I won the luck of the draw. I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I know what some of you may be thinking. Pittsburgh? How is that winning 'the luck of the draw'? It's cold for six months out of the year, driving is dangerous and the constant overcast skies in winter can make anyone depressed. While you may be right, the citizens of Pittsburgh have one thing that gets us through the dark days: the Steelers.
The Steelers, Pittsburgh's football team, are our ray of sunshine during the winter months. When you are born in Pittsburgh, Steeler blood is immediately a part of you. And it is a common saying around Pittsburgh that us Steeler fans often say: 'I bleed Black and Gold.' And though many of us end up moving all over the world, being a Steeler fan doesn't change.
You may be wondering how Steeler fans are better than any other NFL fan base. All football fans can get pretty crazy when it comes to their loyalty but Steeler fans take it to another level. I currently live in Tampa, Florida and I am part of a large Steeler club in my community. I know now matter where I go, I can find a large Steeler community even if I choose to live outside of the country.
Steeler's fans are willing to travel any distance to see their boys play. Many struggling teams such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers may experience local black outs due to lack of ticket sales. But if the Steelers come to town, many of those games end up selling out. It was said by a columnist for ESPN.com that in Superbowl 40 when the Steelers played the Seahawks, it's estimated that Steeler fans outnumbered Seahawks fans 25-1.
The co-founder of NFL Films spoke at 75th anniversary gala in Pittsburgh and made a bold statement: "The Steelers don't need a mascot. Their fans are their mascot...There were Gerela's Gorillas, Franco's Italian Army, Lambert's Lunatics, people dressed up like a bumble bee. You don't need a mascot when you have fans like that. When we'd go to Pittsburgh to do the game for NFL Films we never brought enough cameras."
A 2008 article done by ESPN.com ranked Steeler fans as the best in the NFL, with a game sell-out streak of 299 games. Steeler fans have such a following and a will to travel, that many teams refuse to sell tickets to people from the Pittsburgh area when their team is hosting them.
Being a Steeler fan is a surreal experience. My life revolves around their wins and loses and their tears are my tears. I am a part of something so awesome and global that I feel blessed to be from the greatest sports city in the world. GO STILLERS! How could I write an article and not put at least a line of Pittsburghese in there?!
