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Today is an extremely slow news day so I have decided to write a little about a different sports topic. For the millionth and some odd time today, I was asked why I'm not a fan of the Seattle Seahawks and yet a fan of all other local sports teams. I've decided to answer that question here.
The main reason I'm not a Seahawks fan is that no one in my family really is, so I didn't grow up on them. Some uncles have been converted over time, but they were never pushing for me to be a fan when I was younger.
My family hasn't been in Washington State very long. I'm second generation born here. One of my grandmas was born in Kansas and grew up in Minnesota, and my grandpa that she married grew up in North Carolina (but he's not a sports fan outside of racing). My other grandparents were from Oklahoma, so some of my uncles were raised as Cowboys fans. When my family started arriving in Washington they already had their affiliations and their teams, and the Seahawks did not exist yet.
My mom? She could care less about football, but my Midwestern-raised grandma was always a Vikings fan. My dad was into football and he was a big Giants fan, but he never pushed me to join him there (though I would have enjoyed four Super Bowl wins by now!). He always thought it was better for my siblings and I to make our own decisions (my brother would eventually choose the Packers).
I watched Seahawks games when they were on TV (rarely) and wasn't really impressed with them. Run Curt Warner to the left, run him to the right, and then a Dave Krieg pick or incompletion. Sometimes Brian Blades or Tommy Kane would get a ball they could actually catch thrown to them.
One day during the NFL playoffs in 1988, I fell in love with a team. Even though they lost the game (something I'd get used to, but it still hurts) to the Bears in the Fog Bowl, I was hooked on the Philadelphia Eagles. There was nothing more exciting to a seven year old than Randal Cunningham and the ferocity of that Buddy Ryan defense.
I've gone through all the aches and pains of that franchise like I lived my whole life in Philadelphia. I know it's weird and hard to explain, but the Eagles were the team that got me hooked into sports; they just clicked with me at that right moment. A few months later I discovered the Sonics and my sports obsession really took off.
You could say I'm a pseudo-fan of the Seahawks, in a way, even though I never cheer for them. I do know that Louis Clark didn't discover the Northwest and marry Sacagawea. I know that Jacob Green isn't found in a box of Crayolas, I know that Nesby Glasgow isn't a city in Scotland and I know that Rufus Porter isn't a local beer made by Elysian (why they haven't made that one yet, I have no idea). I'm sure I know more about the Seahawks than some casual sports fans, but I know mega fans like Big Lo have me beat in knowledge and passion for them. They just aren't the team that got me hooked in when I was seven the way the Eagles did.
Now that you've heard my fan story, let's do some NFL predictions:
Wild Card Weekend
Chargers beat the Bengals, 27-24.
Colts take advantage of Andy Reid, 33-17.
Packers send the 49ers home early, 30-23.
Eagles crush the freezing cold Saints, 44-20.
Divisional Round
Broncos destroy the Chargers, 38-13.
Colts make Tom Brady mad, 24-14.
Panthers break my heart again, 20-13.
Packers roll Seahawks, 31-16.
Championship Sunday
Broncos escape the Colts, 28-27
Packers shock the Panthers, 25-19
Super Bowl
Broncos win in a thriller over the Packers, 38-34
What are you unbiased opinions? Those are mine. My biased opinions?...well, let's just say they end with Zeus unconscious and Nick Foles wearing a chest plate of gold, holding the Lombardi Trophy.
