Major League Sports and Soccer in Seattle

By Barbara Smurlo


People that reside in Seattle prove that it takes more than rain to keep good sports fans down. Big league sports in Seattle have made a name for devoted fan support, with some of the most vocal supporters and enthusiastic scenes taking place in the stands. New stadiums in downtown Seattle have brought further excitement for major league fans in Seattle.

Seattle Seahawks

Few NFL groups enjoy the fan support that the Seattle Seahawks have achieved. The Seahawks joined the league in 1976, and Seattle's love affair with the Seahawks might make it among the most popular of all the top sports in Seattle. Crowds attending games at the Kingdome and now at CenturyLink Field have earned the pet name "The 12th Man" for their capability to dominate and influence opponents. During one game against the New York Giants in 2005, crowd noise helped make a contribution to 11 false start penalties and 3 missed field goals. The Seahawks have come the nearest to bringing a major championship home to Seattle, having made it to the Super Bowl in 2006 before losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Seattle Mariners

Baseball has a long history in Seattle, all the way back to the Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League. Major league baseball initially came to Seattle in 1969, when the expansion Seattle Pilots played for one season before making the move to Milwaukee and renaming them the Brewers. Professional baseball in Seattle became permanent when the Mariner's made their debut in 1977. The Mariners became perennial contenders in the 1990s with star players including Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr., and Randy Johnson. Today, fans of baseball in Seattle can also catch Japanese star Ichiro and the Mariners at Safeco Field.

Seattle Sounders

The debut of the Seattle Sounders in professional soccer in 2009 extended a convention of soccer in Seattle that goes back to 1974, when the Sounders played in the North American Soccer League. Fans of soccer in Seattle have made CenturyLink Field the hot spot during Sounders games, with the team having sold more season tickets than any other MLS team in the USas well as leading attendance marks in US MLS. Standout players for the Sounders have included former US National Team goalkeeper Kasey Keller and Freddy Montero. There's star power in the front office, too , as funny man Drew Carey is one of the team's owners. Soccer in Seattle also provides MLS with its fiercest contention, as the players and fans of the Sounders and the Portland Timbers get involved in a heated battle for soccer supremacy in the Pacific Northwest.




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