Studying Smitten Supporters at the ‘Seahawks Super Bowl Trophy Day’

Topics: Football, Sports, Fandom, Mainstream Trends, Excitement, Distractions, Celebration, Disconnect, Merchandise, Consumerism, Emotional Investment, ROI, Beer, Alcohol, Day Drinking, Tribalism

The Super Bowl just truly doesn’t make sense to me. This realization came from watching this play out over the weeks, as my local team kept winning. The first big win, I didn’t even know about until the last minute, when I made a bunch of money busking outside the stadium after the game (after they’d won). Then I tried to busk after they won the next game, the pre-Super Bowl game. They won that, but the tips weren’t so big cause it was a Sunday night. Then, recently, we just won the Super Bowl, but it leaves me thinking, “Okay… and?” And then what, you know? What? Are you just “happy” after? I don’t get it. I truly don’t get it. I realized this now. I’m so confused by the Super Bowl… what? Your local team won? And then you’re just happy after? Like. It’s over so fast, and then you’re left with what? Happy feelings? I don’t get it. Actually, I think it’d have a bigger impact on the losers cause they’d feel sadness… a missed opportunity? Right? Idk. So I want to understand this better, and I think this event may help. The local football stadium is hosting a free “trophy ceremony” for the team and millions of fans. Over a trophy. I want to stop by and see what’s going on. I think everyone will be really happy, but what else? I just don’t get it. What do people get out of being so excited about this?

Why Attend: I just don’t understand how so many people get this excited about a game that lasts a few hours and then leaves you with… what? Something to talk about and smile about? For how long? For what amount of excitement? It wasn’t even that close of a game. So I don’t to go and be like a buzz-kill. I love happiness and high-energy. But, I’m just wondering, like, what is all of this? How do people like the Super Bowl this much? What do you get in return? IDK, someone lately told me… “You know who wins every game? The beer companies”. And I think that makes about the most sense of anything I’ve heard related to sports. So, idk. I just wanna go see what’s going on since it’s right here, free to attend, and just so peculiarly curious to me. Let’s go join the hype over a trophy hahaha. woo hoo!

Photo Collage and Commentary

Notes from the Event:

What a wild day. The owners/corporations get richer, the players get millions, and the fans get a bit of happiness + debt. I’ll leave my notes below:

• People day drinking.  Just excited to celebrate at their home stadium.  

• Just a chance to cheer for everyone.  Each of their favorite players. 

• The audience is laughing, drinking, cheering. 

None of this is possible without you all. You all took me in this year.  Thanks for embracing me. This is a special place.  It takes a team to get here. It takes a team to get here. 

• Then he dances.  The audience loves it.

• Lots of the athletes are wearing ski masks. 

I can imagine you spent thousands on your tickets.  For the Super Bowl. So for sure you want to come to this free event.  Also they’re saying we’re not done. We’re coming back next year. 

• They all have the same sunglasses on.  If they’re not wearing ski goggles. I wonder if any of them are high. LOL my high school teacher told me that, he said people wear sunglasses in calss when they’re high. I was like, “What!!??” lol.

Oh yeah. And seeing the humanity of these players. So happy. These happy players you can actually see them talk instead of play football. Probably one of the only times the fans hear them actually speak.  

• Omg this is a family friendly event and this one player said shoutout to these badass mother fuckers.  Inappropriate.  Omg and he said if you got anything bad to say to the city of Seattle, fuck you!  And the crowd ERUPTS.  There are children everywhere. Geeze.

  • The coach came up and said idk who can say it any better. That is our program. This is your team. The best team in the world.  

• Let’s get going with this parade.  The draft and training season will be here before we know it.  But they’ve got one more speaker. 

  • Right? so many of these people may not even be playing on this same team next year? Wild. Wild sport and industry/world.

• Looks like Jake Paul. But people are booing him.  Maybe it’s like part of his name.  

  • This guy say thanks for embracing the kids from west Washington.

  • Oh his name is kupp. (Sounds like kooooo/boooo) 

  • Thank you so much, god bless you he says.  

• lol.  Okay so I guess that’s it. They’re cheering and everyone is leaving.  It’s now time to share this championship with over a million best fans.

Omg now it says tap that keg. Our friends at bud light. Blah blah. Then they say 321 and tap the keg and then fireworks go off.  The last big event of this celebration before the parade. LOL sponsored by Bud Light. See? The true winners.

• 2025 Seahawks team!? Did he just say that hahaha. I think he meant 2026 right?   Or was it 2025? Why does this say 2025??? Oh. Cause they played most of the games in 2025.  

• Now it’s Queen’s “We are the Champions” song.  Many people stay and cheer.  Dude. Bud lights stupid keg tap hahaha. Geeze. 

Day drinking on a Wednesday morning. 

There are people yelling “sea” and the response “hawks”. 

• Yeah I think it’s lots of day drinking 

Also why does the call it “World Champions” on all these shirts and merch?  It’s just assumed?  Did they play against Canada? 

So… it’s over?

• Kids eating ice cream while their parents drink beer.  lol.   Then their friends meet up with them, drinking beers and the mom looks bashful as all 4 kids are eating dip’n dots and all the friends have beers in their hands. It’s like 10:45am.

The song “Party Like a Rockstar” blaring on the way out of the stadium.  Just encouraging people to day drink.

Then I saw a guy holding a poster saying, “Imagine we showed up like this for the Epstein files”. Telling people to wake up. He’s right.  That’s so true. 

• I’m glad he was here and what could we do to get people to react this same way? He’s like the best person here. But he’s covered in face tattoos which I think can make it hard for some people to take him seriously.

A guy pissing in the alley while I cut through to get back to the coworking place… but then I realize that I should busk if there are 1M people here. I may watch some of the parade but idk, its so crowded.

• The alleys are completely empty and the streets are flooded. Many alleys are open but not them all.

I read that the Super Bowl is the number one human trafficking event of the year.  I wonder if this event has the same going on. There are so many people walking around and random alleys closed off. Near the homeless shelters. 

So many couples in fights walking.  Even carrying an infant on a sling.   

• Like one guy says they’re supposed to go this way and then his wife, carrying the baby on her is like, “NO! We are going to the COFFEE SHOP!” and then he’s argues back.

Open containers, people are just walking, just drinking and yelling fuck the patriots. So loud.

Even parents having their kids pee in the alley.  Girls my age peeing in the alley by trash cans.  Then grab their drinka off the trash can and run to catch up for the parade.  

Wow. On the escalator to the subway I heard a guy tel the police officer that dog the police officer has on the leash with him on the escalator, it looks like his old dog, Shadow. And he said it’s the same it. And the guy said no way.  They were going in opposite directions so the passing was quick. The police officer said, yeah, I thought you looked familiar. But then they were really far apart on opposite escalators, I’m on the same one as the former-dog owner. And after he was right, at first the guy clapped, he was with a girl. But then he said to her, “Now I’ll go home and cry.”

• Wow. 

I busked after this and made over $80 . That’s good. I ran into a friend, too, the “masculine energy” one and I shared this video with him (below). He bought me a curry chicken snack. Then we parted ways. He invited me to a party tomorrow, too, but I’m yet to get the details. I’m so used to being awkward/left out/forgotten that I am planning for that to happen, emotionally…but let’s see if it follows through.

Then on the train home I heard people cheer Sea-Wawks but so exhausted at this point. It was like everyone was laughing to themselves cause they didnt’ want to cheer anymore or keep up with the enthusiastic guy. And some were being snarky/”too cool” for it.

• see… this is what I’m talking about. The excitement isn’t sustainable and its just like, I don’t get the hype over the Super Bowl.