Kenny Easley. Brian Bosworth. Curt Warner. Cortez Kennedy. Who are these guys? If you’re a ‘12 since ‘12’ these names probably sound like used car salesmen. Actually, they’re former Seahawks and part of the foundation that built a championship franchise after 37 years of frustration.

Easley was a five-time pro bowler as well as defensive player of the year. Bosworth was one of the most popular Seahawks for a year before a career-ending injury and Warner was highly drafted out of Penn State in the early 1980s. Kennedy became one of three Seahawks in the Pro Football Hall of Fame after an illustrious career at the University of Miami.

Many of us have friends who were fans of other teams, just two seasons ago, until a winning streak propelled the Seahawks into the playoffs and a heart-breaking loss to the Atlanta Falcons that sparked the Seahawks’ second Super Bowl run in 2013. People across the Northwest flooded sports apparel shops for months.

Now, is this a free country? Absolutely. Is everyone entitled to his or her opinion? Sure. Can anyone root for any team they would like? Why not? Go for it. Usually, people become fans of team because they have an emotional connection from growing up with that team, due to a parent or family member or because of geographical proximity.

Sometimes people will even root for a team because of their colors or the players on the team. In this case, the Seahawks are incredibly proximate to these ‘new’ ‘12s.’

I have no problem with fans of other teams as long as they aren’t obnoxiously loud and their intentions are benign. Several of these new 12s aren’t knowledgeable though.

These are the people I end up arguing with at the Horseshoe bar on Friday nights. These are the people who spout out random statements of confidence about their team, which is fine.

That’s the fun of sports; bragging rights and showing off the pride in your team. That goes wrong when people don’t know their facts or stats.

For example, last year someone tried to tell me that rookie defensive end, Cassius Marsh, would be the NFL defensive rookie of the year this season.

I scoffed in utter shock. Did I like the draft pick? Sure. Do I think he’ll be a good player on the team? Without a doubt. But to say rookie of the year? He pulled that out of thin air and failed to offer any rhyme or reason for that prediction.

As a tip, the people you should be listening to are your local beat writers and reporters; these are the people with the first-hand knowledge. They know football or they wouldn’t be professional beat writers in a large market.

Secondly, they are at practice everyday and attend all games; they are invaluable resources to a sports nut’s argument.

With the gut-wrenching loss in the Super Bowl I’d expect to see a whole lot less blue on Fridays next season with so many ‘12s’ prepared to hawk their jerseys in the trash.

Twelves since 12 are why Seahawks fans have a negative stigma. Other NFL fans and analysts find the fan base extremely uneducated.

My one defense for the 12s since 12 is the thrill of being apart of something bigger than yourself. It’s like the rush of adrenaline you get when you rush the court at a basketball game. That feeling of being in a crowd of people that all have the same love for a team as you do is unexplainable.

The Seahawks have brought more and more people together over the past few seasons, which is awesome to see.

The people I have spent this Seahawks run with have enriched it tenfold. I‘ll always cherish the moments of when I wake up Sunday morning, and put on my lucky socks and friends come