I was born a Pittsburgh Steelers fan. Both sides of my family are from Pittsburgh (in fact, most still live there), and cheering for the black and gold was engrained into me at an early age. This Sunday, I was never prouder to be a fan (except, perhaps, the week before against the Colts).
The Steelers are going to the Super Bowl for the first time in 10 years. The last time Pittsburgh won a Super Bowl was the year of my birth, 1979, against the Dallas Cowboys. Incidentally, that was the last time the Pittsburgh Pirates won a World Series as well — Year of Champions, they called it.
This area seems to think Steelers fans are a novelty. I’ve seen some of the worst sports stories on the local news – one such was a piece on
Denver, Pa, and about how they were cheering for the Steelers over the Broncos, despite the town’s name. For god’s sake.
Then there’s the hoopla on fan participation, how Steelers fans dress up and collect Steelers memorabilia and get excited about the game.
Another news story told about a guy from Pittsburgh who watches all the games at home instead of in bars. Is this really news? We watch at home because we want to pay attention to the game. And that is also why both of my parents have satellite television – but that is another story.
Maybe because I am a fan, I don’t find this behavior odd. Maybe because we don’t have a home team, locals aren’t used to people getting excited about sports without seeming fanatical. But it almost seems like it was just discovered that Steelers fans exist here.
Are you a Steelers fan? A bandwagoner? How do you watch games? The Super Bowl?
