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News & ArtsWednesday, May 20, 2009
Sports The Sounders and Their Setting
Posted by Eli Sanders on Wed, May 20, 2009 at 4:07 PM
Continuing Monday's foray into the various theories for why, exactly, the Seattle Sounders have suddenly become such hot shit, here follows theory number two: it's the staging, stupid.
Because when you go to a game (up above is the view from a corner flag seat I lucked into for the San Jose Quakes game), or even when you watch a game on TV, it strikes you that there's something refreshingly unadorned about the way the Sounders are presented. The uniforms are nice, but not slick. (And frustratingly, but also charmingly, not nearly revealing enough.) The way the game is timed—two 45-minute halves with none of the long, predictable play stoppage of other sports—has the wonderful unintended consequence of making commercial interruptions and cheesy fan games difficult to plan. The marching band that provides the music. The open-air setting. The view of brick-and-mortar Seattle as you exit the stadium heading north (which includes the King Street Station clock tower; the elderly, elegant Smith Tower; and the low, pre-glass-and-steel buildings of Pioneer Square). It all adds up to an evening in which the game isn't begging for your attention but, instead, simply earning it.
Or, as Abby put it in the comments on Monday:
It's just fun. The games are fun live, they're fun at a pub, etc. At this moment it feels inclusive and exuberant and enjoyable. It's new and interesting. It's for everyone—young drunks, families, respectable adults, etc.
Next: The blame-your-parents theory, touched on already by Monday commenter No. 33.
Photo by Mike G.
1
You have some good points - the lack of cheesy fan games, the marching band, and definitely the way the team is presented all add to the appeal.
But as far as Abby's comment, I can say I've had those inclusive, exhuberant and enjoyable moments at games or in bars for pretty much every sport in Seattle (baseball, football, hockey, basketball, soccer, etc), and you are just as likely to find a diverse crowd of "young drunks, families, respectable adults, etc." at a Mariners or Thunderbirds game. The only distinction the Sounders have in that regard is that MLS is new to Seattle.
And as far as "the view of brick and mortar Seattle as you exit the stadium heading north", congratulations! You've discovered the wonderful views that I see when exiting Qwest Field after a Seahawks game!
I would hardly consider this particular theory to explain the unique appeal of the Sounders, unless you don't like or watch any other local sports.
But as far as Abby's comment, I can say I've had those inclusive, exhuberant and enjoyable moments at games or in bars for pretty much every sport in Seattle (baseball, football, hockey, basketball, soccer, etc), and you are just as likely to find a diverse crowd of "young drunks, families, respectable adults, etc." at a Mariners or Thunderbirds game. The only distinction the Sounders have in that regard is that MLS is new to Seattle.
And as far as "the view of brick and mortar Seattle as you exit the stadium heading north", congratulations! You've discovered the wonderful views that I see when exiting Qwest Field after a Seahawks game!
I would hardly consider this particular theory to explain the unique appeal of the Sounders, unless you don't like or watch any other local sports.
2
It's also because Seattlites will latch onto anything that makes them look global and feel cosmopolitan. It's what makes them look so insecure and provincial.
And this is from a Brit....
And this is from a Brit....
3
@2
So if we enjoy soccer and get behind our new team then we are trying to hard to be "global" (whatever the fuck that means) and are therefore look provincial, but if we were to reject soccer and instead stick with our native sports like baseball and football, what would we look like?
So if we enjoy soccer and get behind our new team then we are trying to hard to be "global" (whatever the fuck that means) and are therefore look provincial, but if we were to reject soccer and instead stick with our native sports like baseball and football, what would we look like?
4
"whatever the fuck that means"
It's Seattlites sad insecurities at being called 'Americans'. It's charming, but quite pathetic. I actually would prefer the red blooded, gun toting, 'ignorami' who live on the other side of the Cascade Mountains, they at least aren't embarrassed of being American and don't feel the need to apologize all the time.
Face it, no matter how much a Seattlite talks excitedly about how 'in Amsterdam I smoked legal hash' and how in France 'healthcare is free', all you do is sound terrible provincial.
