Journeys in Jogging: A Sounders Adventure

"Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down."

Recently, at the behest of my conscience, I attend a soccer game.  After the World Cup and the joys it brought, I couldn't live with myself without giving the sport its full due and letting its lower level have a shot at my viewership.  As such, it was off to Qwest Field to view the Seattle Sounders, the pride and joy of the Puget Sound (sad that it has come to that, but that's a topic for another day).

Immediately upon exiting the Sounder tram, I was taken aback with how different this was than any sporting event I'd ever been to.  Mariners games are defined by their laidback atmosphere.  Sonics games had passion, but seemed driven by the canned music and forced chants form the announcer.  The Sounders, however, incorporated the joys of tailgating from the Huskies with a passion unlike most any other game.  Every fan there (and it was definitely a soldout stadium) showed up early and crowded around the outside attractions, be it the foosball tourney, the band, or the raucous season-ticket holder march to the stadium.

Once the game started, the excitement only rose.  Every fan there participated in the chants and cheers, overcoming the awkwardness one feels at most sporting events when they start any cheer (beyond booing Yuniesky Betancourt, which is fun for the whole family).  The game itself certainly wasn't the main attraction, something that doesn't make sense unless one attends.  The Sounders in and of themselves were plagued by a lack of energy, epitomized by Steve Zakuani jogging at best and standing still at worst, and questionable officiating, though both groups heard it from the crowd.

In short, the Sounders have shown me that soccer can not only be fun, but can be the sporting spectacle that most other leagues seem to deemphasize or lack entirely.  By pushing for the fan being a part of the community rather than an individual entity in and of themselves, the Sounders create the loudest, most exciting event one could possibly imagine from a regular season sporting event.  Now if only they could get rid of those pesky ties and flops Manu can only dream of matching.