When Do We Cheer and When Do We Boo?
“You Either Die A Hero, Or You Live Long Enough To See Yourself Become The Villain” - Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight
Seattle Sports fans are fiercely loyal. Whether it’s the Storm Crazies, the 12’s (Seahawks), or Mariners fans that supported the team night in and night out while the team was going through the longest playoff drought in professional sports (20 years). Hell, there are still tons of Seattle SuperSonics fans in the region that continue to hold out hope that their team will return one day after the franchise was relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008. To this day, you will see plenty of people walking around Seattle wearing Sonics apparel and it’s been 15 years since the team was stolen.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a city with more dedicated fans. There is a reason why the city’s fans are consistently praised whether it’s the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLS, or the most recent NHL team.
The Seahawks stadium has been a nightmare to play for opposing offenses causing more False Starts than any other NFL franchise since 2005. The Sounders have broken multiple attendance records since arriving in 2008. While the Storm had far and away the best attendance during the 2022 season averaging roughly 11,000 fans (nearly 3,000 more than the 2nd highest in the league).
Needless to say, Seattle fans are extremely passionate. And with that comes a lot of emotions. Those emotions have a wide range too. It leads to strong commitment and dedication to their favorite teams and players. We see fans being extremely supportive online and in person. Former Seahawks receiver and current XFL Seattle Sea Dragons player, Josh Gordon, is an example of a player who has dealt with numerous struggles throughout life but has received an abundance of support from the Seattle community.
But it’s not always love and roses between fans and athletes. When Alex Rodriguez left the Seattle Mariners to sign the highest-paying contract in MLB history in December 2000, he became a huge villain in Seattle. Fans booed him mercilessly when he returned to Safeco Field. Fake dollar bills poured down from the bleachers when he came up to bat. And this wasn’t a one-time deal. Mariners fans continued to boo and heckle Alex Rodriguez for the rest of his career.
The reason they did this is that they were hurt by his decision to leave. A-Rod was an incredible baseball player. An elite talent at the shortstop position. A great defender and an incredible hitter that could hit for power and contact. He was a player they could build the franchise around. During his time with the Mariners, he tallied 966 Hits and 189 Home Runs. But Seattle fans knew that was just the beginning and they imagined him doing that for his entire career in the place that drafted him. Fans were upset and understandably so. But realistically, no one could blame him for taking the type of money. A $252 million contract that was written over 20 years ago is mind-blowing. It was so much more money than what the Mariners offered. Nobody in their right mind would have said no to that deal. Despite it being 100% understandable and excusable as to why he made the decision to sign with Texas, Rodriguez became one of the most hated sports figures in Seattle’s history.
What’s rather interesting is that A-Rod isn’t the only Mariners player to jump ship and leave the team around that time. Before Alex left the organization, Ken Griffey Jr. had requested a trade out of town. Griffey declined a contract extension in 2000 and ultimately requested to be traded back east, preferably to Cincinnati where he grew up watching Ken Griffey Sr. play baseball for the Reds. Griffey ultimately forced his way out of Seattle. And yet, there was no booing, no heckling when he returned to the Emerald City. It might have been because Griffey, then playing in the National League, wouldn’t actually make a return trip to Seattle until 2007. It’s possible enough time had passed as fans were able to get over the heartbreak and frustration of watching a franchise player force their way out of town. But the city never turned on him.
Griffey was beloved in Seattle. He was beloved when he played here. He was beloved when he returned wearing the opposing team’s colors. He was never hated by Mariners fans. Even though you could argue that the way he forced his way out was worse than Alex Rodriguez taking a paycheck larger than any player had ever seen.
That was over 20 years ago. But we have recent history to reflect on as well. In 2022, we saw instances play out with the Seahawks. Russell Wilson is inarguably the team’s greatest QB in the near-50 years the Seahawks have been a franchise. He’s the only quarterback to lead the Seahawks to a Super Bowl victory. Wilson owns several team records including most TD passes thrown (267), most career passing yards (37,059), most passing completions (3,079), and most game-winning drives (32), among several other records. He also spent several years working with Seattle Children’s Hospital and other community events to help the youth of the greater Seattle region. Russell was one of the greatest ambassadors of Seattle sports we have seen.
