I've been in Ohio for the most part since the fall of 2001. While attending Mount Vernon Nazarene University I was still technically a Pennsylvania resident so my loyalty to Pittsburgh was more scoffed than questioned by the Brownie fans that I was surrounded by as well as the Bungles fans. Even when I moved to Mansfield in 2005 the fact that I am from Pennsylvania made sense on why I am a Pittsburgh fan. It wasn't until I moved to Cincinnati in 2007 that people had expectation that I would abandon the teams I grew up rooting for in favor of the Bungles?!? Sorry guys, but that's just not going to happen.
My move to Ohio has had nothing to do with sports but for opportunities in ministry. I am currently in Cincinnati because a ministry brought me here...I remain because of an opportunity I believe in called The 86 Club. No, it wasn't the sports that brought me here but God and it has been God that's kept me here along with an amazing music scene and community.
I was born in 1980 so I missed the glory years of the 1970s when Pittsburgh was the city of Champions. The Steelers won their fourth Super Bowl a few months before I was born in early 1980 and from what I can tell, the 80s was a decade to forget for Pittsburgh fans. That's ok, because I didn't really pay attention to sports at that time.
In 1990 the Pirates ended the decade slump for professional sports by winning the Eastern Division and going to the NL Championship where they would lose to the Reds and they went on to win the World Series. The Pirates won the Eastern Division again in 1991 and 1992 and lost the NL Championship to the Atlanta Braves those years spawning and intense dislike for that team. And so began what stands at this point is an 18 season losing streak with no end in site.
In 1991 and 1992 the Penguins won their first ever Stanley Cups making Pittsburgh a City of Champions again. Though it was a bit of a roller coaster ride in the years in between, the Penguins have again risen to greatness and won another Stanley Cup in 2009 with a revenge beating of the Detroit Red Wings after coming up just short the year before losing to the Red Wings. Currently expectations are high that the Penguins will continue to be a contender for the forseeable future.
The Steelers remained competitive year in and year out since Cowher took over having only three losing seasons. Cowher was able to take them to two Super Bowls and win one of those and now Tomlin has matched that in less time possibly surpassing it if the Steelers win this Sunday against the Packers.
In college sports my loyalties lie with Penn State (Joe Paterno) and University of Pittsburgh. Penn State won two National Championships in my lifetime and is a consistent competitor for the Big Ten Championship every year. Pitt is a consistent contender for the title of the Big East in both football and basketball.
I began to pay attention to sports in the 90s when I started to play. Naturally I was a Pittsburgh fan due in part to the location of my upbringing, in part due to the success of the Pirates and the Penguins at the time, and largely due to my family influence of Pittsburgh support. My parents and Uncles were around to experience the greatness of the 70s. My grandfather had to suffer through the inept teams the preceded the Noll era and the winning. At least for him, the Pirates won Championships in the 1960 and 1971. Strangely, at that time, in Warren, PA we didn't get Pittsburgh channels. The cable provider explained that the hills were too big when asked why. Apparently the hills shrunk by the late 90s and I was able to watch Fox Sports Pittsburgh but as a pay per view channel. After leaving for college it changed to free so when I am back I get a chance to watch it still. Prior to the hills shrinkage, I would get to see the Pirattes on TBS, a New York network that showed the Mets, occasionally on ESPN if the game wasn't blacked out, and on WGN when visiting my great grandparents in Tidioute - a town south of Warren who got Fox Sports Pittsburgh a few years sooner than Warren.
I suppose since Warren, PA is about equal distance from Cleveland as from Pittsburgh I could have given my support to the teams there or maybe Buffalo which is a bit closer. In the early 90s, the Bills were able to get into the Super Bowl four times in a row which is quite the achievement. I rooted for them each time but they lost each time and then the Steelers returned to their winning ways. The Sabres made it to the Stanley Cup finals in '99 and once again I rooted for Buffalo but they lost. The Cleveland Indians made it to the World Series in the 90s and I rooted for them in '95 (they were playing the hated Braves) but I had to go with the former PIrates manager Jim Leyland leading the Marlins to victory in '97. These other cities with major league professional sports closest to my hometown have not been the City of Champions like Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh has brought two Super Bowl Championships with hope for a third this week and three Stanley Cup Championships. It is indeed the City of Champions!
