By Melissa Cunningham
I decided that I wanted to have a little fun with my fourth blog of my rival series. A lot of sports rivalries are centered over a prize. In most instances that prize is a championship. In other rivalries bragging rights and respect are at stake. But for this entry I am looking at a matchup that has much more at stake: the love of the city of Pittsburgh. In this fantasy contest I am creating a rivalry between Pittsburgh’s main professional sports teams. While in previous blogs I talked about the teams true rivals, in this blog they face off with the adoration and pride of a city at stake.
While I talked of the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates not having a true rival currently their past keeps them in this argument. Having stars, such as Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell, they have kept a city entranced with its past success. In 1960 Bill Mazeroski hit a walk-off homerun in the World Series to defeat the dreaded Yankees. This event is still remembered and honored 51 years after it happened. The current Pirates may lack the glitz and winning attitude to have a rival, but their past keeps them loved in the city. A night at PNC Ballpark is the most affordable by far in comparison with the Steelers and Penguins. Baseball as a sport is the most family-friendly of the major sports. So a lot of children in Western Pennsylvania grew up with memories of watching Pirates games; so nostalgia may help the Pirates in this showdown. The Pittsburgh Penguins have just locked up a playoff spot for another strait year. Despite missing Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for a giant chunk of the season, they have managed to stay competitive and keep winning. They won the Stanley Cup Championship in 2009 and were runners-up the year before that. They are one of the more marketable teams in hockey with its great young superstars. The Pens also have a cult-like following in Pittsburgh especially in the college age demographic who take advantage of the Penguins’ student rush ticket offer.
All of that makes the Penguins sound unbeatable. However hockey is one of the least popular of the major sports. Hockey gets very little coverage on major sports outlets, such as ESPN. A lot of people know very little about the rules of hockey and some find it confusing to watch. So while the Pens enjoy great success and Pittsburghers will always cheer for their hometown team, the overall percentage of true Pens followers in the city is a lot lower than the next team I will mention.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have won 6 Super Bowls. They are one of the true football powerhouses. They combine the current wow factor of the Penguins and have the historical greatness of the Pirates. They had the great stars of the past such as Terry Bradshaw and Mean Joe Greene. They also have great stars of today like Troy Polamalu and James Harrison. They recently won a Super Bowl, the same year the Pens won their Stanley Cup. The Steelers are one of the most popular teams in the most popular professional sport in the country. The drawbacks of the Steelers are their notoriety. Before he was traded off the team Santonio Holmes had been arrested for marijuana possession. Ben Roethlisberger has now had two different women come forth with sexual allegations and James Harrison has been held under a microscope for his vicious hits that have caused concussions. However, these events did not truly deter too many people from being die-hard Steeler fans in the city.
So the title of Pittsburgh’s team is now at stake. I have my own personal opinion, but the beauty of this fantasy rivalry is that answer may lie in the eyes of the beholder. So I am interested in the input of the readers of this blog. So I put the question to you. Who is the winner of this fantasy rivalry? Which team will claim the prize as the favorite in the city of Pittsburgh?Pictures:
Pirates:
Steelers:
Penguins:
Great post! I agree with much of what you said about the teams, particularly about the Steelers. With the great players we've had, such as Polamalu and Harrison, we have also had players who have received spotlight for all the wrong reasons. The love of the Steelers is almost genetic in western Pennsylvania, but many fans, such as myself, are quickly flocking to the Penguins as their primary team. Either way, it is truly a pleasure to witness greatness!!
ReplyDeleteI agree this is an amazing post, and though i love hockey and the penguins I have to say my love for the steelers is much greater. For many years the Steelers have astonished fans, and though they lost the super bowl this year they still never seem to amaze everyone.I chose football over hockey because i feel as though many hockey fans do not start watching until the end of the season because there are so many games, and all they are really focused on is the stanley cup. Where with football I feel as though fans tune in every sunday to watch the games.
ReplyDeleteCassie
Casey- Thank you for your comments. Personally Polamalu is my favorite player and I can't wait each week to watch and see him play. I completely agree with you when you talk about fans starting to flock to the Penguins. Within the last year I have found myself watching more and more Penguin games. No matter what, we have some amazing teams to watch in this great city.
ReplyDeleteCassie- Thank you very much for your post.I also think that the Steelers have astonished fans for many years and will be for many years to come. However, my love for them has gotten alittle smaller and my love for the Penguins have grown. The Steelers will always be my favorite team, but the Penguins are a very, very close second.
Melissa Cunningham
Melissa,
ReplyDeleteI'm not a big sports fan, but if I had to choose which Pittsburgh team was my favorite, I'd have to choose the Steelers. That's only because I'd rather watch football than baseball or hockey. It seems like the Penguins are becoming more popular though. Nice job.
Samantha
Hello Melissa,
ReplyDeleteI have to thank the Steelers for causing so many Steeler parties that I liked to attend sometimes just to see all the crazy things the fans wear. My son has a love for the Penguins though.
Ruth Hall
Melissa,
ReplyDeleteGreat post Im a Big Pittsburgh fan. Have to say Steelers being my favorite . Nothing compares to being at a Steelers game!
Melissa,
ReplyDeleteI'm not big into baseball or hockey, so I would have to say the Steeler's. I worked at PNC park and Heinz field a few yeears ago and in the midst of working would catch a few peaks at the games. The Steelers games were always more fun bc they have hardcore fans that really get you pumped for the games.
Nice job on the blog!
Alisha O.
Well it seems to me that the favorite team would have to be the Steelers. Thank you all for your comments. I really appriciate them.
ReplyDeleteMelissa Cunningham
Great post. One can tell that you a well-rounded fan in Pittsburgh. I feel that they all rock. Our teams have come a long way from when they have first started. To me, there is not doubt that the Steelers are the favorite team in Pittsburgh and next in the running are Penguins and coming up in the rear are the Pirates. Go Pittsburgh! Again, great post.
ReplyDeleteMelissa,
ReplyDeleteI was born and raised a Pittsburgh sports fan. I find a place in my heart for each one of the teams. It is very hard for me to pick a favorite, but the excitement that comes with the Steelers football games is always overwhelming. Even though the Pirates have played in the cellar, I've always been a fan of them. When it comes to the Penguins there is no doubt that I will ever stop following them. They're all great! You did a very good job with providing information. Although I did find some punctuation and spelling errors, I always love reading about our hometown sports teams. Thanks!
Jennifer Samios
This was a really neat post. I love sports and for me it is definately a toss up between the pirates and the steelers. I think that it is very hard for people to decide and most fans will just jump on the band wagon and go with whatever other people are picking. Good job
ReplyDelete-Kendra McCracken
Melissa,
ReplyDeleteI think this a great post, it has views of the pirates and the steelers, I think at this point in time Pittsburgh as a city is more into the steelers considering the Pirates records in the past seasons. Good job analyzing the two.
Alison