Because I have a fear of going to jail, and because I didn’t feel like getting pummeled by 5 Steeler fans, I didn’t pull any of those stunts, although I certainly felt like it. Instead, I entertained myself by engaging some of them in conversation.
My first question to any supposed Steeler fan is if they are from Pittsburgh or live in Pittsburgh or Western Pennsylvania? If they answer yes, I consider them a true Steeler fan and leave them alone. I consider the Youngstown-area an acceptable answer as well.
If they answer anything but yes, I proceed to grill them about their so-called fan-dom. Because, in my opinion, anyone who was born in Northeast Ohio but roots for the Steelers aren’t true Steeler fans. They are frontrunners, plain and simple.
Sure, it hasn’t helped that the Browns have been historically bad since 1990 and even left town for a few years only to come back even worse than before. I get it – it’s not easy to root for a bad team, even if they are from the town that you live in.
However, how hollow must it feel to celebrate rooting for a team that you have no real ties to other than you “just like their colors” or “because they won six Super Bowls?” When they last won the Super Bowl, how did it feel watching that victory parade from your television in Rocky River instead of simply walking downtown like the rest of the REAL Steeler fans did that day?
I use Rocky River as a generic example – I don’t know of anyone specifically, it just sounded right. But, still …
Commonly, Northeast Ohio Steeler fans glom onto some long-lost relative as their “tie” to the Pittsburgh area as to why they root for the Steelers. “Well, my grandfather’s uncle was from Pittsburgh, and he was a Steeler fan, so my dad rooted for them too and blah, blah, blah …” Whatever, man. Pretty sad that you have to trace your genealogy back a few generations to try to show why you root for the Steelers even though you, yourself, have never even set foot in Pittsburgh.
Well, other than that one time you actually scored tickets to a game. You probably went to Primanti Bros. because “that’s what all Pittsburghers do,” right? Tourist!
Here’s a newsflash – I have family that was born and raised in Pittsburgh. My grandfather on my mother’s side was born in Pittsburgh. His family moved to the Cleveland area when he was young. He rooted for the Steelers, but eventually switched the Browns when he became a Cadillac salesman and had several players as his clients.
Based off that, I have the perfect excuse to become a Northeast Ohio-born Steeler fan, right? But guess who has two thumbs, was born in Northeast Ohio, and is a life-long Browns fan? This guy!
I usually ask these types of Steeler fans a few questions just to see how much of a fan they really are. As a diehard Browns fan, I made it a point to learn everything I could about that franchise. And, as someone who hates the Steelers, I also made it a point to learn everything I could about that franchise as well.
Here’s an example: Who was the head coach of the Steelers before Chuck Noll?
If you answered “Bill Austin” without looking at your smart-phone, you are a true Steeler fan. If you answered “Bill Cowher,” “Paul Brown,” or “there was a coach before Chuck Noll?” (all answers I’ve been given), you are nothing but a frontrunner.
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