The Seattle Seahawks are known for having one of the most dedicated fanbases in the NFL, but you'd perhaps be surprised just how far the 12s extend across the globe.
One guy who does understand is injured Seahawks star Earl Thomas, who was spotted at Seattle's weekend playoff game wearing winter headgear more likely to be found in Moscow than Pike Place Market.
The Seattle Times has the heartwarming back story. Thomas received the hat from a passionate fan group called the Russian Sea Hawkers, die-hard collective of Seahawks fans from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, the Baltic states, Germany and the Czech Republic. Every week during the season, the group gathers online in the pre-dawn hours to root for their favorite American football team.
In a letter addressed to Thomas, a member of the Sea Hawkers explained the significance of the cap, gifted to Thomas as a show of appreciation.
It is a uniform winter hat of naval pilots based on the only Russian aircraft cruiser -- Admiral Kuznetsov. These guys fly multirole fighter aircrafts MiG-29K (Mikoyan MiG-29K, NATO reporting name: Fulcrum-D). We think that the coincidence of your numbers and tasks on the football and battle fields is highly symbolic.
A nice story during this period of distressingly strained relations between two global superpowers. Hit us with the bits, Petey!
