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Seattle startup FanWide brings out of town sports fans together

You tell them your team. They tell you where the party's at.

It is a Monday evening at Seattle institution J&M Cafe and Cardroom. And though the Mariners are playing just down the street in mere minutes, you'd think you're in the heart of Boston.

Hundreds of fans sport navy and red jerseys or t-shirts, many with "Boston" or "Red Sox" on the front. One lucky fan wins a number 20 Red Sox jersey. A large "B" banner hangs on the wall.

"Like comin' home. Yeah. It's like family," say Kristin Hughes and Jess Rush, both Seattleites from Massachusetts.

They're part of the Boston Sports Fan Group of Seattle. They joined forces with a Seattle startup called FanWide.

Like Uber connects customers with cars, FanWide connects fans with bars.

"Fans love it. As someone who's traveling, as someone new to a community, it's really a great way to assimilate and find local friends," said founder Symon Perriman, who admits to being a Yankees fan though he's lived in Seattle for a decade.

The new app is simple to use. Fans punch in their favorite teams, FanWide shows a map with watch party spots for those teams.

Bars love the business and offer dedicated viewing areas and food and drink specials.

Fan group organizers like Chris Porter love how it helps fellow fans bond.

"They walked in the back room and looked around. And they're like 'Oh my God!' The look on their face was priceless."

SPECIAL EVENT: Watch with Cliff

Watch the Seahawks take on the 49ers at a Fanwide Event with former Seahawk Cliff Avril at Art Marble 21 in Seattle on Sun, Dec. 16th at 12:30PM.  

Evening celebrates the Northwest. Watch it weeknights at 7:30 on KING-TV Ch. 5 or streaming live on KING5.com. Connect with Evening via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Email

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