The 12th Man - A Superbowl Diary

On the way to NYC

We departed Denver early Saturday morning wearing our Bronco orange and entering an airplane 80% full of Bronco fans bound for New York.  There were 2 Seahawk fans on the plane.  We heckled them jokingly and then wished them a good game.  The plane was abuzz with subdued excitement.

Five hours later, we were dropped, luggage and all, at the corner of 39^th and 6^th Street, just one block off Broadway, also known as Superbowl Avenue.  Our hotel was on 40^th, so we needed to roll our luggage uptown.  As we made our way to Superbowl Avenue, a NYC cop said, “You don’t want to go that way.  It’s a madhouse, and full of Seahawks!”  This was the first moment I suspected we may have a problem.  We took 6^th Street and checked in.

Lady Liberty salutes the orange sky

We spent several evening hours on foot, riding subways and ferries to catch the sights.  New York is a spectacular city well worth exploring.  Later that evening we popped into a classic Irish pub and enjoyed a few drinks amidst shouts of SEA! HAWKS!  There was no doubt that we Bronco fans were in the minority.  One buzzed Seahawk said, as if stating a mere fact, “It’s going to be a slaughter.  The Broncos have no idea what they are up against.”  I responded, “I guess we will see.”  I stood there recalling the Broncos Superbowl history.  Before ever winning a Superbowl, the Broncos had been beaten 4 times, twice by more than 30 points, including a brow beating by Joe Montana’s 49ers 55 to 10 – the worst point spread in bowl history.  There’s something about the pressure of the game that has made the Broncos implode.       I remained hopeful.

Sunday morning, we dressed in orange and continued taking in more of the city.  We walked until our feet hurt, occasionally throwing a high five to a fellow Bronco fan yelling “Go Broncos!”  Throughout the day, we tried to ignore entire crowds of fans yelling SEA! HAWKS!

As we boarded the subways and trains toward Metlife Stadium, we were surrounded by more and more Seahawk fans.  The Bronco fans were older, calmer, and more reflective.  The Seahawk fans were younger, louder, rambunctious, and ready for their first big win.  Our party of orange agreed that we were outnumbered at least 3 to 1.  It took two and a half difficult hours to get to Metlife, all the time in large crowds screaming SEA! HAWKS!  The 12^th Man was all around us.  Bronco fans responded with relatively weak renditions of “Lets Go Broncos”.

Once seated in the stadium, we were relieved to see that the orange colors were far brighter than the black and blue, so the Broncos appeared to be represented with a nice sprinkling of orange throughout the stadium.  It became clear, however, that the orange was just a sprinkle.  The 12^th man had most of the other seats.  Stadium announcers told us to make some noise for the Broncos, and we yelled with our entire mite.  Then stadium announcers told fans to make some noise for the Seahawks.  The response was staggering.  KOA’s Dave Logan later commented that this moment sounded like the comparison between the roar of a 12 year old boy next to that of a fully grown man.

In the first offensive play of the game, the Broncos gave away a safety in the end zone just in front of us.  The team could not hear Manning’s cadence.  The 12^th man has scored.  The Broncos never recovered.  The game plan was flawed, and the team unraveled.  The rest is history.  Our greatest memories of the entire game were the national anthem and the half time show.  Incredible.

I don’t know how so many Seahawk fans managed to get so many tickets and travel so far to support their team, but they did.  The 12^th man is real, and he was able hoist a Lombardi Trophy for the first time in franchise history.  I sincerely doubt the game was fixed, but I do wonder how Seattle fans were able to outnumber Denver fans so soundly at the game.  We were told by some Superbowl veterans that they had not seen a louder, more lopsided fan base at a Superbowl.  It was almost as if the Seahawks were playing at home.  They were energetic, sharp, hard hitting, and aggressive.  The fans brought their winning energy to New York, and the team answered with a bang.  By comparison, only a few Bronco fans showed up, and much of the team stayed home too.

It took 3 hours to get back to our hotel, including 2 punishing and frightening hours of standing in a sea of humanity waiting for the trains.  The transportation system for this game was terribly inadequate and potentially dangerous.  Half of the fans were ordered not to leave the stadium until the lot began to clear.  Seahawk fans treated us with respect and dignity, but didn't spare us their shouts of SEA! HAWKS! all the way back to the city. 

We attempted to fly out early Monday morning, but not before spending an excruciating 3 hours waiting on the tarmac due to heavy snow.  Eight hours later, we arrived at our door.  I’m still trying to shake off the menace of the 12^th man.  He is real, and he has won.  I salute the coaches, players, and fans of Seattle because they've all earned it.  Despite all of our misery, old New York was absolutely worth the trip.

Tony F.

2014