Groz: Sounders deserve love as Seattle’s most successful sports franchise
Mar 6, 2020, 1:52 PM
Much of the focus this time of year is on the Seattle Seahawks and what moves they’ll be making in free agency, the draft and through trades, but it’s also when the Seattle Sounders FC kick off their regular season.
Sounders beat Fire 2-1 to begin defense of MLS championship
The Sounders have been one of Major League Soccer’s top franchises in recent years, and when the team first started MLS play in 2009, it came at the perfect time, as 710 ESPN Seattle’s Dave “The Groz” Grosby points out in his latest Just A Minute video for 710Sports.com.
“Coming off the heels of the Sonics’ departure, we had a local fan base down in the dumps,” Grosby said. “And from Day 1 they smashed attendance records and provided a blueprint on fan engagement that every sports franchise should follow.”
Not only is the franchise extremely successful on the pitch, making the playoffs every year and winning two MLS Cups, including last season’s, they have continually done a lot in the community and for the franchise’s fans.
The Seahawks, who the Sounders share Centurylink Field with, have one of the NFL’s loudest fanbases, and the Sounders are in that same conversation when it comes to the MLS.
“The fan experience has to be seen to be believed, with the march to the pitch and supporters singing songs, it provides the ambience of a European or South American soccer crowd,” Grosby said.
Even though the Seahawks and Mariners have been established since the 1970s, Grosby gave the Sounders some of the best praise the organization can possibly get.
“By every metric I can think of, they are Seattle’s most successful sports franchise,” Grosby said.
He also said the upcoming NHL team should get inspiration from the Sounders, as Tod Leiweke, who is the CEO and team president for NHL Seattle, was a huge part of the Sounders’ launch.
Follow 710 ESPN Seattle’s Dave “The Groz” Grosby on Twitter.