Seattle is currently in the grip of a strange malady that affects a predominantly male audience, and this affliction of sorts seems to further confirm another one of my pet theories. The sickness is called Seahawks fever, and is a result of the long suffering American Football fans in the Pacific Northwest finally having something to cheer about in the form of the league's best record and Superbowl expectations. It is to the point that a coworker chastised me for not wearing Seahawks blue at work on Friday.
I'm not really a fan of this pointy ball football as practiced here for several reasons. As is typical of American sports and attention spans, I don't find much flow in it. There is a short play, which takes about 5 seconds, and then everyone regroups and mulls around for the next 40 seconds or so. Also, it seems almost entirely an expression of militarism. Witness the line of scrimmage, which must be moved forward by penetration. There is also the long bomb, the sack, etc.
Perhaps this is the reason that pointy ball football fans are mostly male. The theory that all this Seahawks madness seems to increasingly confirm is that the best time to go for a bike ride is during a football game. For years now, I've been going for rides on Superbowl Sunday, and have always found that it's one of the quietest and most peaceful times on the road. There is always less traffic on the road during the big game, and what traffic there is less likely to buzz me or behave generally obnoxiously.
Now that Seattlites have a football team they actually care about and are jumping on the bandwagon for, every Sunday becomes like Superbowl Sunday. Today's ride was very peaceful and quiet, with nary a road user conflict. Needless to say, I will be scheduling more rides during Seahawk gametimes on Sundays, and if my pet theory is correct, the further the home team advances in the playoffs, the more gloriously peaceful my Sunday rides will get.
