Former Seahawk pumps fans up as Seattle’s Pioneer Square prepares for NFC championship
Seattle readies for NFC Championship as Seahawks face Rams for Super Bowl berth
Fans, businesses and the Seahawks are preparing for a historic Sunday as Seattle hosts the Rams in the NFC Championship game.
SEATTLE - The 12’s are ready, the businesses are ready, and the countdown is on, as we are just one day away from Sunday’s NFC championship game when the Seahawks battle the LA Rams.
"I’m excited, I think the whole city is excited," Angela Nguyen, Marketing and Communications Manager at the Alliance for Pioneer Square said.
FOX 13 talked with former Seahawk Garry Gilliam, who played in that last NFC Championship game and knows exactly how the Hawks are feeling right now.
What they're saying:
"They should feel a sense of calm, but it’s not done yet right as Kobe says, there’s still a lot to be done, so hopefully, calm, prepared, cool and ready to go out there and handle business," Gilliam said.
Former Seahawk Garry Gilliam
He was at the Big Blue Friday Fan Rally getting the 12’s extra pumped. So, what does he think it takes for the Hawks to win Sunday and punch their ticket to the Super Bowl? He told FOX 13; they need to be consistent with what they’ve done throughout the season and execute.
"Hopefully this is the start of something great. They take care of this one and take care of the next one and continue to do it year after year. I think Coach Macdonald has the guys together, they’ve got a great host of characters there, and they’ll only continue to add to it, so the biggest one is the next one, so I hope they take care of it," Gilliam said.
Off the field, Pioneer Square is getting ready for tens of thousands of people to descend on the area. "Pioneer Square really is at the epicenter of Seattle sports," Nguyen said. "It's where the Mariners, the Sounders, the Seahawks, where fans all come together." She added, big events like Sunday’s game are a huge deal for small businesses, especially in Pioneer Square.
Local perspective:
"During winter months, retail sales are typically a little slower for bars, restaurants and shops. So major games like this, or major events in general, are such a huge economic boost for the neighborhood," Nguyen said.
According to Visit Seattle, Seahawks games have created a strong demand for hotels, businesses, and tourism all season long. In fact, back in 2015, when the Seahawks hosted the Packers in the NFC Championship, hotels recorded a 93% occupancy rate, according to the non-profit.
In the prior year, when the Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers and advanced to the Super Bowl, hotels saw an 89% occupancy rate the night before that game. It jumped to 93% on the day of the game.
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