Seattle Seahawks fans are renowned for their passionate and loud support of their football team. Now, the team will be trying its hardest to reward these fans, with the help of the Seahawks’ official airline, Delta Air lines.
On September 9th Delta Airlines launched 12status, a new digital hub for Seattle fan engagement that enables Seahawks fans to earn Sky Miles, merchandise and exclusive perks just for being loyal supporters of the team.
SportTechie caught up with Seattle Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett to discuss his involvement in the new campaign and get some insight on his relationship with technology and how it’s changing the game for him.
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SportTechie: Tell us about your new connection with the Delta/ 12status promotion and how you got involved with the campaign:
Michael Bennett: (MB): I fly Delta all year, and when you fly on the team plane (Delta is the Official Airline of the Seahawks), you get to know people and after a while they become like family. They ask about my kids, we ask about their kids. The hospitality is undeniable and you can’t compete with it. So I started to get involved in the 12status campaign, which is honestly one of the coolest programs because you get perks just for being a fan. The fans are really what make the game. The premise is super easy. Being a Seahawks fan can earn you miles for Delta flights, seat upgrades at CenturyLink and priority boarding at Sea-Tac. It’s a win-win really.
ST: Since you arrived in the NFL in 2009, there has been a major influx in how technology is used to train and prepare for games on Sunday. From a player’s perspective can you talk about changes and the benefits and perhaps drawbacks?
MB: Technology’s changed so much. Now we have things that can track how many miles we run, how much we sweat we lose, how much sleep we get, and measure our food intake. It gives our coaches and us so much insight, and makes our performance better. It all has to do with technology now.
ST: Your teammate Doug Baldwin mentioned that the Seahawks haven’t begun using Virtual Reality to compliment normal practice sessions. How do you and perhaps other players around the league view this new game preparation technology?
MB: I don’t know if it can prepare you, because it’s only virtual reality. It does give you the ability to see something, but it lacks the human interaction. It doesn’t tell you what the player will do. You can calculate what he might do, but when we’re in the game, it’s about true reaction, and I think that’s where virtual reality fails.
ST: We know you joined Twitter in 2013 and now you play for one of the most active fan bases in the NFL. How has social media enabled you to connect with your fans?
MB: For me, social media can be so time consuming. At times you can get so engaged in a conversation. I’m always trying to do a better job of connection with my fans though. I know my teammates they all connect to the fans. They talk to fans all the time, and the fans want to be part of the game, and the best way to achieve that is to interact with your favorite players.