Why Seattle is North America’s Most Underrated Sports City
"The best sports city that nobody ever talks about is Seattle."
That's what NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley said in an interview earlier this year with Michael Smerconish, and after spending a couple of weeks there, it's hard to disagree with him.
While global sports headlines are permanently dominated by the mega-markets of New York, Los Angeles, or Boston, Seattle quietly maintains one of the most passionate, multi-sport cultures in North America without getting the same mainstream hype.
Currently, Seattle has six major sporting franchises: Seattle Seahawks (American Football), Seattle Mariners (Baseball), Seattle Sounders FC (Soccer/Football), Seattle Kraken (Ice Hockey), Seattle Storm (Women's Basketball), Seattle Torrent (Women's Ice Hockey), and Seattle Reign FC (Women's Soccer/Football).
The Seattle Supersonics were the city's only NBA team for 41 years, bringing a championship to the Emerald City in 1979, and then competing in iconic battles against the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s with players such as Shaun Kemp and Gary Payton. However, the team moved to Oklahoma in 2008.
Being a huge sports fan, it was a no-brainer to check out as many games as possible during my first visit to Seattle and try to understand what makes Seattle an underrated sporting city.
Just a little disclaimer: I was unable to get tickets for the Seahawks, Kraken and Reign while I was there, so I will not be covering those teams in this article.
Seattle Storm
As the city's only professional basketball team, it is no surprise that the Seattle Storm draws a crowd.
Despite tip-off not being until 7 pm, the surrounding area began filling up with Storm fans from around 3 pm, and you could see the impact this team has had on fans of all ages. From young girls and boys wearing Storm jerseys to older women who were telling me they have been coming to games since the team was founded in 2000, the team have impacted multiple generations. To younger fans, this is the only professional basketball team they have ever known to play in Seattle. But for older fans who still miss the Sonics, the Storm just feel like a natural continuation of Seattle's deep love for the sport of basketball.
Seattle Storm are one of the most successful WNBA teams in history, having won a record four championships (they share the record with the Houston Comets and the Minnesota Lynx). However, this season hasn't gone their way, and the team ended the 2026 season with eight wins and 36 losses, setting a record for the worst year in franchise history and the most single-season losses for a WNBA team.
Despite the record, fans still packed the Climate Pledge Arena for their final game of the season and were queuing to pose for a picture with the 'Thank you Storm fans' sign outside the stadium.
Once in the arena, fans were already waiting courtside to get a glimpse of their favourite players warming up, and in return, most of the Storm players took their time before the game to sign shirts and have selfies with them. It was 'Fan Appreciation' night, so it was nice to see the players spend a long time with the fans who have backed the team in a difficult season.
As it crept closer to tip-off, the atmosphere began to liven up with "Let's go Storm" chants competing with the loud music as the team did lay-ups. All fans were given light-up wristbands on entry, and once the announcer was ready to introduce the team, the arena lights went dark and a sea of green lights lit up each seat. The fans were vocal throughout the whole game, especially in the fourth quarter when they cut a 19-point deficit down to only six points, and they showed their appreciation to the team despite losing the game.
Being from the UK, it was difficult for me to directly compare this to women's basketball in my homeland, as it is nowhere near as popular as it is in the States (nor is men's basketball for that matter, despite its rise in coverage). The nearest thing I can compare it to is women's football, which has grown massively in the last 10 years. While yes, they are different sports, they both have had an inspiring impact on the younger generation, especially girls. What really separates women's basketball is the ability to sell out the same arenas that the men's team play in. In women's football, for example, you may see Manchester United's women's team play at Old Trafford a few times a season, they predominately play their games at Leigh Sports Village which is about 12 miles away from Old Trafford and much smaller. Yet around half of WNBA teams share the same arenas with the male teams and they are mostly sell out games.
This was my first experience of watching sports in Seattle, and it was a great example of seeing first-hand how passionate the city is behind their sports teams, no matter the circumstances.
Seattle Sounders FC
Next on the list was to watch a soccer... sorry, I mean football match. With Lumen Field and T-Mobile Park (where the Seattle Mariners play baseball) being next to each other and playing at the same time, the atmosphere was intensified. Food vendors and bars outside the stadiums were full of lively fans and music. The smell of hot dogs hung thick in the air, wrapping up an atmosphere that proved just how tightly knit Seattle's sports culture really is. Out of all the sporting events, this was definitely the most interesting one.
I bought my ticket a couple of days before the game and was happy that I got a seat behind the goal. However, when the ticket came through, it didn't have a seat number, all it said was 'ECS'. It was only when I asked a steward at the stadium that I found out I was sat with the Emerald City Supporters, a group of passionate Sounders fans who sing, beat drums and wave flags for the whole game (in the UK they would be known as ultras). Before kick-off, a man got on the microphone at the bottom of the stand and rallied the fans to stand up, wave the flags and sing for the whole 90 minutes. It was at this moment I was given a song card with the lyrics of all the chants. Some chants were recognisable, such as Till I Die and Us vs Them, but others were unique to Seattle. In the UK, the chants at football matches are usually full of expletives and often abusive. At the Sounders game, one of the chants was about how great the goalkeeper's hair was...
Even though it was a bit overwhelming at first, the singing and drums made the match more enjoyable, especially in the quieter moments. What really struck me was the variety of fans in this section. Again, comparing it to the UK, the die-hard fans section is often male dominated. Yet, in the ECS section, there were families with young children joining in with the chants, and one young boy was absolutely beaming after getting to wave one of the giant flags.
Moments like this captured the real soul of Seattle's sporting culture: loud, fiercely passionate, and fiercely inclusive.
Seattle Mariners
Less than 24 hours later, I was back in the same area, but at a different stadium to watch the Seattle Mariners play their final game of the MLB season. Of all the sports, this was the one I was most curious about, since I don't know the rules of baseball and have never watched a single game. While I didn't find the match particularly interesting, it was hands down the best atmosphere of all the sports I saw in Seattle.
From the very first pitch to Seattle's final out, the energy inside the ballpark was electric. You didn't need to understand every rule to get swept up in the roar of 44,000 fans living and dying by every single pitch.
Unbeknownst to me, what made this game even more special was that it was longtime sportscaster Rick Rizzs' final game for Seattle after calling Mariners games for 41 years. For generations of locals, he was quite literally the voice of summer in Seattle. Throughout the afternoon, heartfelt tributes poured in from past and present players, colleagues, and fans across the big screens. After the Mariners closed out a win against the Los Angeles Angels, he gave an emotional speech to the 44,000 fans who stayed in their seats to hear his farewell speech, which showed just how deep the bond runs between this city and its sports figures.
Stepping back from all three games, the overriding takeaway wasn't just the noise or the stadium designs. It was the crowd dynamic. In the UK, major sporting events, particularly football, can often feel heavily male-dominated or tribal. In Seattle, each matchday feels like a massive, inclusive community event. You see young kids waving flags, multi-generational families in matching jerseys, and group outings where everyone is equally invested. It's a city that rallies behind its teams not out of habit, but out of a shared, genuine love for being there together.
While national media outlets remain fixated on the usual suspects in LA, New York, and Boston, Seattle proves that you don't need a massive international spotlight to have the best sports culture on the continent. And with talks of the Seattle Supersonics coming back to the NBA in the near future, this great sporting city is only going to get louder.
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