SeaTown Sports Mailbag - Servais on the hot seat, imagining Seattle athletes in different sports, and ranking Disney Channel sports movies

Answering questions from our readers about Seattle sports and more.

Welcome to the SeaTown Sports mailbag! We received great questions this week, and we're diving into everything from whether the Mariners should fire Scott Servais to whether Americans care at all about the Euros.

Thanks to all who submitted questions. Have a question for our next mailbag? Drop us a comment here, send us a tweet on X @kcposports or @seatownels, or on Instagram @seatownsportsofficial.

Questions have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Have you watched the Dallas Cowboys cheerleader show on Netflix? What is America’s fascination with this and why are the Cowboys named “America’s Team”? - Zach M., Bedstuy (where Biggie Smalls lived)

Cacabelos: I have not yet watched the cheerleader show. But I just read a review of the show through a critical feminist lens and it looks like the whole thing can be educational and entertaining. I am also going to give it a shot because the producer, Greg Whiteley was also the producer of Last Chance U, a series that I have enjoyed.

As to why America loves the show? I think the formula is simple. The show gives you a glimpse of the “real” lives of these cheerleaders . . . it’s reality television. Apparently these cheerleaders are underpaid. Apparently, they have a tough work environment (maybe hostile?). And apparently, this second job (for many) is damaging physically and emotionally. It’s leaving some viewers “sad” at least according to one report.

The America’s Team moniker comes from a 1978 highlight film where the narrator called the team that because they were on national television so frequently. Cowboys fans were also commonplace at road games in the 1970s, which also contributed to the namesake.

There’s been some really fantastic games going on in the Euros. Do Americans care about the Euros? And if not, should they? - Chris B., Hoboken, New Jersey

Elsner: The answer is unequivocally yes. The four quarterfinal matches were all over three million viewers each, up 89% from 2021. The entire tournament is up 42% since 2021. Interestingly, ratings for Copa is also up. The switch from cable to network television seems to have helped with Copa quarterfinals up 420%. Yes, 420%. So does everyone in America love soccer now?

Nah. But the Euros are much better than Copa. The United States needs to learn from the logistical nightmare of Copa to prepare for the 2026 World Cup. While some of this is due to the tournament organizers, this country can’t roll with the lack of security and crappy fields seen in this tournament. The Euros are world class and a joy to watch.

Should the Mariners trade one of their club-control pitchers for a club-control hitter? - Anthony C.

Elsner: Despite having the worst offense in the history of Major League Baseball, the Mariners should not even think about trading one of their pitchers. (Side note: seriously, they are historically bad. The current Mariners are 18th worst ever in batting average and on pace for the most strikeouts ever.) If you ask me this question in the offseason, my answer might be different. There are #5 pitchers out there in the offseason that may make a trade worth the cost. But now that the season is going, I don’t see a scenario where trading one of these guys is worth it.

The Mariners have depth in the farm system with between 5-8 top 100 players, depending on the site. Trade future guys for hitters now and keep this rotation together.

Is it time to fire Scott Servais? - Mike P.

Cacabelos: No. You can’t fire a guy who: (1) has a team with the worst offense in baseball in first place in a division that has 5 of the last 7 World Series champions; (2) has a team that has won more one-run games than any other team in the MLB since 2021; and (3) led the Mariners to its first playoff berth in 2022 since 2001. If the Mariners were out of playoff contention, this is a different conversation. The real conversation is when is it time to fire Jorge Polanco?

Please rank the Disney channel sports movies. This isn’t a question as much as it is a demand for my brother. - Caroline C.

Cacabelos: For brevity, I’ll rank my top 3 with some commentary.

1. Double Teamed (2002) - This movie was ahead of its time. It tells the true story of Heather and Heidi Burge, twins, who both played in the WNBA. The twins transfer to Palos Verdes High School, and the movie’s conflict involves them trying to fit in with the “rich” culture of the school. Another thing I like about the film is Joey Miyashima as Wendall Yoshida, a Southern California coaching legend. Miyashima plays an entertaining character and spotlights one Asian-American’s contribution to the game of basketball. So in sum, themes of feminism, class, and representation all in one movie. Sign me up.

2. Johnny Tsunami (1999) - Johnny Tsunami is about a boy who moves from Hawaii to Vermont. My mom’s side of my family is from Hawaii, so it was always cool to see when a movie depicted Hawaiian culture. Again, this film was ahead of its time. Tsunami must find his place in a private school where he is the racial and cultural minority. Tsunami also has to reconcile his father’s wishes for him (assimilate) with his own passion for sport and family (stay true to his culture). I’ve got to rewatch this one.