Pittsburgh has a blue collar mentality and it shows in its teams. The Steelers are easily the toughest football team out there. Say what you want about Ben Roethlisberger's personal life (I know you Brownie fans will continue to tastelessly point that out) but he is the toughest quarterback in the league. Steeler football has been known for its run offense and defense. Roethlisberger has brought a new element with his ability to shake off hits and make passing plays and occasionally run the ball himself. The Penguins especially this year has become a tough team with adding guys not afraid to drop the gloves and they are proving they can winwithout their superstars
I suppose since Warren, PA is about equal distance from Cleveland as from Pittsburgh I could have given my support to the teams there or maybe Buffalo which is a bit closer. In the early 90s, the Bills were able to get into the Super Bowl four times in a row which is quite the achievement. I rooted for them each time but they lost each time and then the Steelers returned to their winning ways. The Sabres made it to the Stanley Cup finals in '99 and once again I rooted for Buffalo but they lost. The Cleveland Indians made it to the World Series in the 90s and I rooted for them in '95 (they were playing the hated Braves) but I had to go with the former PIrates manager Jim Leyland leading the Marlins to victory in '97. These other cities with major league professional sports closest to my hometown have not been the City of Champions like Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh has brought two Super Bowl Championships with hope for a third this week and three Stanley Cup Championships. It is indeed the City of Champions!
Pittsburgh has a blue collar mentality and it shows in its teams. The Steelers are easily the toughest football team out there. Say what you want about Ben Roethlisberger's personal life (I know you Brownie fans will continue to tastelessly point that out) but he is the toughest quarterback in the league. Steeler football has been known for its run offense and defense. Roethlisberger has brought a new element with his ability to shake off hits and make passing plays and occasionally run the ball himself. The Penguins especially this year has become a tough team with adding guys not afraid to drop the gloves and they are proving they can winwithout their superstars
In moving to Ohio, I did not abandon my roots nor will I ever. I am loyal to Pittsburgh sports. When people tell me I should become a Cincinnati fan I ask would they switch if they were to move to Pittsburgh. That remark is met with disgust and should be enough proof as to why I haven't switched loyalty just because I switched geography. Certainly it helps when Pittsburgh teams are proven winners and with the exception of the Pirates the management makes a point to ensure a consistency of winning teams. For the record, I do root for the Cincinnati Cyclones who have had two championship teams since I've moved to Cincinnati...but that is minor league (the only Ohio major league sports team to win a championship in my lifetime is the Cincinnati Reds and they beat the Pirates to get there).
In football, I have more respect for Bengals fans than I do Brownie fans. The Bengals fans have realistic expectations of their team and realize when they aren't playing so great whereas the Brownie fans will believe they are on the verge of a Super Bowl even when it is impossible for them to get there (such as having been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention). Both sets of fans seem to have an undeserved sense of entitlement though but the Brownie fans are much more obnoxious about it. Typically you have to win to earn the right to talk trash…
In the event that Pittsburgh isn't in a playoff for whatever reason, I will often root for the Bengals, Reds, or Bills if they were to make it. I cannot bring myself to root for Cleveland teams (since '95 when I rooted for the Indians). Besides the legacy of losing in Cleveland, I just plain don't like that city nor the teams there. I find it hilarious when they lose. I do have friends there that l love and enjoyed a few good rock shows up that way over the years but generally, Cleveland just plain sucks. It's a shame I have to drive through it to get from Cincinnati back to Warren, PA. No matter how rough a day may be, the realization that I'm not in or from Cleveland is enough to make things much better!
Yes, I am a born and raised western Pennsylvanian Pittsburgh sports fan and proud of it and that won't change. I have a glimmer of hope that the Pirates will one day end the 18 season losing streak but live in the reality that the real sports happen in the fall and winter. In my lifetime I have been witness to three Stanely Cup winning seasons for the Penguins and two Super Bowl winning Steelers teams out of three appearances. The Steelers have the most Super Bowl Champions in the NFL and will be trying to win a third for my lifetime and seventh overall. I believe that they will win it and I will be watching on Sunday with my terrible towel in hand right after I watch the Pittsburgh Penguins play and hopefully beat the Capitals. I know there will be seasons were the teams I love won't do well and I will acknowledge when it happens. For the Penguins and the Steelers…this is not that year!
HERE WE GO PITTSBURGH! HERE WE GO!
