Mariners make the cut in FanSided's Fandoms of the Year 2023

While it was a cruel summer for the Seattle Mariners, not making the playoff push we all hoped for, Mariners fans still prove why they are some of the best fans in all of sports. Every year, Fansided comes out with its top 100 fandoms of the year. The Seattle Mariners are rubbing shoulders with some of the biggest names in pop culture, to the biggest franchises in the world.

What is Fansided Fandoms of the Year? You can find out all the info you need to right here. The list is built from nominations from Fansided employees, along with regular contributors and freelancers outside the company. The lists are then cut down to the top 100, and your beloved Seattle mariners made the cut!

"FanSided Fandoms of the Year is an authentic celebration of fan culture, bringing together the FanSided community of readers and writers to celebrate the teams, players, competitions, movies, experiences, actors, music, television shows, games and more that made us want to stand up and cheer in 2023."

- FanSided Fandom of the Year

You can find all of what FanSided had to say about the Mariners right here. There was a lot going on for the Mariners in 2023. Fresh off breaking the playoff drought in 2022, the fan anticipation for the team in 2023 was through the roof. Seattle also hosted the 2023 MLB All-Star game and all of the All-Star festivities. Stars like Julio Rodriguez shined bright, and new stars like George Kirby and Logan Gilbert were brought to the National stage.

Yes, the team fell short in 2023. But there is still hope for this team's core moving forward. Cal Raleigh, Luis Castillo, George Kirby, J.P. Crawford, and others are all here for the long haul (hopefully), and the team will be looking to add talent to try and go for it all in 2024. The Mariners have some of the most loyal fans in all of sports, and we are all craving that first World Series title here in Seattle.

The Mariners were just 1 of 5 MLB teams represented in the list. The other teams that were listed were the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, and the Philadelphia Phillies. 3 players were also listed, Heston Kjerstad of the Orioles, Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, and Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Braves.

The Mariners were not the only local team to make the list. the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington State Cougars made the top 100. Surprisingly, the University of Washington and the University or Oregon fell short, even though UDub is playing in the College Football Playoffs, and Oregon played in the final PAC-12 Championship Game against Washington. While the school did not make the cut, Huskies QB Michael Penix Jr. did, as he is one of the finalists for the Heisman Trophy.

Fandoms of the Year didn't just include sports, though. Taylor Swift won Fandom of the Year, as shocking as that sounds. Swift embarked on the biggest tour in American History, the Era's Tour. She played 2 shows in Seattle, Swift is the biggest celebrity in the US, and maybe even the world. Tickets are nearly impossible to get, Some people are still in the Ticketmaster queue, waiting for tickets.

Other stars like Beyonce, Olivia Rodrigo, Travis Kelce, Victor Wembenyama, Caitlyn Clark and Coach Prime were also listed. Pedro Pascal won the "Most Viral" award, and Hayden Christensen won the "Comeback Fandom" award. TV Shows like Red, White and Royal Blue, Daisy Jones and the 6, the Walking Dead and the Bear were listed alongside top movies like Barbie and Oppenheimer.

I hope this was a fun distraction from the disappointing offseason for the Mariners so far. Hopefully, the M's will be listed again in 2024, but this time because of them being the World Series champs, and not for being such a disappointment like this year.