I am a Seahawks fan. They give partial credit of their wins to their fans, known as the "12th man", now known as 12's - *see update below
Effects
The effects of the "12th man" vary widely, but can be put in two
categories. The first is simply psychological, the effect of showing the
home team that they are appreciated, and showing the away team that
they are somewhat unwelcome. The second directly relates to the
deafening effects of a loud crowd.
In American football, fans are most incited by physical play, especially good plays made by the defense.
Additionally, the home team can derive energy from the loud noise of
their fans; former American football players have described the feeling
of their adrenaline pumping after hearing the fans yell, which is "like
you have a reserve energy tank."
The noise of the crowd can have a significant impact on the players
on the field. In American football, an extremely loud crowd can prevent
the offensive linemen
from hearing the snap count
.
This can have the effect of making the player slower to react when the
ball is snapped, and his eventual response may be weaker than normal
because each play is begun "with some indecision and doubt."
The noise can also prevent players from hearing audibles
and can make it difficult for the team's offense to coordinate plays in
the huddle. The effect of the noise can often be measured in mistakes,
such as false start
penalties.
Coaches can take steps to minimize the effect of the crowd noise on
their teams. Some American football teams bring large speakers to their
practice fields and broadcast loud noises such as jet engines to prepare
their teams for the anticipated noise level.
Crowd noise tends to diminish after a long lull in play, such as a pause for instant replay
. Former NFL
player Brian Baldinger
speculates that some coaches draw out reviews as part of a coaching strategy to quiet the crowd for their next play.
The New York Giants
allegedly asked the NFL to intervene in 2006 when they played the Seattle Seahawks
. In their 2005 match up at Qwest field
,
the Giants incurred 11 false start penalties due to the crowd noise.
For the 2006 rematch between the two teams, the NFL sent observers to
verify that the Seahawks were not artificially enhancing the noise
level.
This has caused 2.83 false starts per game, which is the highest in the NFL since 2005. The noise level at Qwest field
has been measured at 112 dB.
The term has been used by various American football teams including the NFL's, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills, Denver Bronco's, Washington Redskins, Indianapolis Colts, and Chicago Bears
in marketing practices in reference to their supporters, though many
stopped using the term "12th man" at the request of Texas A&M (the
Bears currently use the phrase "4th Phase"). The Seattle Seahawks
continue to use the phrase, having settled with Texas A&M out of
court after a trademark lawsuit filed by Texas A&M.
The Seattle Seahawks retired the number 12 jersey on December 15, 1984. The tradition of raising a
12th man stadium flag before kickoff, by either season ticket holders or
celebrities, began on October 12, 2003.
In 1992, the Buffalo Bills honored their 12th man by inducting them into the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame
inside Ralph Wilson Stadium
. They were inducted because of their loyal support during the team's early 90's Super Bowl
runs.
The Indianapolis Colts
honored their 12th man by inducting them into the Indianapolis Colts Ring of Honor in 2007.
Texas A&M trademark issues and Seattle Seahawks lawsuit
*as of August 2015 we are no longer the 12th man, but we are now the 12's. It looks like Texas A&M got their way (http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/story/seattle-seahawks-12th-man-controversy-texas-am-081515). The term "12th Man" is used non-exclusively to represent the Texas
Aggie fans. Intellectual property laws recognize certain common law uses
in trademark dispute. In spite of the fact the term originated with
another university
,
an official registration of the mark was filed by Texas A&M (U.S.
Reg. No.
1948306) in December 1989 and the application was approved by
the United States Patent and Trademark Office in September, 1990.
According to statements made by Texas A&M officials, they sent
requests to stop using the phrase to the Seattle Seahawks (2004, 2005),
Buffalo Bills (undated), and the Chicago Bears (undated). Both the Bills
and the Bears responded to the requests stating they would no longer
use the phrase, however the Seahawks did not respond to the request.
In January 2006, Texas A&M filed suit against the Seattle Seahawks
to protect the trademark and in May 2006, the dispute was settled out
of court. In the agreement, Texas A&M licensed the Seahawks to
continue using the phrase "12th Man" in exchange for financial
compensation along with public acknowledgement by the NFL franchise as
to Texas A&M's ownership of the phrase.
GO SEAHAWKS
BIGGER, FASTER, STRONGER, LOUDER!!!!
