It’s hard for people who weren’t in western PA at that time to fully comprehend the despair that pervaded the region & conversely, the euphoria that came from our sports teams’ success. One could write an entire book on the subject, so I’ll never address it in a few characters.
One analog is the celebrated Super Bowl victory by the New Orleans Saints after Hurricane Katrina. I don’t want to minimize the physical & social damage caused by that disaster, but a key difference is that NOLA remained a tourist destination, a city with prospects to recover.
Pittsburgh had none. New Orleans lost over 250K people, about half of its population, due to Katrina but within a decade more than half of those losses were regained.
Pittsburgh, on the other hand, had been hemorrhaging residents for decades.
Pittsburgh, on the other hand, had been hemorrhaging residents for decades.
At the beginning of the 20th Century, Pittsburgh was America’s 8th largest city. By the end, the population had fallen by over 300K people & it wasn’t even in the top 50.
Worse, there was no end in sight. Massive factories were being shuttered, 1000s of people being laid off.
Worse, there was no end in sight. Massive factories were being shuttered, 1000s of people being laid off.
Everyone- & I mean everyone- knew someone who’d been out of work for months or years. Vigils were held seemingly every week for displaced workers. Rusted (& polluted) hulks of empty factories lined our riverfronts.
Hell, even David Soul showed up to sing about how bad it was.
Hell, even David Soul showed up to sing about how bad it was.
But, you know what? Our baseball & football teams were great. Not win-some-games-to-keep-your-interest great. They were kick-people’s-asses-week-after-week great. They were cover-of-Sports Illustrated great.
They were six - count ‘em, SIX - world championships in the 1970s great.
They were six - count ‘em, SIX - world championships in the 1970s great.
Fortunately for Yinzers, it happened at just the right moment. When our region’s fortunes were darkest, when we had nothing else to cling to or claim, those two teams (sorry, Pens, your time was later) gave us far more than a sliver of hope.
But now, as we saw in Los Angeles last night & in countless other stadiums prior, that pride has no regional boundaries. So many of those who left for better opportunities elsewhere retained the one thing, above all else, that made them Pittsburghers: a love for the Black & Gold.
Although the Pirates more recent futility has caused some fans to turn their backs, we saw in 2013 that the passion is still there, just waiting to be awakened.
As for the Steelers, I maintain one truism: There’s no such thing as a former Steeler fan.
#HereWeGo #LetsGoBucs
As for the Steelers, I maintain one truism: There’s no such thing as a former Steeler fan.
#HereWeGo #LetsGoBucs
