A live, silent video portal outside Lumen Field lets Seattle fans face off with Boston before kickoff.
SEATTLE — Seahawks fans gathered outside Lumen Field this weekend to peer into a large video screen on Occidental Avenue — a live, silent portal connecting Seattle with Boston ahead of the Super Bowl.
The installation allowed fans in both cities to see one another in real time, though without audio. On Saturday, Seattle’s side was lively, with fans waving, posing for the camera and attempting games of rock-paper-scissors. One man raised a cup of coffee toward the screen, a playful nod to Seattle’s reputation.
“We wanted to do something to connect with Super Bowl fans,” said Winston Fryer of Flame Productions, the company hired to produce the activation. “We went ahead and built out these portals … that make it to where you have a live stream experience from here to Boston.”
The Boston feed, located outside TD Garden, appeared quieter, showing mostly a snow-covered sidewalk and a handful of passersby.
“I didn’t see nothing. There’s nobody there. I waited a couple of minutes,” said Oscar Garcia, a Seahawks fan visiting from Pasco, Washington.
While some fans passed time at the portal, others were on the move.
At Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, crowds in Seahawks gear lined up for flights to California. Some rival fans were traveling as well, including Junior Ramirez, a 49ers fan from Royal City in Central Washington, who said he was flying to San Francisco to watch the game near the stadium.
Not everyone at the airport was heading south.
BJ Dondoyano, a Seahawks fan who now teaches in Las Vegas, flew into Seattle to watch the Super Bowl at home with his family.
“Mom said if the Seahawks go to the Super Bowl, she’d fly me up here,” Dondoyano said.
Born and raised in Seattle, Dondoyano said Seahawks games were a constant presence growing up, often playing in the background while he finished homework. He said his mother wasn’t always an active fan, but that has changed this season.
“This year she’s tuning in a little bit more,” he said. “Sign up for some free Fubo trials, cancel it right after, so she can watch the game.”
For Dondoyano, being home mattered more than attending the game in person.
“I wanted to be with family at home, where my heart is,” he said.
As kickoff approaches, Seahawks fans say whether they are traveling, staying home or watching through a screen across the country, anticipation is building — each in their own way.