Is Seattle a football town or a baseball town? KIRO debates

After a marathon 15-inning series-clinching win and a quick 2-0 start to the ALCS, the Seattle Mariners are the talk of the town.

But is Seattle, at its core, a football town or a baseball town? KIRO Newsradio, Seattle Red, and MyNorthwest weighed in on the debate.

Is Seattle a football or baseball town?

Chris Sullivan, traffic reporter, KIRO: Seattle is a front-runner/bandwagon town for all sports. But of the two, it’s a baseball town.

Julia Dallas, content editor, MyNorthwest: Although Seattle looks more like a baseball town right now, I believe they are a football town based on the city’s response to the Seahawks winning the Super Bowl, and the continued support for both the Seahawks and UW football every week.

Luke Duecy, reporter, KIRO: Seattle may still be a football town at heart, but there’s something different in the air right now. A real buzz. A movement. If (and when) the Mariners punch their ticket to the first World Series in franchise history, this city won’t just be watching baseball … it’ll become a baseball city. At least until the Super Bowl rolls around.

Ursula Reutin, host, KIRO: Let’s keep it real. Seattle hasn’t been a baseball town for a long time. After two decades of heartbreak and “maybe next year” seasons, only the diehards have kept showing up — they deserve a lot of credit.

The Seahawks have owned this city. A Super Bowl win, constant playoff runs, and fans loud enough to literally shake the ground — that’s football-town territory.

But this season, the Mariners are fun again, and we’re all pretending we never gave up on them. So for now, Seattle’s a baseball town — until their magical run comes to an end. Hopefully, not before they win the World Series!

Jason Rantz, host, Seattle Red: It’s neither. This city loves to pretend it’s diehard about whatever team happens to be winning. When the Mariners make a playoff run, everyone suddenly finds that old Ken Griffey Jr. jersey and starts talking about bullpen depth like they’ve been following it all season. When the Seahawks win a few games, the 12 flags come out, and suddenly every Prius driver’s a lifelong fan.

But the second things go south? The jerseys disappear faster than the sun in November. But I don’t see anything wrong with this. You need fair-weather fans to become diehard fans. And there is a lot more interest in winning teams that can translate to longer-term fans. And that’s good for the local economy.

Jillian Raftery, anchor, KIRO: Baseball town or football town? It’s all about who is winning. This is a heartbreak town. We are addicted to the drama of teams that pull us along on a winning streak only to dash our hopes at the 11^th hour. Only the most diehard fans can endure this kind of emotional turmoil long-term — for any sport.

Matthew Pitman, imaging producer: Seattle is a bandwagon town. And no, that isn’t a knock on Seattle fans! Diehard, ride-or-die fans should welcome newcomers aboard! That’s what builds strong fan bases. Look at what back-to-back Super Bowl appearances did to bring in a new generation of Seahawks fans. I don’t recall seeing 12 flags flying in neighborhoods across Western Washington before 2013! Now, a new generation of fans is experiencing postseason baseball and, something we old heads already know, it’s addictive, isn’t it? Welcome to your new fixation to those who have only recently embraced the Mariners and the sport of baseball.

Jason Sutich, content editor, MyNorthwest: My initial reaction would be to pick Seattle as a baseball town, although I think there are a few factors that need to be taken into consideration. I think the stadium capacity for both the Mariners and Seahawks, when they’re the worst team in the league, would help determine how many diehard fans each team has. It’s easy to root for a team when they’re winning, but how many fans show up when the team has no hope? Other factors I think could determine what type of sports town Seattle is would be ticket prices, season length, and the amount of casual (bandwagon) fans gravitating to the team when they succeed.

Nate Conners, traffic reporter, KIRO: One word … pickleball.

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