Few diversions for kids

By Cecil Cross II
Seattle Times staff reporter

Kids can get bored quickly, and football games tend to be longer than their attention spans. There's no seventh-inning stretch, no one singing "Take Me Out to The Ballgame." Other than an occasional wave, audience participation at football games is limited, as is player-fan interaction. By the fourth quarter, many children are left yawning and asking the inevitable question: Is it over yet?

At Safeco Field next door, kids are entertained at the Children's Playfield. But Seahawks Stadium offers no such area. Other than appearances by Blitz, the Seahawks' mascot, and interactive games at the pregame tailgate party, Seahawks Stadium is primarily a playground for grown-ups.

Tom Chiado, assistant project manager for the stadium, attributed the lack of children-oriented activities to space constraints, as well as the game itself.

"There aren't as many games in a football season as baseball, so fans generally like to see all the action," Chiado said. "It (children's play area) didn't play out in the design as a program element."