I’m not going to lie. One month later and it still stings. I’m a Seahawk fan, so of course I’m talking about the Super Bowl and the pass that broke Seattle’s heart.
I grew up on the Hawks. Chuck Knox, Jim Zorn, and Steve Largent’s names were shouted in my house on many occasions. Curt Warner was the one who made me appreciate football, though. I remember watching a game with my grandpa, seeing Warner run past giant foes with relative ease, remarking to my grandpa “That guy’s got wheels.” OK, I didn’t say anything that cool. It was probably more like, “He runs fast.” But it marked the first real conversation had with my grandpa. He smiled, nodded, leaned forward and said something like, “Now watch. They’ll throw it away.”
Yes, I learned early on being a Seahawks fan meant you didn’t expect to win. You just hoped it was a good game.
Even in 2005, when they first went to the Super Bowl, the loss wasn’t devastating. I was just so surprised we made it there in the first place, it felt like a win.
And then came the Legion of Boom. The 2013 season was stellar, topped off with a decisive Super Bowl victory. My Seahawk outlook began to change. The 2014 season started slow, but these guys kept at it. And then that playoff game against Green Bay. Sixteen points in the last four minutes. It was like a miracle, and I became a believer.
When the Super Bowl came and we were down by four in the last two minutes of the game, I wasn’t worried. We had the ball and Wilson was going to perform another miracle. I knew it. And he did. One minute to go and we were a few feet away with three downs to go. We had it. And then came the inexplicable pass. The Seahawks lost and like a Patriot football, I was DEFLATED.
Not only was my new found Seahawk faith shattered, but there was the bet. You know, the one made by Captain America and Star Lord. If Seattle won, Captain America was going to visit Children’s in Seattle. Likewise, if New England won, Star Lord was going to visit Christopher’s Haven in Boston. My son is being treated at Seattle Children’s for Leukemia. He knew about the bet and was hoping for a chance to meet Captain America. (As it turns out, both heroes agreed to visit both hospitals, but I didn’t know that at the time.)
When my son realized the Seahawks lost, I expected a few tears over a missed chance at meeting a super hero. I know I felt like crying at that moment. I shouldn’t have been surprised when he didn’t bat an eye. He spent most of the game watching the Puppy Bowl anyway, and that turned out to be a cute game. That was enough for him.
For all that my little boy has had to endure these past months, he remains the same sweet, happy boy he has always been. Super hero visit or no. He has taught me a lot about rolling with the punches.
He has taught me to refer to Super Bowl 49 as the one the Seahawks almost won. A game where Patriot fans got to see their team win miraculously at the last minute. A game that caused two celebrities to visit sick kids at two different hospitals. He reminded me that being a Seahawk fan isn’t about expecting a win. We want to see a good game.
It still stings, but just a little, because it was a really good game.
Think this blog post is dreamy? Try my fantasy novels:
Watcher – Available at Burstbooks.ca, iTunes, Amazon.com, iBookstore, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble.com.
Abomination – Available in paperback and as an e-book on Amazon, and now available on Barnes & Noble and iBookstore.
I grew up on the Hawks. Chuck Knox, Jim Zorn, and Steve Largent’s names were shouted in my house on many occasions. Curt Warner was the one who made me appreciate football, though. I remember watching a game with my grandpa, seeing Warner run past giant foes with relative ease, remarking to my grandpa “That guy’s got wheels.” OK, I didn’t say anything that cool. It was probably more like, “He runs fast.” But it marked the first real conversation had with my grandpa. He smiled, nodded, leaned forward and said something like, “Now watch. They’ll throw it away.”
Yes, I learned early on being a Seahawks fan meant you didn’t expect to win. You just hoped it was a good game.
Even in 2005, when they first went to the Super Bowl, the loss wasn’t devastating. I was just so surprised we made it there in the first place, it felt like a win.
And then came the Legion of Boom. The 2013 season was stellar, topped off with a decisive Super Bowl victory. My Seahawk outlook began to change. The 2014 season started slow, but these guys kept at it. And then that playoff game against Green Bay. Sixteen points in the last four minutes. It was like a miracle, and I became a believer.
When the Super Bowl came and we were down by four in the last two minutes of the game, I wasn’t worried. We had the ball and Wilson was going to perform another miracle. I knew it. And he did. One minute to go and we were a few feet away with three downs to go. We had it. And then came the inexplicable pass. The Seahawks lost and like a Patriot football, I was DEFLATED.
Not only was my new found Seahawk faith shattered, but there was the bet. You know, the one made by Captain America and Star Lord. If Seattle won, Captain America was going to visit Children’s in Seattle. Likewise, if New England won, Star Lord was going to visit Christopher’s Haven in Boston. My son is being treated at Seattle Children’s for Leukemia. He knew about the bet and was hoping for a chance to meet Captain America. (As it turns out, both heroes agreed to visit both hospitals, but I didn’t know that at the time.)
When my son realized the Seahawks lost, I expected a few tears over a missed chance at meeting a super hero. I know I felt like crying at that moment. I shouldn’t have been surprised when he didn’t bat an eye. He spent most of the game watching the Puppy Bowl anyway, and that turned out to be a cute game. That was enough for him.
For all that my little boy has had to endure these past months, he remains the same sweet, happy boy he has always been. Super hero visit or no. He has taught me a lot about rolling with the punches.
He has taught me to refer to Super Bowl 49 as the one the Seahawks almost won. A game where Patriot fans got to see their team win miraculously at the last minute. A game that caused two celebrities to visit sick kids at two different hospitals. He reminded me that being a Seahawk fan isn’t about expecting a win. We want to see a good game.
It still stings, but just a little, because it was a really good game.
Think this blog post is dreamy? Try my fantasy novels:
Watcher – Available at Burstbooks.ca, iTunes, Amazon.com, iBookstore, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble.com.
Abomination – Available in paperback and as an e-book on Amazon, and now available on Barnes & Noble and iBookstore.
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