American Express Brings Back Hawks Island to the 12s on the Puget Sound
Hawks Island presented by American Express for card member Seattle Seahawks fans known as 12s helped the team win a close NFC game on Sunday over the Atlanta Falcons. Neither typhoon winds, nor rain nor a nearly unstoppable superstar named Julio Jones could stop the exclusive pre-game event on Pier 66 of hundreds of people from having fun and enjoying this ultimate AMEX sport sponsor-driven fan experience. The Sports Techie community blog represents the pulse of the 12thman since I am one. Hawks Island sold out the complimentary within 48 hours to hundreds of devoted 12s across the Pacific Northwest.
Hawks Island
AMEX designed a special Hawks Island 200-foot barge moored on the Puget Sound for the festivities that included tasty treats and drinks from local business merchants for 12s. The storm of the century did not materialize as forecast over the weekend and the rain was kept at bay anyways with a clear roof over the vessel enabling attendees to see the Seattle skyline to the east, CenturyLink Field to the southeast, the Space Needle to the north, and the Olympic Mountains to the west, weather permitting.
Exclusive timelapse video of Hawks Island being built (credit: American Express):
o Vimeo
The event included:
o Special guest appearances by Seahawks legends Shaun Alexander, Walter Jones and Sidney Rice
o Premium food and beverages by featured Seattle eateries El Gaucho, Palomino, Salty’s and Seatown
o A number of pre-game activities and contests
o Unique photo opportunities throughout the island
On Friday a merchant panel featured local businesses and Seahawks NFL All-Pro Richard Sherman to the delight of the 12s.
American Express Vice President Danielle Wallis moderated the discussion on ‘Creating A Movement: Rallying the Community Behind Your Brand’ with panelists Amy Sprangers, Vice President of Corporate Partnerships and Suites for the Seattle Seahawks; James Snyder, owner of Sams Tavern; and cornerback Richard Sherman. The panel was attended by hundreds of local Seattle businesses on October 14, 2016 in Seattle, Washington.
About American Express/Seattle Seahawks Partnership
American Express and the Seattle Seahawks renewed and extended their partnership for 2016 season (its sole NFL sponsorship), bringing back its All for the 12s platform that involves working with Seattle merchants and the team to provide a variety of benefits for Card Members and the 12s all season long. Benefits include the Section 12 pre-game activation, merchant offers, and gift-with-purchase deals for AMEX Card Members. The 2016 partnership kicked off with a special preseason “Dinner of the 50” experience on CenturyLink Field attended by 400 Card Members with surprise appearances from current Seahawks players.
Sports Techie, I have been an advocate of instant replay technology across all sports ever since the Phantom Touchdown quarterback Vinnie Testaverde of the New York Jets scored to win the game in 1998 essentially ended the tenure of then Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Dennis Erickson. This terrible and preventable call also spelled the end of Sports 2000, an innovate sports tech company I worked for that was revolutionizing football with the GridIron 2000 expert game planning system that was way ahead of it’s time.
Watching the desperation last drive by the Falcons as the 12s hollered and the stadium shook yesterday was tense for fans of either team. The last throw downfield by QB Matt Ryan to all-everything Jones was batted down by a sandwich of Legion of Boom members, Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas. Replays clear show Sherman locking down the right arm of the receiver, a fact the officials on field could not see or felt it was not enough to call but everyone watching on TV on Fox Sports or on mobile digital devices, certainly did.
Instant replay and challenges are not a perfect solution. Human error can happen when the booth official interprets what he or she see while also having to satisfy overbearing rules in place that too often govern and limit them to changing calls. In this case, as in all these types of scenarios, all I want and most fans agree, is to get the call right as best can be.
Did it happen on this pivotal play? The answer is clearly no. Shame on the NFL for allowing these types of plays to not be reviewed. On the other hand, the refs let the players play all game long making this exchange just another physical confrontation to add to many others. Jones and Coach Quinn took the high road after the game and are ready to move on to next week as are the first place Seahawks and Coach Carroll.
Hawks Island on Sunday was good fun had by all. There was no live band this year but there was plenty of good grub, cornhole, prizes, selfies, player and fan engagement, and autographs.
The tailgating extravaganza enjoyed by loyal Card Members was presented by American Express on behalf of the Seattle Seahawks, the only NFL organization AMEX is a sponsor for this season making it a truly epic fan experience.
See y’all later in Seattle, Atlanta and around the world.
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