Rick Mirer I know it's old hat but before Rick Mirer went to the Bears, he made some public comments that set me off!! I'll leave this page on-line a little longer for those of you who might not have seen the article. As for my comments, do you agree? Disagree? Go ahead, send e-mail! Let's debate the issues!! Fans??? Or Spectators??? I am miffed, to say the least. A friend recently sent me a news clipping that truly upset me. I don't get mad easily. And as a general rule, I like to think the best of people. But this time...grrrrrrrrr! Before I share the clipping with you...along with my thoughts on the subject, of course(!)...I want to state the 'facts', as I know them. This clipping, I'm told, came from somewhere out in AOL-land. I haven't read the entire article, and I haven't been able to locate the source from which it was taken, which means I can't verify its accuracy and I can't determine if it was taken out of context. If ANYONE has the entire article, by all means, send it my way!!! Here's what our former Quarterback reportedly said:

From QB Rick Mirer, comparing his new Chicago Bears fans to the Seattle Seahawks fans he just left: "The difference in Seattle is that they don't have tradition. They don't have fans, they have spectators. In Chicago, they have fans who have grown up with the Bears, people who go back five generations. In Seattle, if you had nothing better to do on a Sunday or it was raining, you'd go to a Seahawks game. I was amazed."

First of all, let me say that I am proud to be a FAN of the Seattle Seahawks!! I wear my team clothing every chance I get. I have a nice collection of Seahawk memorabilia adorning my family room. No matter how cluttered my desk is at work, there's still room for my mini Seahawk flag and my little mouse-guy wearing the Seahawk jersey! My bulletin board displays Seahawk newspaper articles and Seahawk pictures! My file cabinet has a Seahawk magnet! For crying out loud...my screen saver says "Go Seahawks" and my desktop wallpaper is a Seahawk border!! Many people have written to share similar stories. Rick Mirer thinks the Hawks have NO FANS??? My opinion: He is wrong! Let's take Rick's comments a sentence at a time.

Let's define tradition. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, tradition is: "...the passing down of elements of a culture from generation to generation." Rick has a point here. It's difficult to 'pass from generation to generation' when the Seahawks are such a young team. I know on Game Day I always put on Seahawk clothing! My daughters like to wear theirs too! They're too young to appreciate the game but they love to be a part of the action. They like to draw Seahawk pictures for me and read the backs of my Seahawk football cards! Anything colored blue and green takes on special meaning in this household! They're forever keeping their eyes open for anything with a Seahawk emblem when we shop. OK, it's not a lot but it's a start! How many fathers take their sons to the game? I know a few! We're working diligently on that tradition thing, Rick! Give us time!!!

Oh really? Tell that to the fans who paid upwards of $100 to have their very own authentic Rick Mirer jersey to wear on game day. Tell that to those of us who travel hours to get to a game 'just' to see our players in person. Tell that to the 'spectators' who defend the entire team after a bitter loss! In one of those unfortunate games where nothing goes right, we still believe in our Seahawks! The fans that Seattle has now are the TRUE fans...the fans who will remain loyal to this team regardless of the outcome of the season...the fans who will come back year after year after year, always ready to believe, always confident that this will be the Year! I dare say those of us who proudly proclaim our allegiance to the Seahawks are THE BEST FANS the NFL has to offer!!! No bandwagon phonies here!

Okay...you've got me here! I honestly can't say I know any Seahawk fans that span five generations. *sigh* So what exactly does that infer? That Seattle won't...can't...have any 'real' fans for another 60 years??? COME ON.....!

"Nothing better to do???" In the first place, attending an NFL game is not a walk in the park. It's expensive...there are tickets to buy, transportation to get to the game, parking, meals and/or beverages...it all adds up! For some of us, it involves an overnight hotel stay and an airline ticket. It takes the better part of a day and the better part of a paycheck to attend a game. "Nothing better to do???" Oh, Rick!!! Do you really think we're that pathetic (or stupid) that we can't come up with something we'd really like to do with our time and money??? We go to the games because we CHOOSE to go to the games!! We WANT to be there!! Why?? Because we're FANS!!!!! We come to see YOU...and the other players that we give our hearts to each week!! We go to games in spite of the rain!!!! And while we're on this 'rain' issue, let's talk about weather! How 'bout those fans who travel to games at stadiums outside of Seattle to watch the Seahawks? Many of them fight the elements to be 'spectators', and I'm not talking a little rain! I've sat through games outdoors in freezing temperatures with biting winds, bundled up in layer after layer, simply to 'spectate'!!! Why??? Gee, I guess cause I had nothing better to do.....! YOUR COMMENTS... Now about Rick Mirer. I am as shocked as you are. Just because he does not have the talent to make cheer for him doesn't mean we are not good fans. I'm pretty sure that he hasn't got many fans in Chicago either. I was one of those people who purchased a #3 jersey because at the time I thought he was the person to lead our team. I was mistaken. No I have never been to a Seahawk game, but it's not because I don't want to, it's because I live in Alabama (and like to think of myself as the #1 Seahawk fan) and can't go to one. But I have been a fan for as long as I can remember and have put complete faith in every Seahawk (besides "Boz") ever. When Fredd Young, Curt Warner, Dave Krieg, John L. Williams, Eugene Robinson, etc...etc... went to other teams I always pulled for them and wished them the best. And yes for Rick Mirer also, until now. I just think it's unfair of him to bash the Seahawk fans because he couldn't cut it here or anywhere else for that matter. We have stuck with the team through some really bad years. If that's not loyalty I don't know what is. Anyway thanks for letting me vent. ----------------

Me, too! I'm amazed that Rick can say these things!! I simply don't think it's fair to be negative about Seattle and the Seahawks when there are those of us who really do stick with the team through thick and thin!! Seattle DOES have fans! We're working on that tradition-thing! And some of us actually look forward to those games on rainy, Sunday afternoons!!!