Seattle Seahawks fans from Tacoma to San Dimas, California, embrace unique rituals and superstitions in hopes of influencing the team’s Super Bowl success.
SEATTLE — From Washington to Southern California, Seattle Seahawks fans say their routines, rituals, and long-standing traditions have helped carry the team all the way to the Super Bowl.
Karlee Hulse has been a Seahawks fan since the very beginning. She lives in Tacoma and says her loyalty began when the team was first announced as an expansion franchise, long before it found national success.
“My sister and I have been rabid fans of the Seahawks since the beginning,” Hulse said.
Over the years, Hulse said superstition has become a core part of her game day routine. Every Blue Friday, she wears Seahawks gear without fail. On game days, she and her sister match their outfits to the team’s colors on the field. They even plan meals around the opponent, a tradition they call “eating the competition.”
“The bigger the game, the more food,” Hulse said. “It is all the mojo we can add.”
More than a thousand miles away in San Dimas, California, Leslie Cardoza follows a different set of rules, but with the same belief that every detail matters.
One of her biggest superstitions is never washing her jersey after a win.
“There have been seasons where I have not washed my jersey at all,” Cardoza said.
Her rituals extend well beyond clothing. Cardoza has lucky socks, a specific spot in the house where she watches games, and even a Seahawks gnome in her backyard that has stayed in the same place throughout the season.
“I put him in the middle of the backyard, and since we left him in that spot, we have not lost a game. His foot is broken, no one will touch it. I can’t even move it because we’re going to the Super Bowl, so I don’t wanna break that superstition. Hands off.”
Cardoza became a Seahawks fan in 2011, following head coach Pete Carroll from USC to Seattle. As a Trojan alum, she says it has been especially meaningful watching quarterback Sam Darnold reach the Super Bowl as a Seahawk.
“To see him as a Seahawk now just makes it more special this year,” Cardoza said.
While one fan lives just miles from Lumen Field and the other cheers from Rams territory in Southern California, both say being a 12 creates a connection that goes far beyond geography.
With every ritual firmly in place, both fans believe the Seahawks are ready for the biggest game of the season.
The Seattle Seahawks face the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The game will be televised on KING 5 on Sunday, Feb. 8, at 3:30 p.m. PT.