I figured I'd post on this since I didn't see anything on it yet.

Congratulations to Seattle Seahawks and Sounders FC owner Paul Allen on being named Seattle Sports Commission Sports Citizen of the Year, an award to be renamed the Paul Allen Award from now on.

More coverage here.

Of the 4 Sounders FC owners, Paul Allen (and Vulcan Sports) is definitely the least talked about.  Joe Roth is the majority owner and seems to be the ultimate authority when it comes to major decisions related to the front office.  Drew is obviously the chairman of the Alliance and an evangelist for the team and sport, as it were.  Adrian Hanauer is the GM.  However, Paul is rarely mentioned in connection with the club.

Arguably, of all the owners, he brought the most to the club in the very beginning.  Sounders FC were able to "share" much of the front office including office space, ticket sales staff, and marketing staff with the Seahawks.  He also had the exclusive lease on Qwest Field, so his presence in the ownership group was critical to awarding an expansion team to Seattle.  The MLS stopped expanding into markets without an owner controlled stadium after RSL.  Without Paul Allan in the ownership group, a new stadium plan would have been required in order for the MLS to expand into Seattle.

It's good to see him recongnized by the local sports commission for his enormous contributions to professional sports in this area of the country.  He's certainly been instrumental in Sounders FC's short history.