Why Seattle’s defense calls itself the “Dark Side”
Ahead of Super Bowl LX, Seahawks players explain how their defense earned the “Dark Side” name.
The art of the nickname.
Some choose to paint with a broad brush, opting for something on the obvious side. Others prefer to be more technical, forcing everyone to think a little deeper about its origins and sports teams are no different.
It would be easy for the Seattle Seahawks to roll with a nickname like “Hawks” and call it a day. Then the fans could be called “Hawks Nation” or something uninspiring like that. Yet this group of fans tucked away in the Pacific Northwest are known for a number: 12.
Seahawks fans are certainly more than that, even if it sometimes feels like they aren’t.
Only the loudest and most passionate get to call themselves the 12s. Here’s the story behind the Seahawks fans’ nickname.
Why are Seahawks fans called the 12s?
Seahawks fans earned their nickname because they are the unofficial 12th player on the field at home games.
There are only 11 players allowed for each team on a given play, but Seattle enjoys that added bonus and noise provided by the fans in the stands at Lumen Field all season long.
That noise creates an advantage that is unique to Seahawks’ home games, resulting in countless penalties against the opposition and simply making it hard to think throughout the game. The construction of the stadium traps all the sound in, which aids fans in their efforts to create one of the best home-field advantages in all of professional sports.
If the ear-test wasn’t enough, the 12s also have some scientific backing as one of the loudest groups in sports.
On various occasions, they registered seismic activity. Notably, they sparked a 2.3 magnitude earthquake during the infamous “Beast Quake” run by Marshawn Lynch in a 2010 wild-card game against the New Orleans Saints.
Again in 2025, the 12s rocked Lumen Field when Rashid Shaheed returned the opening kickoff of the divisional round game against the San Francisco 49ers for a 95-yard touchdown.
Originally known as the “12th Man,” Seattle faced a dispute with Texas A&M, who coined the term back in 1922 and trademarked the term in 1990. The Seahawks struck a licensing deal with the school to utilize the nickname as far back as 2006 and later agreed to a new, five-year deal in 2016.
The Seahawks have since dropped the “12th Man” language and instead opted for the “12s,” which remains in use to this day.
When did the Seahawks fans get the 12s nickname?
The Seahawks became the first professional sports teams to retire a jersey in honor of their fans on Dec. 15, 1984. That jersey was the No. 12 in honor of a fanbase that always brought the noise.
It was a reputation that was born at the Seahawks’ first home, the Kingdome, and has continued to this day. Per the Seahawks, “Opponents were continually frustrated because of the loud crowd volume, so much so, that the NFL instituted a noise rule in 1989 that allowed referees to penalize defensive teams if, ‘the level of crowd noise prevents the offense from hearing its signals.'”
The team introduced a new tradition in the 2003 season, starting every home game with “Raising the 12 Flag” before kickoff.
It’s impossible to escape seeing the No. 12 on merchandise and flags when Seahawks fans are around, serving as the de facto logo for the fans of Seattle’s team.
