Michelle Smiles

Teaching my children to question authority, except mine.

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?

September24

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Football isn’t just a past time in my city. It is an obsession, a passion, a religion, a mistress. People are rabid in their love of our home town team. Baseball is just a way to kill time until football begins again. The playoffs and super bowl last year brought more good will and love of fellow man than Christmas magnified by 10. This was one gloriously happy city.

I don’t come from a football city. My area of rural Ohio was equi-distant from Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Most people were Browns fans (even through the sad years when the Browns didn’t exist) but we had our fair share of Steelers fans. I grew up in a Steelers household but was never a rabid fan. I didn’t attend a big football college (the band was the highlight of the games). So I didn’t really get it.

When I first moved to the city, I didn’t quite grasp the total devotion the city has to the team. One Sunday, Steve and I ran into the grocery store to pick up a few things. It happened to be about 2 hours before the season opener game. The lines were insane. We were 20 deep at each register. I said to Steve that I didn’t understand why so many people were there buying their chips and salsa. He said “It’s the season opener” as if that was sufficient explanation. I said “I don’t get it. It’s just a football game.” You know those moments in movies where the needle skips off the record and everyone goes quiet and stares at the person who said something stupid or embarrassing? Yeah, it was like that. The gentleman behind me said “You obviously aren’t from around here.” I admitted I wasn’t. He calmly explained that there is no such thing as ‘just a football game’ in this city. Each and every game is a celebration, an event.
This is my 3rd football season in the city. I get it now. Last year was so much fun. We wore our team colors to work on Fridays during the playoffs. I lost money every week in the football pools. I along with the rest of the city almost had a heart attack during several games. (Actually one man did have a heart attack during a play off game – thankfully he is okay.) I’m not rabid yet but I am now a devoted fan. We love us some football. The team and owners treat the city well and the city treats them with reverance. GO STEELERS!

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