I'm glad you mentioned the Sounders, because nobody else has. I grew up in the Seattle area, and the constant threats of sports teams leaving (Mariners, Sonics

I'm glad you mentioned the Sounders, because nobody else has. I grew up in the Seattle area, and the constant threats of sports teams leaving (Mariners, Sonics, Seahawks) were sort of tiring. As a kid, I was thrilled to see the Mariners stay (Nintendo backed that one, IIRC) and enjoyed the new stadium. The Sonics got away (I'm guessing Allen already owned the Blazers at the time..?) but he was instrumental in keeping the Seahawks. Around the time CenturyLink field was built, the Sounders became an MLS team. I don't remember the exact history, and I left Seattle around that time, but it's been awesome to see Seattle rally behind a top notch soccer team; the fan base is one of the strongest in the US, and the regional rivalry with the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps is a lot of fun to follow. To be honest, the Sounders have the kind of following and give the city the kind of energy any city would be proud to have.