Steeler Nation

Its capital is Pittsburgh, of course. While the population of the country has doubled in my lifetime, the population of Pittsburgh is less than half--one of the things actually that makes it a livable city. But since the 70s, when the Steelers became a great football team at the same time as the steel mills were closing, the Steelers have been the city's heart and soul.

My last visit was two Mays ago. It was spring. There was no football, not even training camp. But the kid cleaning up at the cafe where I went for wifi wanted to talk about the Steelers draft day. At a bar and restaurant where one of my high school friends was playing guitar, an unseen stranger from inside a stall began talking about the Steelers the second I entered the men's room. At a grocery store a woman wore a t-shirt that said, "If you ain't a Steeler fan, you ain't worth shit."

You want to try to imagine what it's like there today? I remember in the 70s, a young teacher complained of the impossibility of sorting boys to their jackets when there were 25 identical Steelers jackets in the closet. This year, that's probably my niece.

"Would you like your coffee black," the waitress will ask, "or gold?"

To take a slightly different view of it, the Steelers are about the only consistency in Pittsburgh (now so far from Steeltown days that a diversified economy--hospitals, universities, even high tech and strong nonprofit and arts-- along with its no bullshit tendencies that didn't get swept up in the mortgage boom may bring some security during this economic slide), and people may talk passionately about the Steelers partly because they have little else in common.

But the connection between the whole Pittsburgh area and the Steelers has only grown. "I feel that sometimes we're the heartbeat of the city," said defensive captain James Farrior. "They love us to death, and we love them the same way. We definitely feel like they're a part of this team. They want to win as badly as we do."

Even the years of contraction have been good for the Steelers, as families left for jobs elsewhere, individuals followed their careers where they led, and kids sought their fortunes in other parts of the country. That helped depopulate the city, but it helped populate Steeler nation--and gave it an authentic core. Like President Obama, you don't have to be from Pittsburgh to love the Steelers. But it helps.

In Pittsburgh it's called the diaspora, and so now Steeler fans are everywhere, from the White House to the Steelers bar in Moscow. It means that somebody in a Steeler cap (me) who usually goes to a certain theatre on Sunday, goes earlier this time to review the play, and talks to the theatre's new exec director--who turns out to be from western PA-- who says she's cancelling a rehearsal of another play Sunday so she can watch the Super Bowl. It means that on another day earlier this year, the guy in the next car at the recycling center sees my cap--it may even have been a Pirates cap-- and he's from Pittsburgh, too. But there's no expression of surprise--we're only 3,000 miles away--or small talk about the area. We talk about the offensive line. That's what it's about: Steeler nation is Pittsburgh as a movable feast.

The Steelers know it and notice it. Steeler Nation shows up at Steeler games everywhere, sometimes even outnumbering hometown fans, or at least out-enthusing them. "Everywhere we go, it's going to be a home game," said Hines Ward, the MVP of the last Super Bowl.

Today, Tampa is the place, a National Football Conference city, and the NFC team today is the Arizona Cardinals. But you won't have any trouble seeing the Terrible Towels. It's a Steeler Nation home game. (I actually saw Myron Cope first announce his idea of the Terrible Towel on his TV sports segment in the 70s. I thought he was nuts.)

As for the Steelers this year, here's a summary of their season, from a story about Coach Mike Tomlin: A shoulder separation sustained by his $100 million quarterback in the season opener. A knee injury to his Pro Bowl running back in Week 4. Four new starters on an offensive line that has been adequate at best, disorganized and ineffective at worst. Three different punters. A secondary in which one cornerback had a broken forearm and a safety had two dislocated shoulders. And the league's toughest schedule.

And look what happened: The second-best record in the NFL. One of only two teams -- Arizona is the other -- to finish undefeated in the division. An AFC championship game victory at Heinz Field ... finally. A seventh Super Bowl appearance, second most among NFL franchises.

The toughest schedule in the NFL this year may be a positive factor today. So is the strength of the AFC. The Steelers have been tested. They are by most measures the better team. If they played 3 games against Arizona, the Steelers would definitely win 2. But this is just one game. When the Giants beat the New England Patriots, the Patriots were the better team. The Giants just had a better day, and the Patriots were just a little flat. That's all it takes.

But with the best defense in the league, and a quarterback who can carry the load, this has the makings of a big day for Steeler Nation. So far this season it's seldom been pretty or easy. But they get the job done.

Besides, I've saved a little Heinz Jerome Bettis Mustard from the '05 Super Bowl win. Warm up the TV. Here we go, Steelers, here we go.