It's Seattlites sad insecurities at being called 'Americans'. It's charming, but quite pathetic. I actually would prefer the red blooded, gun toting, 'ignorami' who live on the other side of the Cascade Mountains, they at least aren't embarrassed of being American and don't feel the need to apologize all the time.
Face it, no matter how much a Seattlite talks excitedly about how 'in Amsterdam I smoked legal hash' and how in France 'healthcare is free', all you do is sound terrible provincial.
5
It depends, Hernandez. About half of the people I talk to about the Sounders follow other Seattle sports/other sports, about half don't. So for some it is something completely new. All the fun of following sports without all the cultural hangups around baseball and football.
And the lack of cheesy fan games, the lack of piped-in music and announcements in the stadium during the game...all of that is really nice. Is that appealing to people who are used to following other sports? I went to a basketball game with my family and found the constant loudspeaker noise kind of jarring, but maybe people like that.
And the lack of cheesy fan games, the lack of piped-in music and announcements in the stadium during the game...all of that is really nice. Is that appealing to people who are used to following other sports? I went to a basketball game with my family and found the constant loudspeaker noise kind of jarring, but maybe people like that.
7
"if we were to reject soccer and instead stick with our native sports like baseball and football, what would we look like?"
Come on, footie is popular in Seattle only because you all think it's an ALT-sport, hipsterish, somehow anti-American.
The fact that in most of the world it's played by hooligans and watched by hooligans, instead of by ugly lesbians like it is in Seattle, escapes you.
Come on, footie is popular in Seattle only because you all think it's an ALT-sport, hipsterish, somehow anti-American.
The fact that in most of the world it's played by hooligans and watched by hooligans, instead of by ugly lesbians like it is in Seattle, escapes you.
8
Lime green knee socks are innappropriate for men to wear in any context. They need to fix that pronto.
9
This isn't new. Go back and look at NASL attendances, and excepting the last couple years when the league was on life support, the Sounders were always near the top. It's not just a Seattle, you'll see the same thing when Vancouver and Portland join the league in 2011. People in the PNW like soccer.
11
I heard some people whining that they have to stand in the end zones to see the games cause everyone else is standing and cheering all the time.
Those people should be grateful there isn't blood in the stands yet. And sell me their seasons tix at 50 percent off so I can scalp em.
Those people should be grateful there isn't blood in the stands yet. And sell me their seasons tix at 50 percent off so I can scalp em.
12
@4: Christ, not another loudmouth alcoholic limey cumsock talking shit about Americans.
Please, move to Eastern Washington and live among all those authentic Americans.
Please, move to Eastern Washington and live among all those authentic Americans.
13
Although the location can be an argument for 'why Seattle' versus other US cities. Qwest is ideally located, easy to get to, with the city right around it. This is not the case for most MLS teams. I'll be going to Denver this weekend for the game, and the Rapids' shiny new stadium is closer to the airport than the city of Denver. I don't even know if there are bars within walking distance.
15
@5 I think it's generally appealing to fans of other sports. Having seen the stupid hydro races on the Diamond Vision at Safeco about a million times, I can definitely say that the lack of manufactured amusement is a selling point for the Sounders.
16
Exactly. The only way to watch hydro races is from the supporters log on the lake, while the biofuel hydro races past you and tosses you into the cool cold water.
17
The departure of the Sonics and the shit seasons of the Mariners, Seahawks, and even Huskies certainly have something to do with it. Seattle is a sports-starved town. We've suffered more than most:
18
Abby @5, what exactly are the "cultural hangups" with being a fan of football and/or baseball? Not being snarky, just curious as to what you mean.
19
Cultural hangups is Seattle English for 'we're not like typical Americans'.
Sadly, Seattlites are typical Americans in all the worst ways, always telling other people how to live their lives. But they like footie! Official sport of American lesbians.
Sadly, Seattlites are typical Americans in all the worst ways, always telling other people how to live their lives. But they like footie! Official sport of American lesbians.
