FanPost

Why People Love/Hate the Seahawks, a Superbowl Prediction, and a Poll

Seahawks are in the superbowl vs. the Denver Broncos. It should be a great one. From a media perspective, there are so many narratives. Its just a matter of picking one; such as, the no.1 offense vs the no.1 defense, no.1 seed vs. no. 1 seed, old guard (Peyton Manning) vs. new guard (Russell Wilson), irresistible force vs. immovable wall, L.O.B vs. Bronco's Wide Receivers, Richard Sherman vs. the World etc.

But for me I am going to focus on what appears to be a major backlash against the Seahawks. It really does seem that a lot of fans from all across the country seem to hate the Seahawks. I suspect it has to do with not just with Sherman's mouth but actually for quite a few reasons. I'll list several of them but also counter those statements with seven reasons people love (or at least should) the Seahawks.

Hate - 1. Richard Sherman. Regardless of race, interview timing, and previous history, Richard could have taken the high road in regards to Michael Crabtree. Was he hyped up after the game? Yes, but he should have represented the organization better. I agree 100% with Pete Carroll. Sherman made it about himself instead of the team, whether unintentionally or not.

Love - 1. Richard Sherman. He is young, confident, brash, and good-looking. The dude has quite a few intangibles that make him a great counterpoint to Russell Wilson's persona. He is like the Jack Sparrow to the earnest Will Turner. The fact they play on opposite sides of the ball really gives a great spokesmen for the Seahawks on both sides of the scrimmage line. You have two very distinct faces for the franchise.

Hate - 2. The Seahawks are young and give off serious vibes reminiscent of the beginning dynasties by the Lakers, Cowboys, and Yankees. Seriously, people are starting to paint the Seahawks as villains but I think its due to something more internal inside all of us, envy.

Love - 3. The Seahawks are cocky but extremely talented, their coach is new-ageish, their fans can come across annoying, and their owner is one of the richest in the world. I don't know why but I honestly feel that this mix makes for a memorable team. Outside of New England does anyone really care about those amazing Patriot teams that dominated the early 2000s? I don't. They were good but they just didn't give off those vibes. Same goes with the NBA's Spurs. But what I do remember are those Lakers teams led by Shaq and Kobe. I have never rooted for a team to lose more than that team. The Yankees of the late 90s were a close second. I absolutely could not stand Derek Jeter's smug face. Can you not get the same feel coming from other fan-bases regarding the Seahawks? Whether you like it or not, villains who rule the world with an iron-fist are often the most memorable and leave a lasting imprint in the fabric of sports history.

Hate - 4. Their fans. So. Many. Band. Wagon. Fans. It happens with every organization that is winning but this is insane. These fans are everywhere but they're also stupidly loud and will let you know how they feel 24/7. Honestly, I do believe that losing so much and coming oh-so-close contributes to this effect. Its bit of an inferiority complex. The Seahawks are a good organization but they haven't really won anything big and neither has the Mariners, Sounders, Supersonics and the local NHL team, the Canucks. Its pretty bleak up there and any measure of hope is desperately clung too. Boston might have play-off fatigue but Seattle has play-off euphoria.

Love - 5. Underdogs deserve to win. Seattle is a winless city in terms of the championship and I believe that they deserve to win one. This would be really neat for the city and its fans. The people there love their teams and they truly want their teams to succeed and will readily get behind those teams. This says a lot than the fans that attend games just to post on their social media wall that they attended a game (looking at you Heat fans).

Hate - 4. P.E.Ds and other substance abuses. No excuses coming from this writer. This is an issue that will plague the team for the rest of their time as winners. You can defend the Seahawks all you want. I won't. I think this is a serious issue that has been avoided by the Seattle media in fear of isolating themselves from getting interviews with the organization. If the team was losing, I think you'd see opposite effect. Its probably the most hypocritical aspect about the team and easily the most valid reason why you can hate the Seahawks.

Love - 6. The players are human and competitors and are looking for every edge possible. They admitted to this and it does give you a perspective that these guys aren't perfect. They make mistakes and learn from them. Its humbling and it gives you an idea of how thin the line between playing in the NFL and not playing in the NFL can be. Sometimes you do whatever it takes to not cross that line..

Hate - 7. Pete Carroll. Its funny. The dude may or may not have left USC to burn in ruins. He was not well-liked by a lot of opposing fan bases in the PAC-10 (12) conference, including by the University of Washington's fans. He comes across as both fake and smug which is a huge no-no to outsider's opinions. The guy wins at all levels but his strange "always compete" (well no shit!) mantra is turned into some grid-iron Buddhist belief that gives people flashbacks of Phil Jackson's odd ball yoga sessions with the Lakers (I still remember what you did in the dark) and this definitely makes you think hippie which in turn makes you think pot, beads, and dirty sheets.

Love - 8. The Seahawks are progressive. I love the Seahawks modern uniforms. Their amazing stadium that still makes HD television pale in comparison. Their young and hopeful team. Their tall over-sized corners. Their positive thinking. Their belief in keeping things simple. Their willingness to cut established veterans for unknown rookies drafted in the late rounds. There is something that makes you think that this team is the new era of football. They are both "cool" and traditional. Their football identity is definitely old school while everything else is meant for the younger generation. Its refreshing and makes you think that the NFL might not just be relying on men in their 40s to 60s.

Hate - 9. They play in your division and you lost to them and are jealous.

Love - 10. They play in your division and they represent the physicality, brutality, and talent of the NFC West which is hands down the best and most difficult division in the NFL. I honestly don't get why the fans of the Rams, 49ers (okay maybe a little) and the Cardinals aren't rooting for the Seahawks this Sunday. They are going against a very finesse driven team in the Broncos. This is also about divisional superiority and I think that this would only magnify the success of the Cardinals and their one win against the Seahawks in Century Link and also the Rams and their fairly solid excuse as to why they keep losing despite all those hundreds of 1st round picks they get every year.

Superbowl Prediction.

The historically great Bronco offense is too much for the Seahawk defense which still has to bail out the still inconsistent Seahawk offense. Broncos win 30-20.

By the way, I am now 0-3 for my on the record games. Its a trend so far. Here's to trends.