Robbie Macaraeg has always been a Seattle Seahawks fan. Raised in the Seattle suburb of Bremerton, Robbie takes great pride in his town, even sporting a Seattle tattoo on his arm. It's a city known for coffee, rain, and -- especially after the Seahawks took home the Vince Lombardi Trophy for winning this year's Super Bowl -- football.
Robbie says he never really understood football, but in a video he posted on I'm From Driftwood, he says that to him, the Seahawks symbolize family, home, and pride -- the latter being a word he uses a couple of times in his video post. The pride he had in his team did not always translate to his personal life, as Robbie talks about being 17 and not out to his family. He began dating his first boyfriend - a "classmate," as far as his mother knew - and when the relationship ended, Robbie says, he was heartbroken. Crying, he called a friend, who drove him home.
When he walked in the door, Robbie says, he found his mother watching the birds, wearing her Seahawks jersey, and shouting at the TV.
"And I walk in just crying and she just stops everything, literally goes into mama bear mode, 'What happened? Are you okay? What's going on?' Hugs me, hugs me, hugs me.
"I'm like, 'Mom, I'm gay.'
"She's like, 'Oh, honey, honey, that's fine, but can we just wait till commercial?'
"I was like, 'Okay ... '"
They watched the game together until the next commercial. When the commercial break began, Robbie's mom asked him why he was crying, and he explained he had gotten his heart broken by a boy. Her answer was cool, open, loving, and one that could come only from a die-hard Hawks fan. "Oh, honey, she said, "there's going to be a lot more of that where that came from. Hang on, the game's back on."
For Robbie, the Seahawks represent countless memories like these - moments where the love for a team transcends football. Watch Robbie's full story below.