I cannot stress enough how elite Seattle fans are. Heres my column on why https://twitter.com/emilymkaplan/status/1290741125817524224

The 1995 Mariners. A franchise on the brink of relocation with a history of mediocrity and stadium literally falling apart, goes on a magical run and wins the cities hearts forever to secure a new beautiful ballpark and create a supporting fanbase

The Mariners fanbase treats their superstars like gods. Griffey, may be the most iconic superstar in Seattle sports. Edgar may not have even made it to the hall if it weren’t for the incredible support by Seattle to put him over the edge

Or one could say they treat their superstars....like royalty

Or other guys like Jay Buhner, Alvin Davis, Dan Wilson, etc. who are in the Mariners Hall of Fame

Also turn on any Mariners home game now and you’ll see more and more cardboard cutouts. Somebody said they have over 20k cutouts out there. SEAT. FLEET. ELITE.

As for the Mariner’s neighbors? Only one number says it all: 12.

And this isn’t just a 20(12) thing like some claim. This has been a diehard fanbase since the beginning

And on the first play of the franchise’s biggest game....they showed up

Did I mention Seahawk fans are loud?

Despite not having played a game since the team was STOLEN over a decade ago, Seattle still loves their Supersonics

I was at the Warriors-Kings preseason game in Seattle and that place was ROCKING. Sold out to watch just a glimpse of preseason basketball. This city deserves a team again

The city adored Payton and Kemp during their 90s run to the finals. You can still find Payton and Kemp jerseys in Washington all the time

And we can’t forget about the Sounders insane supporters

Of all the Seattle teams, Sounders supporters may be the most rabid of them all. They LOVE their Sounders. These guys sell out CenturyLink yearly

And the arguably most successful team in the city? Seattle loves the Storm

This team has had great support in every Finals trip and has one of the better attendances in the WNBA constantly

And of course with the Storm, we gotta talk about the legend, Sue Bird. She is truly one of the textbook definitions of a Seattle icon and will forever be adored by this city

Speaking of Sue, this is a great transition into the best Seattle, and may be in the running for best overall sports power couple of all time. Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe of the Reign

Megan may be most iconic for the INCREDIBLE USA soccer team, Seattle is still proud to call her one of their own as part of the Seattle Reign. The city has really embraced her with open arms

Rugby? Oh yeah. The Seawolves have dominated the early years of the MLR and of course, had a great group of fans to cheer them on to multiple titles

The XFL may not have even made it a year (for now) but Seattle was still fired up for the Dragons of course.

But before we get to the original post...lets talk about how well loved the Thunderbirds are. First off, incredible name, logo and uniforms. But man does this city love its TBirds

Even with a new NHL team in town, this team will always draw love from this city

Fun fact! The Rainiers were once again in the MILB’s top 25 teams for merchandise sales. The love for our sports teams doesn’t just stop at the ‘professional’ level

And now..... lets #ReleaseTheKraken

This city hasn’t seen the NHL in action since before WW2. And yet here we are. The best launch by any NHL team. Ever. We haven’t even played a game yet and this city is already AMPED