One of the more entertaining “feuds” in sports happened between the Seattle Seahawks and the Texas A&M football team. Both are notable for having spectacular groups of fans – or, in the Aggies’ case, their student section – that are referred to as “the 12th Man.” There isn’t really anything malicious over this outside of the time TAMU, which owns the trademark behind the phrase, sued the Hawks in January of 2006. Both sides decided to settle out of court, and the Seahawks had to pay Texas A&M $100,000 with a $5,000 annual fee for continued use of the phrase while publicly admitting that the school is its owner.
However, the war is over, and Texas A&M has emerged the victor. According to KING-TV in Seattle, the Seahawks have removed the famous “Home of the 12th Man” signage from CenturyLink field in favor of the phrase “Home of the 12s.”
CenturyLink Field is no longer the “Home of the 12th Man.”
The franchise confirmed Friday that it has changed the related signage to read “Home of the 12s.”
A Seahawks spokesperson said the team made the move because “Seahawks fans have organically shifted to 12s.”
Texas A&M has had the nickname trademarked since 1990, and it’s unknown why the Seahawks waited until now to make the switch. It’s not a surprising one, though, as Seahawks coaches and players have been referring to fans as “12s” for years.
(via KING-TV)
