Most of my experiences have been watching the Mariners. I remember sitting in the King Dome when there were more Toronto fans there than M's fans. Didn't matter which team anyone was supporting though, we drank king beers together and enjoyed the sport we loved.
As the M's transitioned into the Safe....The ante was definitely upped. Everything was more expensive, the venue was breathtaking, however, rules remained the same.
I remember one of the first times I saw the M's take on the Yankees at the safe. I, being a Yankee hater, did my fair share of heckling...and hoped that Paul O'Neill would drop a ball so I could yell even louder. He didn't...but the feelings were there.
Lines were not crossed though. Ever. No beer throwing or misconduct. A game we loved...people united for the cause. The Mariner's organization even went as far to BAN "Yankees suck" t-shirts from the ball park. Class. Always a classy place to take in a game that has brought people together for decades.
I love most sports. Not just baseball. I am a Steelers fan, have been since I was born. I used to love the Celtics, but fell out of love with professional basketball when it became apparent college players clearly tried harder to win. I love college football, Nascar, golf, and even tennis.
Part of the joy of being a sports fan is riding the ups and downs, and engaging in rivalries. Rivalries that hurt no one.
Several years ago I took my brother, a Cowboys fan, to a play off game at CenturyLink Field where the Seahawks were playing the Cowboys. We used the entire day as an adventure. Beers at the brewery before hand, stroll through the venue to take it all in, and souvenirs to take home to commemorate our day.
As it turns out, we regretted ever going to that stadium. Here is why:
Upon arriving at the venue, standing in line to get in, we were verbally assaulted before even inside. My brother, being quite a large man, grabbed me and pulled me close, and told me to stay together and not to talk to anyone. We secured a pact that we JUST watch the game and have fun together. engage with no one. I pouted...I'm a people person. However, it was perfect advice on this day, to keep to ourselves.
It took us almost 45 minutes to get to our seats, as we were pushed, prodded, insulted and chastised at every turn. I had never seen my brother protect me so much. I will tell you, I was scared. I wanted to leave.
Perhaps I should explain that we were wearing our own team colors. I simply had on my Pittsburgh Steelers cap....that is all. My brother also had on his Cowboys cap, and Cowboys jersey. We had no idea that we didn't have the freedom to dress as we pleased at the Seahawks game. WTF?
Once to our seats, we were spit on and pushed, and my brother was very adamant to keep eyes forward and just enjoy the game. And so we did. The game was a close one. Back and forth. Honestly, I didn't really care who won, but my brother did. He would respectfully cheer for his teams' triumphs. This too, was not allowed is Seahawks land. Again I say...WTF?
I took off at one point to get a beverage, and came back with a giant bruise on my right calf the size of a California Grapefruit. Yup...someone just hauled off and kicked me as hard as they could. Good times.
I returned to my seat and my brother was livid that I had wandered off by myself. Keep in mind. We are ADULTS. We were also in a public venue. I shouldn't have been afraid of anything, but I was.
As the game started winding down...things got much worse. I hated being there. I went for help at one point, and the ushers had no control over fans at all. In fact once the ushers stood by on watch, things got worse.
The Seahawks ended up winning in the last moments of the game. My brother grabbed me by my coat, and said, "run!" ....and run we did. We went as fast as we could...trying to avoid being tripped or cursed at or worse. We got out of the stadium with minor injuries, and looked for police.
The crowd was nasty, but we got to a point where we could see our car, and we just had one crosswalk to maneuver and we were home free. NOPE.
At the cross walk my brother was assaulted, right in front of police. As the police took control of the jerks, we ran. WE RAN. Got inside our car....and started to drive away. My brother instructed me to get on the floor as he did everything he could to make it to the freeway in a hurry. He even took off his shirt....and hat. Which was ridiculous. I was on the floor of my own vehicle, leaving a sporting event, scared for my life. Fun.
Once on the freeway, we got off on the first exit and just breathed. WE took note of injuries and made sure we were ok, and vowed never to return to Century Link Field again.
So listen up Seahawk fans.....you are an embarrassment to the sport. Did you know that at the last game police officers were walking around in 49's jerseys trying to stop this kind of bullshit? Did you know that extra security was hired to combat any sort of illegal shenanigans that might entail?
I too thought it might be cool if your 12th man broke a noise record. At what expense though? I happen to agree with the fan that wrote the letter to the editor about unsportsmanlike conduct in Seattle. You have the only team in Seattle with no class. What could have been a triumph for your 12th man and the city, has fizzled to nothing but a congratulations on the Loudest Assholes on the planet. Congrats.
And just an FYI...I guarantee you the Kingdome was louder when Griffey hit one out or when The Big Unit was 0-2 on a batter with 2 outs. Just Sayin'
I am including the letter to the editor at the end of this....to read again.....as food for thought.
Unsportsmanlike conduct in Seattle
Was anyone else appalled by the unsportsmanlike conduct of the Seattle Seahawks and their fans, juiced on noise, which surely creates as big an advantage over an opponent as any performance enhancing drug and which, to their shame, NFL officials turn the same blind eye they have to concussions and drugs ("Seattle states case loudly, clearly in rout," Sports, Sept. 16)?It would be simple to fix. Seahawks players and managers would ask their fans to cease and desist, and the NFL would implement a new rule: The visiting team may stop the game when fan noise is greater than a specified decibel level, and should this rule be violated in more than three games, no home games will be played at the offending field for the rest of the season, including playoff games. Things would quiet down.
At a time when the world seems sour, sports give us a place of joy, community and hope, and to have it spoiled is a bigger loss than it seems on the surface.
Judy Spelman, Rich Schiller,
Point Reyes Station
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