When the majority of America thinks of the Pacific Northwest (PNW) there are a few things that come to mind; grunge music, rain, coffee, and Microsoft.  Normally the PNW’s athletic success is not the first thing that comes to mind.

 This may be changing however, as the PNW has seen its share of success in professional and collegiate sports throughout the past decade.  The University of Oregon Ducks football team has been a perennial power for several years now, the University of Washington consistently puts out a competitive men’s basketball team and has made some good runs in the NCAA tournament, and the Seattle Seahawks have now appeared in two Super Bowls since 2005.

 Of course, this past Super Bowl appearance for Seattle was just a few days ago and it represented the first Super Bowl victory in franchise history.  This monumental triumph was not just for the city of Seattle, but the entire PNW and this championship may be a grand kick off for the year of 2014 to represent one of the best years for sports the PNW has seen in decades.

Beginning with professional sports, the aforementioned Seattle Seahawks have not only won 2013-2014’s championship, but they are primed for a great 2014 regular season and possibly a return to the 2015 Super Bowl. 

Next are the Seattle Mariners who have struggled mightily over the past ten-plus years.  While it could be another downtrodden year for fans of the M’s, there is hope for Mariner baseball as we enter 2014.  Seattle made the biggest free-agent splash of the off-season by nabbing slugger Robinson Cano from the New York Yankees, bringing the best second baseman in baseball to Safeco Field.  Along with bringing in a few other bats and the development of young and talented pitchers, Seattle could be in for a 2014 rebound.

While any mention of the NBA still brings back hard feelings for some fans of the Seattle Sonics, the Portland Trail Blazers are giving the PNW something to cheer about.  Thanks to stellar seasons thus far from power forward LaMarcus Aldridge and point guard Damian Lillard, the Blazers are currently sitting in third place in the Western Conference with a record of 34-14, and their offense’s 108 points per game leads the NBA.

The Seattle Sounders appear to be fielding another competitive squad this season as well.  While Fredy Montero’s contract has been officially sold to Sporting Lisbon of Portugal – where he played in 2013 anyway – the Sounders have just recently added the highly touted midfielder Marco Pappa from the Chicago Fire.  The 26-year-old Guatemalan is regarded as a dynamic scorer and playmaker as he has scored 26 goals between the years 2008 and 2012 as well as adding 16 assists in that time. 

College football in the PNW should be the best it has been since at least the 1990s, as 2013 marked the first time that all four Pac-12 schools from Washington and Oregon attended a bowl game. 

Our beloved Cougs went to their first bowl game in 10 years, and although we lost the game it still marked a huge accomplishment for the program and represents a sign of great things to come for Cougar football.  Each year since Mike Leach arrived in the Palouse, WSU has brought in a stronger recruiting class, and 2014’s class is no exception.  Look for WSU to improve upon their 6-6 mark in 2013 and turn some heads within the conference this upcoming fall.

While UW may be losing senior quarterback Keith Price to graduation, a new era of Husky football will commence with the tutelage of Chris Petersen who has been so successful at Boise State University over the past decade.  Steve Sarkisian may be headed for Los Angeles, but Petersen will bring his own brand of success to the Cougar’s nemesis.

The University of Oregon and Oregon State University are both very optimistic about their chances in 2014 as well. Oregon’s Marcus Mariota recently decided to return to the Ducks for his senior season and will be a Heisman candidate from the start of the year.  The Beavers will be returning their senior quarterback as well, Sean Mannion, who enjoyed a very successful 2013 campaign, leading the Pac-12 in both passing yards and touchdowns.

The Seattle Seahawks are no longer the most anonymous team in football, and with the Super Bowl XLVIII Lombardi Trophy sitting in their trophy case, they have done something that hasn’t been done in professional sports in the PNW since the 1979 Seattle Sonics won the NBA Finals.  A changing of the guard may be taking place, and sports in the PNW are on the rise.