Being
a Steeler fan means so much more than football.
Contributed
by Richard "Pooch" Fusia
Being
a Steeler fan means so much more than football.
It
means being from a corner of the world unlike any other.
It
means being from a place where the people are so tough-minded that
they have survived the
Homestead
strikes, the
Johnstown
flood and most recently the Etna Floods.
These
people have the DNA of hard work, in mills and mines, without the
necessity of complaint.
They
live simply, with no frills. They don't have movie stars or fancy
cars. Instead, they have simple traditions like kielbasa,
Kennywood, and celebrations.
They
live in distinctive neighborhoods like Polish Hill and the Hill
District and
all of the surrounding counties.
These
people are genuine.
They
don't have chic internet cafes and cappuccinos, but they haveThe
Original Hot Dog Joint, Primanti's, Eat N' Park and Iron City
Beer.
People
from Pittsburgh
don't have sunny beaches or fancy boats,
but
the rivers roll gently, connecting the small towns of people whose
histories have been
built on strength and humility.
People
from
Pittsburgh
don't have the biggest shopping malls or the best nightclubs, but
they'll take Friday night high school football and Steeler Sunday
over anything.
Steeler
football means so much more than you think. It symbolizes a
Diaspora of
generations who had the best childhood they could imagine.
They
ran free without a care or concern in the valleys of those
Allegheny Mountains
. Their
blue-collar world was easy ... there was no one to tell them that
they lacked material things. There
was no one to tell them that they needed more.
As
the steel mills closed and the jobs disappeared, some of these
people had to leave. While the world benefits because they
spread their
Pittsburgh
values, they long for their home where
things were simpler and more pure.
They
teach their kids about Jack Lambert, Lynn Swann, Terry Bradshaw,
Franco Harris, Jack Ham, L.C. Greenwood, Joe Greene, and Myron
Cope in hopes of departing not just the knowledge, but
the feeling that they represented.
They
are everywhere, those Terrible Towels. They wave, not just
for the team,
but
for the hearts they left behind. They wave in living rooms
in
Fort Lauderdale
and
in the bars of
Washington
,
D.C.
They wave all the way to the Seattle Superdome!
They
wave for the Rooney family, whose values mirror our own - loyalty,
grit, and humility.
They
wave for football players like Jerome Bettis and Hines Ward,
whose unselfishness
and toughness have allowed sports to be about the game and the
team.
Make
no mistake that Steeler football is not just about football.
I
could not be prouder to be from the Pittsburgh Area than I am
right now!!
Even
if you no longer live in the area, you have South Western
Pennsylvania in your blood no matter where you go. And deep down in your heart of
hearts, you
can still hear the Super Bowls of times past, the excitement in
everyone's voices especially our fathers, cousins, and anyone else who
gathered around the TV on Football Sundays!!
Make
no mistake, its just as exciting right
now!! It's not just about rivalries and who is
better than the other, it's about family, tradition and
roots!
It's
more than football, but its football at its finest!! If you
now live
in
Arizona,
Colorado, Ohio,
Indiana,
California,
Florida,
Nevada, or
Texas, be proud of
where you were born and who your FIRST favorite football team
was!!
Go
Steelers
!!!!
The Fusia and Fuscà
Families
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