SEATTLE -- While the Mariners might not draw the celebrity star power the Dodgers or Yankees do, there is a faction of Seattle’s fanbase that carries prominence well beyond the Pacific Northwest.
Mariners enthusiasts are known for their incredible loyalty and collective bond through the franchise’s most difficult seasons, which has made their emergence during this more prominent era that much more special.
Here’s a list of a few public figures, celebrities and/or well-known personalities who have ties to or are known fans of the Mariners (listed alphabetically):
Dale Chihuly
The globally renowned glass artist is a native of nearby Tacoma, Wash., but has closer ties to the sport than most might think, having designed the prestigious Hutch Award for years -- which was one of the longest-running honors in baseball. The award is presented by the Seattle-based Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and had been given every year since 1965 in honor of former player and manager Fred Hutchinson, who died of cancer one year earlier at age 45. The Hutch Award has been on pause since 2020 after the pandemic, with former Mariners infielder Dee Strange-Gordon being the most recent winner.
Ben Gibbard
The frontman for the indie rock band Death Cab For Cutie said of his Mariners fandom: “I was born into this team.” That interview with The Athletic was back in 2019, when he paralleled his birth year (1976) with the year in which the Mariners were established (1977). And he even wrote a song about Ichiro back in 2010, well after the band had reached national acclaim.
Ken Jennings
The “Jeopardy!” host grew up in South Korea and Singapore, but he was born in Edmonds, Wash., and as such, became attached to the local team from afar. And he became more publicly vocal about his support during their 2025 playoff run, opining on social media that Cal Raleigh should have been the AL MVP Award winner, while even throwing some shade at Astros fans who commented back.
Mina Kimes
The NFL analyst and media personality regularly posts on social media about her support, and even had Raleigh on her podcast in 2025. But interestingly enough, she’s not from Seattle. Born in Nebraska and with an adolescence that spanned the country due to her father’s service in the U.S. Air Force, she identified with the pro sports teams in the Puget Sound region because that’s where he was raised. That bond with her dad forged by her love for the Mariners and the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks is what drew her to sports fandom and played a key role in how she professionally developed into the role she holds today.
Macklemore
The rapper, whose real name is Ben Haggerty, once told ESPN.com that he might’ve subconsciously come up with his stage name as a nod to former Mariners infielder Mark McLemore, though it wasn’t done intentionally. Regardless, his Mariners roots run deep, so much so that he wrote a song titled “My, Oh My!” in honor of longtime broadcaster Dave Niehaus. Macklemore, who then performed the song at T-Mobile Park on Opening Day in 2011, grew up watching Niehaus and still is a regular at T-Mobile Park, especially for bigger games.
Kenny Mayne
The longtime host of ESPN’s SportsCenter, Mayne’s fandom has always felt like an extension of his dry, unmistakable sense of humor -- equal parts sincerity and self-aware suffering. A Washington native, Mayne grew up with the team woven into the background noise of his life, long before he became a national sports anchor. Mayne talks about the Mariners the way only a lifelong fan can: with affection, exasperation, and a belief that something magical might still be around the corner.
Mike McCready
The lead guitarist and a founding member of the rock bands Pearl Jam and Mad Season's fervor for the Mariners is as steady and expressive as his guitar work. McCready grew up in Seattle and with the team as part of the city’s cultural pulse, wedging Pearl Jam's music and the team’s rise to acclaim around the same time period during the 1990s. He’s regularly thrown out the ceremonial first pitch and played the National Anthem -- complete with an electric guitar -- underscoring how the Mariners are a fade back to home.
Bill Nye
Known as “The Science Guy” for his Emmy Award-winning PBS children's show that aired from 1993-97 and educated millions about basic science, Nye’s fandom traces back to his childhood years growing up in Seattle. And when he talks about the Mariners, he does so with the same mix of curiosity and optimism that he captivated his audiences with, blending data-minded observation with genuine affection. While he also maintains an affinity for the Nationals, his fandom isn’t loud or performative, but steady, thoughtful, and delightfully nerdy.
Adam Ray
The comedian who has seen his public profile grow greatly in recent years wears his fandom on his sleeve -- quite literally. He’s regularly seen sporting Mariners gear out in public, and even sometimes at his own shows. And his loyalty has become ingrained in the fabric of his material, too, sharing jokes about late-night heartbreaks and other tales from the ballpark. He’s even become friends with many of the current team, having made a trek to Spring Training in 2025, when he led a closed-doors roast of the entire clubhouse. Ray’s loyalty to the Mariners is the kind built on nostalgia and hope, the trademark mindset of anyone who’s ridden every twist of this team’s roller coaster.
Eddie Vedder
While the vocalist and guitarist for the rock band Pearl Jam is a self-professed Cubs fan, he also has ties to the Mariners dating back to his time in Seattle. After all, that’s where the group of musicians formed, and they did so just as the Mariners were soaring to relevance in the 1990s. Vedder also has ties to San Diego, and his name is attached to the rivalry between the Mariners and Padres, known as the Vedder Cup -- which, in 2025, got a full-fledged custom guitar designed as the trophy to each year’s winner. And Vedder designed the instrument himself.