Since the Seattle Seahawks came into the NFL, somebody in my family had season tickets. My grandpa had 'em, then my dad took them over and now I have the season tickets. I always figured I just really loved the sport because of how awesome it is, but it's become clear to me over the past six months that football embodies something else much larger than just an interest in a sport.
Since I can remember, football was a part of our family. I found a picture of my brother and I when we were like 3 and 7, rocking full Seahawk uniforms, shoulder pads, helmets and all. I remember my brother playing for the Bellevue Colts and eventually I would play for the same league and even get the same coaches. That was when I first really got a taste of winning. We won two consecutive league titles, even going undefeated in the second season and playing a game in the Kingdome before a Seahawks game. In our third season together we went undefeated again until losing in the championship game.
Whether you're winning or losing, there was always a lesson to be learned. But I reflect on the fact that the person facilitating most of those lessons was my dad. I can still remember asking him questions about rules and old players he liked and now I realize that football gave me and my dad a reason to enjoy life together.
As an adult my father and I talked roughly about two things: Work and sports. Since work is a drag and football was the house favorite, the Huskies and Seahawks were a main discussion point in their house. Every year when we pass my birthday and enter into August, it is bittersweet. Summer is ending, but FOOTBALL SEASON IS HERE! Life is just better during football season.
Fantasy drafts, watching your teams draft picks in the pre-season and preparing for all the games you'll be attending, these all signify that it is August. Only this year, it's more bitter than sweet.
Five years ago my dad got diagnosed with cancer as so many good people do and through all the treatments, the good news and the bad news, I always remained optimistic. My dad was a real spiritual man so his impending fate did not weaken his resolve. Because of that even keel it was difficult to really gauge how things really were with his body. We golfed, went to games and even talked about our future plans. I never once thought "this could our last season together."
Last year the Seahawks got hot. Expectations were high and our execution did not disappoint. It felt like it could finally be our year. I'd be lying if I said that wasn't a faintly familiar feeling in August and September. With all the good we saw on the field, my dad sat us all down around Thanksgiving and told us that they finally gave him a time table and it wasn't very long.
The Seahawks season took on a whole different shape. Nobody wanted to talk about the bullshit that comes with knowing that your time is coming to an end, but we found comfort in talking football. I wonder if I'll eventually regret not having more serious talks in those final weeks, but I know that even talking about injuries and trades had a lot of value. The playoffs came and to me it felt like the football gods were going to give my dad a trophy before he was gone. We gave too much to this team over the years to get screwed over again. A title felt inevitable. We held out hope that my dad could go to the NFC Championship game but he wasn't up for it. My brother and I went and the stadium radiated with an energy that is indescribable. And like I would expect a higher power to do, they put a nuclear emotion into my body in the form of Richard Sherman's game winning tip. It was more than a win, it was a cosmic signal. It was telling me that there was a force at work.
I'm not a real religious man and don't consider this a reason to start going to church, but it does tell me that Bob Marley was right and "every little thing's gonna be alright."
I went to my dad's house after the game and he just grinned from ear to ear but I don't think he was as happy about the Seahawks as he was at the sight of my joy. That was my dad. Have some integrity and learn to enjoy life. A few days later we won the raffle for Super Bowl tickets and although everything on the planet told me to go, I knew I had to watch the game with my dad. Tired, quiet, but smiling, my dad and I's last football game together was a Seahawks Super Bowl win. It might sound stupid to some, but that made me feel a whole lot better about my dad.
I got emotional over this thought when I turned on our first pre-season game on the tv, but as I think about this Thursday when my brother and I are going to be in the stands watching the Super Bowl banner be revealed, I can only imagine how many tears I'm going to shed. Forget the fact that it's a long overdue championship for my team, it signifies so much more than that to me. It literally is a way of life. My fathers.
I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter and she screams Seahawks with a huge smile every time football is on TV and I plan on using football to do exactly what my dad did, teach her how to enjoy life.
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