The 12th Man

 Let's take a few minutes and talk about that fan base in Seattle. The passion, support, and energy that Seattle fans bring to each home game is what football is all about. "The 12s" they call themselves, and they really do live up to that name. It is widely known around the league that playing in Seattle is no joke. It's as if there's a "12th man" on the football field at all times. The crowd is absolutely electric in Seattle. 

The noise volume in Seattle even led to a rule change in the NFL. In the 80's, teams were so frustrated, and it was becoming so difficult to play, that the NFL actually implemented a rule in 1989 allowing the referees to penalize the defense if their crowd was too loud for the offense to function. Think about how loud the stadium had to have been for the NFL to IMPLEMENT a rule against it. That's insane. The rule has since been discarded, but it stood for almost 20 years. 

In fact, the Seattle crowd is so significant to the team, that the Seahawks retired the number 12 in 1984, as a means to honor their fans. In 2003, they began a pregame ceremony of raising the 12 flags, that has since turned into an iconic tradition. 

Then there's the iconic 2005 game against the New York Giants where the crowd helped generate 11 false start penalties. The game resulted in a Seattle win in overtime. The Seattle crowd has even broken the world record for loudest crowd noise at a sporting event...multiple times. They also have an all-time home game win percentage of about 60%. That number has jumped to 65% in the last 20 years. 

The support that the Seahawks have received from their fans truly have made them a better team. Of course, it's normal for teams to play better at home, but Seattle fans are on another level. They truly are Seattle's 12th man.