Dearest ReadersI returned to my illustrious home city this weekend, and decided it’s high time I described the beauty of Steeler Sunday (especially after we defeated the Raiders…well done).
Here is my image of Sundays in Pittsburgh: It’s that day of the week where it’s no longer weekend, and it’s just on the cusp of the week. Churchgoers head to mass and return to change from dress clothes to jerseys. The tortilla chips are set out beside the salsa and the cheese dip. Crowds gather and everyone sits in their assigned seat (it’s a superstitious time). The terrible towels come out. Businesses close, and it’s game on. The Steelers will win, and if not, well then, it was the refs fault, right?
Now, just to give it to you straight, this post is coming from a girl who hates sports on every level. I don’t like to watch them, and I hate even more to play them. (The whole concept of throwing and catching just involves too much hand-eye-coordination for me to handle, thank you very much.) However, when you grow up in Pittsburgh, you are a Steelers fan, period. Black and gold bedecks the town, because it’s the lifeblood of our city. It’s about pride thing and camaraderie. We all rally, one city, under the Rooneys, Steelers fans for life.
I don’t know quite what it is about the team. Obviously, it helps that we have done well in recent years. My marching band (yes, I was in the Marching Band….remember that thing about no hand eye coordination?) played in the parade my freshman year when the Steelers won their fifth superbowl. The city was in an uproar, and the crowd was so huge they moshed us. My valuable clarinet was almost stolen on multiple occasions. Then, they won again my senior year, and my friends and I skipped school to see the parade. We were frigid, and we went so far as to hoist our smallest bestie onto a streetlight for better visibility. We all lost our voices screaming for the legendary Steelers, and the Principal even marked it as an excused absence. That’s how much we love our team.
But success isn’t the only reason Pittsburghers love the Steelers, the games are also an excuse to get together. Throughout my highschool career, I knew most weekends I would hang out with my friends once on Friday, once on Saturday, and then once on Sunday for the game. It’s a social event. When I watch with my family, my mom yells at the scream vehemently, my step-dad has given up trying to explain that they can’t hear her, and my brother obsessively checks his fantasy team. It’s a bonding time.
Now, I don’t always make it through the whole game (I know what a travesty!), but being a Steelers fan is not just about watching the game, it’s about the passion. It’s about wearing the jerseys, and learning all the lyrics to “Here We Go Steelers,” and bleeding black and gold. It’s not a sports team in my town, it’s a lifestyle.
Polamalu-ily yours,
Adorkable
ps. this image comes from here
pps. I have been tumbling TWICE A DAY (I know, right?!).....so maybe you should check it out....playedwithchalk.tumblr.com
