There is crying in football. One year ago, when the Pittsburgh
Steelers lost to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship,
there were a lot of tears from us Steeler faithful. Most noticeably
from Steeler wide receiver Hines Ward, who is always smiling, even
after taking a big hit from a linebacker. He doesn’t frown.
Ever.
But at that press conference, tears flowed. Ward lamented that
running back Jerome Bettis, rumored to be retiring at the end of
last season, wouldn’t get to play in a Super Bowl. Ward, not
holding back a single tear, said Bettis deserved to be a
champion.
Contrasting all the macho images that exist in sports, no
athlete has ever earned my respect, admiration or loyalty more than
Ward did that day.
For the one-year anniversary of that loss to the Patriots, it
was all smiles for Hines and company with a 34-17 AFC championship
win over the Denver Broncos. The Steelers are headed to the Super
Bowl to face the Seattle Seahawks. After a long season and a longer
13-year career, Bettis will get his shot.
Super Bowl XL on Feb. 5 at Ford Field brings Bettis,
affectionately nicknamed “The Bus,” back to the old
route in his hometown of Detroit. It is very fitting that the big
back gets his first shot at a championship with the roman numerals
XL in the logo on his sleeve.
Los Angeles is no stranger to long-distance football fans.
Formerly having two professional football teams and now having
none, the city’s NFL fans are by nature in a long-distance
relationship. Sure, there is college football ““ and USC is
almost good enough to be counted as an honorary NFL franchise
““ but those who want to see the game played in the pro ranks
must attach themselves to another town’s ball club.
I am lucky enough to come to Los Angeles already having that
relationship.
My dad is from Pittsburgh. I grew up in a Steeler house.
I’ve learned that we are all around and that wearing the
black and gold automatically makes friends. We’re a tribe. We
hold council meetings in sports bars and living rooms. There is a
dress code. Bill Cowher is the president.
The games are family affairs. Sundays include conference call,
post game wrap-ups with analysis. Everyone watches the game. My
grandpa, uncle, cousins ““ all the way down to the baby of
this generation of the family, me.
I must have been about 7 when my older cousin from Pittsburgh
taught me to how to be a Steeler fan. He taught me to say,
“Cut me, I bleed black and gold.” Now, 13 years later,
I still do. There is a sports fan’s pride tied to sticking
with a team through thick and thin. It makes this time of thickness
as sweet as the 6-10 2003 season was sour.
Growing up, my mom and my sisters would go have “Gordon
Family Women Weekend” while my dad and I watched the Super
Bowl. Times have changed and now one of my sisters is a big Steeler
fan. My dad and I were able to convert her from salt scrubs to
safety blitzes, from exfoliating to following the X receiver, and
from pedicures to setting up the passing game. My other sister and
my mom fell soon after. This year for GFWW, the Gordon women
watched the Steelers in the AFC Championship.
There is one game left. One game between “The Bus”
and a guaranteed trip to Canton, Ohio. One game between the
Steelers and a championship. One year after Ward’s press
conference, they’re in it. If the Steelers win or lose, I can
pretty much guarantee you that there will be crying in sports
writing as well as in football.
E-mail Gordon at
bgordon@media.ucla.edu if you want the Seahawks to beat the
Steelers.