Portland Timbers play the Seattle Sounders at Qwest Field

SEATTLE, WASHINGTIN - May 14, 2011 - The Seattle Sounders fans displayed a massive tifo before the game at Qwest Field in Seattle, Washington, Saturday, May. 14, 2011. In the past, the Seattle supporters have been the only group that has created tifo displays for Sounders games.

(Thomas Boyd/2011)

Apparently, creating tifos isn't just for supporters anymore -- at least not in Seattle.

The Seattle Sounders announced this week that they would be teaming up with a corporate sponsor in Delta Air Lines to create a massive tifo display to "celebrate Delta's support of the city through one of soccer's most storied traditions."

Tifos are creative and collaborated displays, which have historically been put together by supporters all over the world as a way to show support for their teams. Supporters groups generally unveil their tifo displays in the stands ahead of important matches. Tifos are generally created independently by the supporters, rather than under the supervision of the team.

But the Sounders are latching on to the tradition this season as part of a corporate campaign.

The Sounders will work with Delta and fans of the team to create a "multi-piece banner, approximately 200 feet long and 75 feet wide" that will tell the story of "Delta's support of Seattle and the city's love for Sounders FC."

The banner, which is being called "The Fabric of Sounders FC," will be unveiled on top of the "East Delta Sky360 Club at CenturyLink Field on September 28 at the Sounders FC home match against Chicago."

The Emerald City Supporters, the Seattle Sounders' supporters group, criticized the campaign in a post this week writing, "In our opinion, tifo should never involve money from a club's FO nor its corporate sponsors, regardless of it carrying any corporate branding or not."

What do you think of the campaign? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com

503-853-3761 | @jamiebgoldberg