The Seahawks have won every home game this season, and having their fourth victory at Lumen Field, the players look up to see… no one. Currently, attendees are not permitted to attend games due to COVID-19. This also goes for Mariners games and almost any team you can think of, including Roosevelt sports.
Teams around America are all experiencing the effects of little to no direct support from fans in live games. The adrenaline and chaos, which many athletes thrive off of, are now gone without the yells and cheers from passionate onlookers. Without attending games, how can fans support their favorite teams? Freshman Max Ernst, a huge football fan, reports how he gears up with his favorite team’s merchandise and watches every game from home.
There are many small ways to support your favorite teams while we social distance, like dressing up, making nachos, and watching the game from home. Many people also post on social media to show support. Ernst states, “I post the score after every game because it starts conversations and lets people know who may have fallen out of the loop because of COVID-19.” Posting pictures in team gear or about the game shows your support for the team, even though you can’t support them at the games.
This year, the Mariners have gotten creative in T-Mobile Park with cutouts of fans’ heads, called Seat Fleets, which cost $30 per head. Each head gets their own seat for the entire season. Over this year’s baseball season, the stadium has been filled with over 13,000 cutouts of different people and animals. This has kept the stadium more interactive for both player and viewer enjoyment at home.
Tailgating at the stadium is not an option, but hotdogs and Zoom calls are. Game day parties on Zoom and watching the game from your couch are viable options. The technology we’re given today makes it possible to support your team no matter how far away. Abby Zappone, a junior working at Olympia Pizza, makes sure to turn the channel to NBC Sports every Sunday during her shift to watch the Seahawks play.
Our favorite teams are still competing, our favorite players are still playing, and we can still be cheering. Make an effort to get up and support your team safely. You don’t have to be in the stadium to enjoy the experience. Sports fans see this quarantine as a chance to watch all the sports they could ever dream of, rather than a lockdown.
