Sunshine Reigns in Seattle…..But Vikings take the Game.
By: Lisa Manyon www.writeoncreative.com
Seattle Seahawk fans and sports fans in general may enjoy this little dissertation…or not. I say, or not, because I realized that about half of the fans at the game on Sunday were fair-weather fans despite the unusually bright, Seattle day.
Here’s the deal. John (my husband) is a HUGE sports fan. Hence the high def big screen strategically placed in the basement where I don’t have to watch sports magnified 50 times. Anyway, you may have guessed that I am not a sports fan. I really don’t get it. Fandom has always baffled me. John on the other hand is right in there with the rest of the screaming maniacs, Seahawks jersey and all. I politely declined when he offered to purchase one for me to wear to the game. Although, admittedly, the sports garb is coming around, I spotted a few Hawk jerseys in pastel colors, pink, green and blue to be exact….
So, John and I discuss fandom and how it just doesn’t resonate with me. He politely points out that I am fully immersed in writing and marketing fandom. After all, he says….”I saw you in photo’s from the Red Hot Speed Copywriting Workshop, clutching on to people who I’d probably think are pretty weird.” Point taken and with a big hearty laugh. He’s right; we all have our “things”. The more I thought about it, I may be struck with a bit of fandom when it comes to certain musicians too. Take for instance the time I met Tim McGraw and couldn’t speak. Yeah, we all have our moments and as mentioned before, things that we’re passionate about and that fire us up.
Sports isn’t my thing, business obsession isn’t his. None the less, we can appreciate and celebrate our differences. At least my obsession doesn’t involve face painting, screaming at the top of my lungs and gigantic tail gate parties….although, I entered into this experience with an open mind and we met up with a group of friends that include a few of the crew from the Pike Place Fish Market to lively up a bit before the game. Speaking of face painting, check out some of the work below.
Before the game, we ran into a few of the Minnesota Vikings because they stayed at the Renaissance where we happen to be staying. In fact, we talked to Brad Johnson, the quarterback for the Vikings in the elevator.(He’s number 14 and, ladies, he looks way better in his jeans than his padded uniform…okay, so that’s mildly interesting). Of course, John’s outfitted in his Hawks jersey, but he’s a polite fan and wished Johnson luck and shook his hand. I suppose I could have requested an autograph or two and had some glory shots taken but again…not my thing. It’s funny too, to see the reaction of people when they find out you’ve come in contact with a sports celebrity. Take for instance, Mack Strong, he’s number 38 for the Hawks and a great guy. He’s also married to John’s cousin which means, by marriage,I’m remotely related to him. We don’t know him extremely well but he was in our town visiting a while ago for a family situation and word spread fast. Suddenly people were asking me about him and dropping hints about autographs. Again, not something I’ll bother him for. I’d say he deserves a little peace. But, that’s just my take; maybe they like the attention from fans and the requests.
Although, I have to say, I noticed something disturbing about Hawk fans at the game. When the chips were down, so to speak, 1/2 of the stadium got up and left…..fair-weather fans. Now, there’s something just plain wrong about that. I may not be a huge sports fan, but if you choose a team, aren’t you supposed to be somewhat loyal? Isn’t it rude to just get up and walk out just because victory doesn’t look certain? This of course, made me think of business and customer loyalty. How many of us have a customer base that might walk if things got a little rocky? The point is, keep a solid foundation, build those relationships and hopefully when you’re having a bad day your customers won’t walk out on you.
