Did you know that the first Major League Baseball franchise in Seattle was called the Pilots? After departing for Milwaukee, Seattle was ultimately given a new franchise in 1977: The Seattle Mariners. Legendary players such as Ken Griffey Jr., Ichiro Suzuki, Edgar Martinez, and Félix Hernández have brought success to a club and city that has some of the most passionate fans in the world of sports. Furthermore, regarding Ichiro, the Japanese fanbase of the Seattle Mariners is incredibly unique. As Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times writes, “fans, media, and an entire nation want to see him launch one of those patented line drives into left-center or a hard ground ball through the right side.” The passion of Japanese fans and fans across the globe is evident as seen through the Mariners’ strong social media portfolio. With 1.15 million Facebook followers, 611K Instagram followers, and 567K Twitter followers (2.328 million total followers), the Mariners vast following allows them to connect with fans all around the world.
The Mariners have numerous resources that allow fans in Seattle, throughout the United States, and even internationally to engage with the baseball club. The Wheelhouse with Jerry Dipoto and the Seattle Mariners Podcast are two incredibly unique podcasts that allow Mariners fans everywhere to be #TrueToTheBlue. The former consists of an insightful discussion between Jerry Dipoto, the Mariners’ General Manager, and broadcaster Aaron Goldsmith. The latter “features programs that take a daily and long-range look at Mariners baseball.” For more emerging Mariners fans, the Junior Mariners Program and Mariners Grand Slam Camps are excellent opportunities to connect with the Seattle community and culture. Finally, From the Corner of Edgar and Dave, the Seattle Mariner’s official blog, is an excellent resource for Mariners fans to stay in the know with their baseball club. With the Mariners’ plethora of opportunities, the fan base has continued to grow.
Outside of the official resources of the Mariners described above, there are significant strong unofficial resources that connect Mariners fans everywhere. Lookout Landing, the SBNation website for the Seattle Mariners, provides Mariners fans with an online passionate baseball community. Sodo Mojo, the Fansided branch of the Mariners, is composed of op-eds, rumors, news, and more articles regarding the current state of the MLB club from Seattle. Both websites are great resources for Seattle Mariners fans to show their support and connect with fellow passionate Mariners fans. Finally, FanWide, the world’s top fan club network, is host to many Seattle Mariners fan clubs, with 18 currently listed as well as numerous watch parties, allowing those who are #Mariners to show their pride. Please contact FanWide if you are interested in creating your own Mariners fan club, or registering your Seattle Mariners fan club with our database. No matter where you live and work, both the team and groups like FanWide keep Seattle fans connected to their team.
Photo by Matt McGee 
