Root for the Home Team

Brad Tucker of the Seattle Seawolves Courtesy Seattle Seawolves

Football fans take pride in the Seattle Seahawks*, winners of one Super Bowl in three appearances at the big game. They credit their success partly to a home-turf advantage called the “12th Man,” aka thunderous fans who’ve set a Guinness World Record twice for loudest crowd roar at open-air Lumen Field (*800 Occidental Ave S). The regular season runs until late December; on game days, infectious energy spills into SoDo and Pioneer Square bars like Quality Athletics (*121 S King St), which serves a Seahawks Brunch.

Season three begins in January for the Seattle Seawolves, founding members of men’s Major League Rugby in 2018. The Seawolves have won both of the new league’s championships, amassing a faithful following along the way. Their home field is Starfire Stadium (14800 Starfire Way, Tukwila), which has a capacity of 4,000 and sold out every seat during the Seawolves’ first season.

Starting in late winter, Seattle Sounders FC* —who’ve qualified for Major League Soccer’s playoffs in each of their 10 seasons and won it all in 2016—bring their fancy footwork to Lumen Field during packed games. Soccer also generates major excitement at Cheney Stadium (2502 S Tyler St, Tacoma) south of Seattle: In Tacoma, professional women’s team Reign FC includes 2019 World Cup-winning heroines Megan Rapinoe and Allie Long.

Baseball season revs up in late March, as the Seattle Mariners run the bases at T-Mobile Park (*1250 First Ave S), an outdoor ballpark featuring real grass, a retractable roof, a bullpen that lets spectators observe pitchers warming up mere steps away, and an alluring lineup of local food and drink vendors like local favorite Paseo and its juicy Caribbean sandwiches.

And in mid-May, the Seattle Storm begin the fight to take home their fourth WNBA title. While their permanent home at Seattle Center Arena is being redeveloped, the Storm play at University of Washington’s Alaska Airlines Arena (3870 Montlake Blvd NE) and Everett’s Angel of the Winds Arena (*2000 Hewitt Ave, Everett).

*Visit Seattle Partner.