And yet, over his final couple of seasons in Seattle, there was an obvious rift between Wilson, Coach Pete Carroll, and the Seahawks organization. Several leaks through the media of Wilson’s unhappiness ultimately led to the franchise trading away its star quarterback during the 2022 off-season. The Athletic recently wrote a story (sub required) about the end of Wilson’s time in Seattle where he went to Jody Allen (owner) to request Coach Carroll and General Manager John Schneider be fired.
Despite all of his incredible accomplishments on and off the field, Wilson was booed at a Seattle Storm game when he appeared on the video board to congratulate Sue Bird on her retirement. Wilson was then booed even louder at Lumen Field when the Denver Broncos faced off against the Seahawks in Week 1 of this past season. The boos that greeted Wilson took place well before the above reports were public knowledge.
Wilson wasn’t the only long-time Seahawks player to leave and return to Seattle on an opposing team this past season. Bobby Wagner was a cap casualty and signed with the team’s NFC West rivals - the LA Rams. Wagner, despite joining Seattle’s rival, was welcomed back to loud applause when Los Angeles played at Lumen Field this year.
This just goes to show us that some players are welcomed back with open arms, to loud cheers, and celebrations. While others aren’t as fortunate. Which ones become life-long heroes and which will become the villains?
And now Storm fans will be the next to decide. Breanna Stewart became the first Storm player picked #1 overall that decided to leave the team. Stewart, like Russell Wilson, had several accomplishments during her seven years in Seattle. The Storm made the playoffs every year since drafting Stewart. She helped lead the franchise to two WNBA Championships; winning Finals MVP both times. Stewart won league MVP in 2018. During the six seasons she played in Seattle, Stewart cemented herself as one of the franchise’s greatest players. She finished her career in Seattle 4th in franchise history in points (3,723) behind Bird, Jackson, and Loyd. She is 2nd All-Time in rebounds (1,577), 4th in assists (535), 2nd in blocks (272), and 2nd overall in total points scored in the post-season (555). She certainly left her mark there is no denying that.
With that said, I’ve heard from multiple Storm fans who weren’t happy with her departure. Not just the fact that she left but how she left. Some people weren’t pleased with the emoji teases. Others took exception to some of the words she used while announcing her decision to sign with the New York Liberty. Whether she intended them or not, some things that were said came off as a slight against Seattle and the Storm organization.
“I decided to go to New York because I wanted to continue to be great. And I wanted to go to a place where I can continue help this league become better. To continue to raise the standard. I figured why not go to the biggest market in sports? … Going to New York helped factor into the discussions (chartered planes) because you know you have people behind you who are pushing for the same thing. The owners of the Liberty, Joe and Clara Tsai, are continuing to elevate and raise the standard. It’s what we deserve…. New York is a basketball city and I can’t wait to be a part of it.” Stewart said after making her decision.
Ultimately, it’s up to the fans to decide. Will fans give Stewart a huge ovation for the two championships she helped bring to Seattle? Or will they express their dismay and disapproval of how she left the team? Did she string the Storm along this off-season? Did she have a direct impact on Courtney Vandersloot’s decision to sign with New York instead of Seattle? Will her decision have a drastic negative effect on the franchise pushing them into a long rebuild over the next several years?
No matter which direction the fans go, I can guarantee they will be LOUD!
I'm just sad. Not mad, disappointed.
Thanks for the article, Jeff. I still don't like A-Rod, I am mostly a fan of Junior and Russell Wilson, and still undecided about Stewie. She gave Seattle and the Storm a huge undeserved dis in her words about New York being the best -- that was hurtful and offensive -- plus I am positive she influenced Sloot to go to NY instead of Seattle. I am still processing my reactions. Her direct thanks to Seattle seemed heartfelt (though I don't recall her acknowledging the fans much). I'm not exactly over the moon about seeing her at Climate Pledge when we play NY. We'll see.....