20
@18: I think it's the perception, valid or not, that those sports- football, baseball- are for meatheads and idiots. (Not helped by fans of football/baseball/etc. showing up every time Americans discuss soccer somewhere non-soccer-specific to tell them that their sport is for wimps.) The beer-commercial ideal of sports. I'm not saying that fans of football/baseball act like they're in a beer commercial, but perception isn't always contingent on reality.
21
" are for meatheads and idiots."
I guess you've never met a Dutch football fan then. Or some of the intellectuals who support Millwall?
I guess you've never met a Dutch football fan then. Or some of the intellectuals who support Millwall?
23
Where's the best seat to enjoy the wonderful staging among the $20 seats? 100 level, 200 level; bench side, in or near endzone, sideline across benches? I've never been to a stadium soccer game and don't quite get what all this means. Thanks!
26
@24: It's more about perception. I'm not saying that there aren't both Timbers fans and intelligent football fans out there, but the perception matters. Because soccer is perceived to have less of those elements here (in the US), especially since those meathead types are threatened by soccer for whatever reason, it's more appealing to some. So, enjoying the fun parts of sports without the cultural hangups.
27
@21 aka angry limey dipshit
At least in America, our stadiums don't collapse.
I'm glad that soccer has a chance to develop here without all the hooliganism and bad elements that are part of the "tradition of the game" elsewhere in the world. Tribalism belongs in the past. We're building a new tradition, embracing globalism.
At least in America, our stadiums don't collapse.
I'm glad that soccer has a chance to develop here without all the hooliganism and bad elements that are part of the "tradition of the game" elsewhere in the world. Tribalism belongs in the past. We're building a new tradition, embracing globalism.
28
@ 20, 26 - isn't that a more politic way of saying what AWM has been saying, that the Sounders are popular because it allows their fans to show how un-mainstream or un-American they are?
@ 27 - what makes you think that American soccer fans are going to be immune from the hooliganism and bad elements?
And is mocking Hillsborough or Heysel or whatever you were getting at part of that immunity? Because I'm pretty sure European fans have been doing that for years now.
@ 27 - what makes you think that American soccer fans are going to be immune from the hooliganism and bad elements?
And is mocking Hillsborough or Heysel or whatever you were getting at part of that immunity? Because I'm pretty sure European fans have been doing that for years now.
30
cultural hangups = footie fans in the US have more class.
Typical Seattle 'we have more class' attitude.
'Embracing globalism'. As opposed to the actual game. Typical Seattle pretention. Keep trying, it's cute watching you pretend to be such sophisticates.
And can someone explain to me why footie in the America has been embraced by ugly lesbians?
Typical Seattle 'we have more class' attitude.
'Embracing globalism'. As opposed to the actual game. Typical Seattle pretention. Keep trying, it's cute watching you pretend to be such sophisticates.
And can someone explain to me why footie in the America has been embraced by ugly lesbians?
31
@28: for *some*. How many times do I have to say that this isn't a one-size-fits-all proposition? Yes, for *some* that's the case. Not for *everyone*, and it's a lot more complicated than just "Seattleites think they're better." I'd wager that the fans who like soccer because they think it's "un-American" are a much smaller group than outsiders think. They don't tend to stick around past a World Cup.
32
Although, yes, it is the alternative air that makes soccer attractive originally to a lot of Americans, and I'm not sure what's so objectionable about that. It's not enough to hold fans to a significant degree, because to stay watching past a major tournament you have to enjoy watching the sport, but it is an enticement. You get told enough times that you shouldn't watch by people you can't stand it gets more intriguing. Things considered to be rebellious and different always are. Soccer fans just get given the most shit about it, I've noticed. I try and be less reactive about it these days, but it doesn't always work (as you can see).
However, that's not enough to draw support like the Sounders have been getting. The support that the Sounders have means that a lot of the audience are regular Seattle sports fans. What draws them to the game is more interesting than what draws committed soccer fans like myself.
And now that I've made an ass of myself, I'm going to get coffee. I really should learn to stop posting without it.
