The sale of the Seattle Seahawks from the Paul G. Allen Estate to the Khosla family is official, and Brock Huard says the Allen family’s biggest imprint won’t just be measured in wins and money.
Speaking Thursday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, Huard pointed to two pieces of the family’s ownership run that will stick: the philanthropy tied to the estate and, right behind that, the transformation of the Seahawks into a recognizable national brand.
Huard, who was with the team starting a year after Paul Allen bought the franchise in 1997, contrasted that early era with where Seattle stands now after 30 years of Allen family ownership and a record $9.612 billion sale.
“The stewardship of the gazillions of dollars going to charity and philanthropic (causes) is going to be the lasting (legacy). There’s no question. But right behind that to me is something we’ve talked about a lot, and that is brand recognition.”
He said the Seahawks had almost no real identity in the national sports conversation when he arrived in 1998.
“The Seahawks brand in 1998, 99 - there was no brand recognition. There were no 12s.
There was no global reach. (Now) you listen to any stadium, you travel abroad, you look at the 12s, you look at the Hawk logo, you look at four Super Bowls in 20 years.
And just from a market presence, (the Seahawks are) considered a top-tier modern brand due to distinct colors and the loud stadium and the 12th man.
… It’s not, obviously, the Yankees, or some of the 100-year old brands (in sports). But man, has it been a new money brand and come on the scene big time over the last 20 years.”
Huard’s view is that the Allen family’s ownership helped turn Seattle from a team without much national pull into one of the league’s most recognizable modern identities.
Brock and Salk airs live from 6-10 a.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports, with the Blue 88 segment at 7:45 a.m. when Huard answers three football questions.
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