The Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots. Before that, they topped the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round and the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship Game. Although the Super Bowl was played at Levi’s Field, the stadium was packed with Seattle’s famous ’12s’ fans.
But since when and why did Seahawks fans become known as ’12s’?
Why Are Seahawks Fans Called ’12s’? Delving Into the Team’s History
Seahawks fans’ call sign of being ’12s’ is directly tied to crowd impact. The team’s supporters have earned a reputation for being so loud and disruptive that it’s like having a 12th man on the field.
Their noise supposedly has the potential to cause false starts, burned timeouts, and overall communication breakdowns among the opposition players.
The origin of the ’12th Man’ dates back to 1984, when the Seahawks retired the No. 12 jersey in honor of their fans. No player on the team could wear the number anymore, as it symbolized the fans’ vital role in games.
As part of the tradition, the team raises a ’12’ flag before home games as a tribute to all the fans who come out in support.
However, the tradition faced a hurdle in the 21st century.
Texas A&M University had originally coined ’12th Man’ as a nickname for its own fans back in 1922, when a fan was called out of the stands to fill in on the field. The university licensed the term in 1990, and the Seahawks reached an agreement with the school to use the ’12th Man’ on a limited basis.
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However, the agreement was set to expire in 2016, and in response, the Seahawks changed the name from ’12th Man’ to ’12s’ rather than renewing it.
Being one of the ’12s’ has grown beyond mere noise in a stadium — it’s become the identity of fans in Seattle. It signifies life as a Seahawks fan, even after one has left the stadium.
The Seahawks just won the second Super Bowl in franchise history, and their fans could be even louder next season as Seattle arguably will start the season with the best roster in the league.
Mike Macdonald is already one of the best coaches in the league, and he will get even better after winning the Super Bowl.
Quarterback Sam Darnold has cemented his place as the franchise quaretrback and with cornerstone players like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Devon Witherspoon, and Nick Emmanwori, the future looks bright for the Seahawks.