3. Luck of the Irish (2001) - This one is the most entertaining of the three on this list. It has basketball. The main character becomes a leprechaun. The bad guy is an evil leprechaun. Sounds like a good movie to me. Some probably will disagree and think High School Musical should be ranked in the top 3, or Motocrossed. Here’s what the “featured” user review on IMDb said, “Stupid plot and okay characters: “The plot was really bad. This kid finds out he is a leprechaun and he loses his lucky coin so he has to find it to save his family. The main boy(Ryan Merriman) was good. I think he is a pretty talented actor. His best friend was a pretty good actor too.”

What Olympic sports would Seattle athletes compete in that aren’t their main sport? For example, Julio throwing a javelin or Megan Rapino competing in fencing. - Luke R.

Elsner: This is an awesome question and the kind of question that Kevin loves. I will try to do it justice in my response. For the sake of simplicity, I am going to take the best player on every local team with a brief explanation.

Mariners: Julio Rodriguez, Fencing.

Combine Julio’s length, athleticism and competitiveness and I think we have a pretty good fencer. His coordination would allow him to evade hits. In fact, Julio would parry an attack and then riposte. Yep, just looked up those terms. Now you have to as well.

Storm: Jewell Loyd, Judo.

I don’t know why but I could see Jewell just crushing it in martial arts. She has a fire in her belly but a calmness in her approach that seems to fit perfectly. Just give Jewell like eight years and she is in the Olympics. Just eight.

Seahawks: DK Metcalf, High Jump.

DK is probably the most likely of an Seattle athlete to make the Olympics. In fact, DK ran a 10.36 in the 100 meter Olympic Trials in 2020. So why the high jump? Have you seen this video?

Reign: Jess Fishlock, Rugby 7s

If you watch Jeff Fishlock play for just 10 minutes, the answer crystalizes in your brain. It is Rugby 7’s. Easy. She loves to play phsyical, doesn’t mind hitting somebody and is agile and quick enough to compete in nearly any sport despite being 37 years old.

Kraken: Yanni Gourde, BMX Racing

There could be some debate over who the best Kraken player is, but I am giving it to Yanni Gourde. Love that guy.

Gourde seems like another candidate for Rugby 7’s, but I see him in BMX racing. Just getting on a bike and absolutely getting after it. Visualize it. You see it, don’t you?

Sounders: Jordan Morris, Sailing

While Jordan could find himself in a track event or something more physical, I just keep returning to him on a boat tugging at some sails. (Is that a phrase?) Maybe it is because he is from Mercer Island. Maybe it is just his vibe. Or maybe it is the hat he wears in this video.

What will happen first: SeaTown sports YouTube show or NBA team in Seattle? -A.J.

Cacabelos: As of now, we have no plans of having a YouTube show. We are investing our time in building our substack and our podcast, and a YouTube show would probably require us to quit our day jobs. No one wants that.

This does give me a chance to tell you that the Sonics will likely be playing their first game in Climate Pledge Arena beginning in the 2026-27 NBA season. We covered this back in May, but there have been a few developments since then. The NBA TV deals have been finalized, which means the league will now begin to explore expansion. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has announced that an expansion committee will be formed once the deals are finalized.

Brian Robinson, co-founder of Save Our Sonics and one of Seattle’s 25 most influential people, tweeted us to tell us that there will likely be a vote from the NBA Governors (owners) this year and subsequent approval from the league. He agrees that 2026 is likely the launch date. This would give the league and Seattle two years of runway to get this thing going.

Thoughts on the newest 2025 Zags commit Davis Fogle? - AJ

Elsner: It is hard for me to divorce myself from the fact that Davis Fogle is leaving Anacortes High School to play for Compass Prep. The trend of high school players leaving their high school programs to play at schools that focus on sports with academics second just makes me sad. However, there are a couple interesting parts to this transfer. First, Fogle needs to get a lot stronger to play at Gonzaga. He will have an opportunity to do that at Compass Prep. Second, he will be playing alongside really good players at Compass Prep which wasn’t the case at Anacortes (his team went 20-8 on his back but lost 3 of the last 4). This will be similiar to his role at Gonzaga.

In terms of Davis Fogle’s role in 2025-26, I see him redshirting. Even though Fogle is a top 100 player, Braeden Smith just transferred to Gonzaga as the Patriot League Player of the Year and Smith is redshirting this year. Braeden is an absolute dog who will put the work in. Gonzaga will have four other guards (not counting transfers) ready to compete when Fogle steps on campus. With Fogle’s strength issues and lack of finishing at the rim against high competition, I see him debuting at Gonzaga in 2026-27. Of course, and this pains me as a Santa Clara alum, the Gonzaga development of guards is incredible so Fogle will step on the court as a much better player ready to roll after a year with those coaches.