Richard Sherman has drawn much of the attention as the Seattle Seahawks prepare for their conquest of East Rutherford, New Jersey, home of MetLife Stadium. But of course, Richard Sherman isn't the only story as Pete Carroll's team heads east to face John Fox's Denver Broncos. And fans know that, but beside periodic news reports, how are Seahawks fans going to keep track of everything going on? The answer is load your iPad or iPhone with Seahawks apps.The Seahawks Mobile iPad app (Free) appears to be a template used by the NFL to provide each team with its own app. It features the score from the latest game and a similar area announcing the latest game, currently showing the record for the two teams. News and video fall under the top banner, and along the side official @Seahawks and #Seahwaks communications scroll down from Twitter. A more compact version of the app runs on the iPhone. This is not a universal app so you will have to acquire and download the app to each devices.
But real fans want more, so there is also the advertising supported Sea FanStatic (Free) app from Social Etc. LLC. Think of this as a portal into everything Seahawks. Look at the roster, review the 13-3 schedule, track twitter feeds for players, the team, the Seattle press, former players, and fans. The app also includes convenient links to Seahawks web pages, including ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and the Seattle Times, along with the Seahawks official website. (Yes, Broncos fans have a version too).
The app encourages community by giving users the ability to suggest twitter handles to follow and integrating tweeting directly into the app. The most unique feature is the ability to tweak a photo by adding a comment or a little fan guy to any picture (or putting green hair on you or a friend) and then tweeting that out.
Of course, every local news station has their own app that will be covering the leadup to the game in the sports section (apps include Kiro, Komo, King5, and Q13 Fox. All are free).
Going to the Super Bowl is a big deal for any city. It's an especially big deal for cities that haven't appeared all that often. Seattle is enjoying its post season triumphs with Beast Mode t-shirts celebrating Marshawn Lynch and people wearing number 3 jerseys for the humble Russel Wilson and sporting green and blue gloves like defensive star Richard Sherman. And don't forget about the 12th man, the Seattle fans who create seismic activity beneath Century Link Field when the Hawks score, shouted out via flags and banners, lego-like toys, and all kinds of green and blue couture. Sure, this is Microsoft-land, with probably the largest concentration of Windows Phones in the world, but many people are tracking the journey to the Super Bowl on iOS. The Seahawks fans who hang out in New York's Carlow East on Manhattan's Upper East Side need to keep an out eye for the Seahawks equipment truck as it wends its way toward New Jersey. Now they will know there is an app for that.
And on February 2, if you aren't sitting by a big screen television, you can still enjoy the game on an iPad or computer via the Fox Sports Go app or the Fox Sports website, as they will be llive streaming the entire game (see Variety: Fox Will Stream Super Bowl XLVIII Free to Computers and iPads), including the half-time show. It will be interesting to see how many people take advantage of the iPad as either their primary gateway to the game, or as a second screen to ensure they don't miss anything while refilling the bowl of chips.
Oh, and: "Go Hawks!"
