Happy Father's Day

Like a lot of you out there, I became a Seahawks fan when I was quite young. It was during the 1983 season that I got hooked, and that was also when my Dad took me to my first game at the Kingdome. I found the Hawks on my own; That fandom wasn't passed down to me from my father. He was more a fan of boxing, fishing, etc.

Not to get too sentimental, but my father and I never had a very good relationship. I was a bookish, geeky "inside dog" kind of kid, and he clearly was hoping for a son that was more of an outdoorsy jock. I was always closer to my Mom than I was to him, and he was very emotionally distant in general to boot. My love of the Seahawks had to be one of the only things that made me somewhat "normal" in his eyes, so we bonded over that.

My parents got divorced when I was a teenager, and I quickly developed a much better relationship with my new stepdad than I ever had with my father. I haven't talked to my father in years, but I have to admit he is one of the reasons my love for the Seahawks is so intense... When I look back on my childhood, almost all of my positive memories of him are tied to the Seahawks; Watching games with him on TV, going to games in Seattle, etc. My mom also embraced the Seahawks when I was young, and my stepdad and little brother are fans... So the Hawks are truly a family affair for us now.

As for my son, he's three and I HOPE he becomes a Seahawks fan... I've talked about my plan to keep him in the fold before:

I'm fully aware that this could go sour over the long term. Growing up out here in the midwest, he could end up a Rams or Bears fan. Even worse, he could grow up to be some emo or goth kid decrying my love for a "corporate bloodsport." Ugh.

But just like the cylons, I have a plan... I've exposed him to the Seahawks from day one, and used NFL Sunday Ticket and NFL network to aggressively indoctrinate him. He'll never have to miss a chance to watch the Hawks, thanks to the miracle of satellite television.

The biggest part of the plan is a trip to Qwest Field with him during the 2014 season. He'll be 8 years old, and I'll pick a game the Hawks are pretty sure to win.. We play Oakland at home that year... they'll probably still f@*ing suck, and I can build up his hatred of the Raiders to boot! If I'm lucky, Lofa will still be playing for Seattle at that point.. and who knows... Maybe 39-year-old Hass will still be the QB (that seems doubtful, though).

Anyway, that should be enough to hook the kid for life.

My wife is preggers with "Kid B" right now, and I'll be pushing the Hawks on the new kid too (boy or girl). I'd love my kids even if they were Steelers fans.. But that would make Sundays pretty rough in our house.

What about y'all? Are the Seahawks something you shared with your Dad? Or that you've shared with your kids?