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Ken Griffey Jr. is already renowned as a Seattle Mariners legend and baseball Hall of Famer, not to mention as one of the best working photographers in the world today. Right now, though, his primary role is as a hype man for the Seattle Sounders FC as they take on the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
Griffey and his wife, Melissa, joined the Sounders' ownership group in 2020, at which time the 13-time MLB All-Star said they "wanted to be a part of something special." Already two-time MLS champions, the Sounders promptly reached a new pinnacle in 2022 as the first team from Major League Soccer to participate in the FIFA Club World Cup.
Ken Griffey Jr. is hyping the Sounders for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup
The Sounders earned the right to return for the 2025 tournament, which is the first to take place in the United States. And with Seattle and Lumen Field set to host games, there was only one thing for Griffey and the Sounders' other ambassadors to do ahead of the start of the tournament on June 15: raise a club flag above Seattle's iconic Space Needle.
Recap a special morning on top of the Space Needle 🤩 pic.twitter.com/a5fa3saqRC
— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) June 13, 2025
"It’s one of the biggest things that happens,” Griffey said of the event. "I mean, Super Bowl, NBA titles, World Series — soon — and this. I mean, these things don't happen very often and so this is a great opportunity to show the world that Seattle is a great place to come."
Mariners fans will appreciate the "soon" nod there, even if the 2025 Mariners aren't exactly on track to snap the franchise's 48-season streak without a World Series appearance. Indeed, the Mariners are the only team in MLB that has yet to play in the Fall Classic.
The Sounders, on the other hand, won MLS Cup in 2016 and 2019 and finished as the runner-up in 2020. And while they are no longer the only MLS team to ever make it into the FIFA Club World Cup — Inter Miami CF and Los Angeles FC also made the cut this year — they remain the only one to do so twice.
Seattle lost its opening match to Botafogo on Sunday, and the road through their spot in Group B doesn't get any easier. Their next draws are Atlético de Madrid on Thursday and Paris Saint-Germain on Monday (tickets are available at FIFA.com).
With Griffey at their side, we prefer to think that the Sounders can't lose. And for what it's worth, we know that anything involving him, Seattle, and a year ending in a five is a winning combination.