I, like most of you, enjoy the NFL. I also like attending the events, because museums and airplanes are full of babies, tourists and germs. Given the relatively high rates of vaccination in the US, combined with actually having had most airborne communicable diseases as a child, I find spending the money on going to events better than some forms of vacation. Being three hours from Seattle means it can be either a day trip (less drinking) or an overnighter at my brother’s up by Northgate (more drinking).

Seahawks games are always about mood. Given the relative recency of most fans fandom, there are always mitigating factors going into attendance:

• weather
• team record
• team opponent
• resale value of tickets

After 7 years, I believe I can say that opening day brings out the best and worst fans. Picture a beautiful day

with fans full of optimism because nothing bad has happened yet (OR WILL!!1!11). There’s big talk and big spending, but also a fair number of Dolphins fans because a good number of the ‘faithful’ have decided to sell their opening day tickets because they have the most value (especially since the Niners went into the shitter) (sorry Covalent). It raises the level of aggro in the stands, because now you’ve got plenty of shit-talkers on both sides.

Admittedly, I have had my season tickets since 2010, so I do not claim to have been a supporter “since forever”. I was merely looking to satisfy a desire to actually have season tickets and take advantage of an exchange rate that made a Canadian dollar worth $1.05 US. (FYI: today’s exchange rate is $0.76.) Putting my beer tips on my credit card, I called up the Seahawks, and got immediate seats for two within 30 minutes – which should tell you about the state of the franchise because I ordered them in July 2010.

So I’ve been here for all this

And I did have tickets for this, [edit – all videos became blocked after posting]

So, what I’m saying is that I’ve been in attendance for the whole recent bandwaggoning. Picture Patriot fans after their second Super Bowl – I know they’ve only won one, but between rantings about Bill Leavy and Malcolm Butler there’s a belief that they’ve deserved two.

Gameday always starts out roughly the same. After parking down by the Coast Guard base, I make my way to Henry’s Tavern on 1st for some cheap pre-game beverages.

It has a nice atmosphere, and a solid beer list for an outdoor setting.

Plus, they’ll let any clown in if they have valid ID.

So, then it’s off to the game.

After a brief stop at church,

It’s time for the security gate.

They have removed the mandatory pegging security had the wands for, and instead brought in metal detectors. Lines were long, but it took about half the time, so yay!

As a season ticket holder, I was promised an upgrade on the in-stadium experience. “Better food”, “more options”, and – my favourite – “enhanced beverage selections”. Walking in through the south entrance, you can actually see that the majority of the improvements went into the expensive sections.

On the upper deck, most were cosmetic or vendor changes. For example, this used to be the Shock Top – Rolling Rock station

Now it’s a grab & go, inventively called “Grab & Go”, but with a choice of child & adult beverages. So, upgrade!

Most other stations got the “new options” treatment, like converting from “nacho stand” to “local cuisine”.

On the whole, satisfactory. The key to me is that for every Bud Light tap, there is nearly a different micro offered at each station on my side/level.

The game itself – well, you saw that (sorry) on your TV.

What you may not have seen – and what separates the type of fans who attend, was a halftime celebration for Jack Patera, the first Seahawks coach (1976-82), who was inducted into the Seahawks “Ring Of Honor”. They brought out Steve Raible, local Seahawks play-by-play announcer and 1977-81 Hawk receiver to emcee, and had representatives from each team he coached out on the field. It was quite genuine and respectful.

Only half the fans cared. Luckily, they had him raise the 12 flag before kickoff, so everyone else would pay attention to his name for 5 minutes.

Shortly after this made the game interesting,

and this made the game really interesting,

all that was left was a swift exit, a moment to stop & watch two bros puff chests and their girlfriends scream about everything, and the walk back to the car.

There you have it. That’s a Seahawks game. Would I recommend going? Of course. Just don’t talk to someone in a Wilson or Sherman jersey, and especially a “12” jersey, because chances are they are the exact kind of poseur you just wanna slap. But yesterday was a good example of what you get: Fine pregame options; upgraded in-stadium offerings; somewhat relevant halftime festivities; which made the time pass much easier at a game I described as “a beautiful day spent with an ugly crowd at a game made of ass.”

I can’t wait for the 49ers to come to town.