I was at the game in NYC with my wife, kids and close friends and needless to say it was a lifetime experience for me just as it was for so many of you. As a diehard Seattle sports fan living in California for the better part of the last 25 years, I have had to sit quietly as friends have celebrated the numerous titles from the Lakers, Dodgers, Niners, and Giants. I have been in SF and witnessed the unbridled joy of three championship parades. And I have stood aside with envy as bars of loyal fans raised their right index fingers in the air and sang “We are the Champions.”
After watching a game that can only be described as a blur of joyous domination, when I saw Paul Allen and Pete Carroll hoist the Lombardi Trophy in MetLife amidst a snowstorm of blue and green confetti, I hugged my kids and just started to tear up. Like all Seattle sports fans, I have waited so long for this moment, and the gravity of it was just overwhelming. I honestly kept thinking to myself, “Is this really happening?”
After celebrating with my kids on the bus ride back to Manhattan, I headed out to a 12th man pub in NYC called Carlow East to celebrate with friends. We sang and danced and hugged and cried. And for the first time in 35 years, I held my right index finger high in the air and belted out “We are the Champions” in a packed bar full of Seattleites and just thought to myself… “We did it. We finally did it.”
So I would just like to commend Paul Allen, Pete Carroll, the Seahawks organization, and most of all the players for delivering the title that our city has so desperately craved and deserved for the last 35 years. Few have the opportunity in life to do something that means so much to so many. And I know I speak for all Sonics fans when I simply say thank you.
And for anyone who has any lingering doubts as to whether Seattle is a “sports city” capable of supporting an NBA and NHL franchise, there are about 700,000 of us that have a few pictures from yesterday we would be happy to share with you.
— Chris Hansen
