Seahawks and Trail Blazers Owner PAUL ALLEN "described his 'really rewarding year,' new directions for his philanthropy and his appreciation of 'the 12s,'" according to a front-page profile by Brier Dudley of the SEATTLE TIMES. Allen said, "Your dream when you buy a sports franchise is to win the championship, the Super Bowl. The first time you go you’re kind of amazed to be there. The thing is, once you’re in the Super Bowl, you want to win. As time goes on, you want to win more and more." He added that it has "been even more satisfying to end up back in the Super Bowl after 'having a challenging early part of the year ... and the amazing NFC Championship Game.'" Dudley writes Allen "was an unlikely savior of Seattle’s football glory," as basketball "was his favorite sport." The Trail Blazers "were his marquee investment after he retired from Microsoft" in '83. Allen said that he has "supported efforts to bring the NBA back to Seattle, but he doesn’t see much hope in the near future." Allen: "I’m not sure the environment’s right at the moment for a team coming back, but you go far enough out in the future, anything can happen." Meanwhile, Allen said of the Seahawks, "Obviously we have some very unique personalities on the Seahawks. Some of these personalities people are going to identify with and embrace. Other people, who root for other teams, are going to find them not so exciting." He said of Seahawks RB MARSHAWN LYNCH, "Marshawn is such a unique person. I’ve had some great discussions with Marshawn. I think he’s a really interesting person and he does some great charitable stuff" (SEATTLE TIMES, 1/29).
