.
Before Sunday's game against the Chargers, I got to take part in the Seahawks VIP Experience. If it sounds cool, it is -- thanks to a connection of my dad's, my entire family got to spend the hour or so before kickoff standing on the sidelines, watching the Seahawks and San Diego Chargers warm up. It left me with two thoughts:
- OH MY GOSH OFFENSIVE LINEMEN ARE INDESCRIBABLY LARGE MEN.
- The Seahawks are simply a first class organization.
It wasn't just the VIP treatment (although that was certainly nice, since my actual season tickets are about 10 rows from the top of the stadium) -- it's the whole thing at Qwest Field. Jeff Sullivan at Lookout Landing had a great writeupyesterday about his first game there, and I think it illustrates the difference between the Seahawks and the franchise across the street.
Everything at Qwest is geared toward the fans. We're encouraged to get involved. We're encouraged to get a little rowdy. We're made to believe that we matter, whether it's the raising and subsequent flying of the 12th Man flag -- by the way, Nate McMillan was an excellent choice -- or the board displaying how many false starts have been generated since 2005, thanks to that 12th Man. Across the street, you're told all the things you can't do because you might disrupt someone's viewing experience.
It's why, even when the team is struggling, I keep coming back to my team: The Seahawks. That they're off to a great start makes the fan experience the icing on the cake.
And if you're still not convinced? Read this. Yup, I know where my wife is taking the kids for breakfast this week.