However, that's not enough to draw support like the Sounders have been getting. The support that the Sounders have means that a lot of the audience are regular Seattle sports fans. What draws them to the game is more interesting than what draws committed soccer fans like myself.
And now that I've made an ass of myself, I'm going to get coffee. I really should learn to stop posting without it.
33
I love the success of the Sounders and I'm happy that long standing soccer fans and newbies have embraced them.
But, have any of you knuckleheads noticed that it's not real grass their playing on? During the Seahawks season you'll also have those awful "football" lines on the field to distracts from the soccer game.
The truth unfortunately, no matter what the field turf enablers say, is real soccer is played on real grass. UEFA the European governing body for soccer for instance, would never allow a meaningful game they sanction to be played on a artificial surface. Imagine the outrage if during the construction of Safeco Field and announcement were made that instead of real grass for baseball the club management was going to install field turf because it was easier to maintain.
Unfortunately, even though Paul Allen promised real grass in the stadium when he wanted your votes to approve it, he caved on that promise once the votes were counted. It seems that no one in Seattle tried to hold his feet to the fire on the issue once the decision was made to use field turf. What is saddening is that Americans seem to have a hard time nowadays telling real grass from phony grass.
The pitch in soccer is one of the prime consideration when it comes to the basic ambiance of the game and your missing a major point about the beauty of the game of soccer if you think playing on field turf is somehow close to the real thing. More on the subject here: http://artistdogboy.blogspot.com/2008/07…
But, have any of you knuckleheads noticed that it's not real grass their playing on? During the Seahawks season you'll also have those awful "football" lines on the field to distracts from the soccer game.
The truth unfortunately, no matter what the field turf enablers say, is real soccer is played on real grass. UEFA the European governing body for soccer for instance, would never allow a meaningful game they sanction to be played on a artificial surface. Imagine the outrage if during the construction of Safeco Field and announcement were made that instead of real grass for baseball the club management was going to install field turf because it was easier to maintain.
Unfortunately, even though Paul Allen promised real grass in the stadium when he wanted your votes to approve it, he caved on that promise once the votes were counted. It seems that no one in Seattle tried to hold his feet to the fire on the issue once the decision was made to use field turf. What is saddening is that Americans seem to have a hard time nowadays telling real grass from phony grass.
The pitch in soccer is one of the prime consideration when it comes to the basic ambiance of the game and your missing a major point about the beauty of the game of soccer if you think playing on field turf is somehow close to the real thing. More on the subject here: http://artistdogboy.blogspot.com/2008/07…
34
Seattle folks like the be hip and alternative. That's why the Storm was popular a few years back, until people actually went to the games and found out how boring they were. And that's why we keep hearing about roller derby (please!).
I've seen hundreds of comments in Slog over the years disdaining the morons who would waste their time and money watching professional sporting events rather than, you know, going to fringe theater or attending erotic film festivals. But now that we've got a team that has been blessed by the hipster crowd it's suddenly cool to follow a pro sports team. Go figure.
I've seen hundreds of comments in Slog over the years disdaining the morons who would waste their time and money watching professional sporting events rather than, you know, going to fringe theater or attending erotic film festivals. But now that we've got a team that has been blessed by the hipster crowd it's suddenly cool to follow a pro sports team. Go figure.
35
Stupid White Man is awfully obsessed with the Ugly Lesbians of Seattle (ULS). Something tells me the ULS don't give a tinker's damn about SWM, however.
36
@33 That ship has sailed. UEFA sanctioned matches have already happened on Field Turf, and while it was noted, it wasn't a big deal. Specifically, when Spartak Moscow plays in the Champions' League, they play on the same kind of turf that is installed at Qwest. FIFA has approved Field Turf for use in official matches, so this is a non-issue.
Also, we'll see if they are able to follow through, but the ownership group said that football lines would not appear on the field during Sounders matches.
Also, we'll see if they are able to follow through, but the ownership group said that football lines would not appear on the field during Sounders matches.
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