Cold no match for Steelers fever
“You’re crazy, ” my wife said for about the millionth time in our 30-year marriage. What sparked this latest question of yours truly’s sanity was my announcement that I’d be going to the AFC Championship game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets.
“You’ll be up there all cold and freezing, when you could be here at home all toasty and warm,” she continued. “What’s wrong with you?”
Well, I had to admit she had a point. I’ve never been a fan of winter over the years, and it seems the older I get, the more I hate it. I can barely stand the frigid temperature in the morning when I walk our dog for five minutes. Now, I was going to be in the cold for more than three hours. Yikes! Why was I going to the game?
Well, the answer was simple. My son Bryan had asked me to go to the game with him. It meant the world that he had asked me, and there was no way I was going to tell him no. Since he lives in Harrisburg, I don’t get to see him all that often and relish every chance we get to spend time together. E-mailing and phone calls are great, but they’re a poor substitute for actually being with him.
It’s funny because Bryan wasn’t all that big of a Steelers fan growing up. But that all changed when he went to college in Washington, D.C., where he became a fixture at a Steelers bar there. Since then, he’s turned into a huge Steelers fan and much of our time talking to each other is spent dissecting the latest news concerning the Black and Gold.
We had gone to several regular season games together over the years and watched them lose to Jacksonville in the 2007 playoffs. But then we went to the AFC championship game two years ago, when the Steelers toppled the Baltimore Ravens. We had a great time, cheering the Steelers on to victory and we agreed it would be something we’d remember forever.
Besides it was cold for that game so how bad could it be for this contest. Well, lots as it turned out. The weather forecasts went from cold to downright frigid. They were now saying that temperatures would be in the teens by kickoff and in the single digits by the time the game ended.
I started thinking about that Baltimore game and checked out the temperatures then. Much to my dismay, the game-time temperatures for that game were a balmy 33 degrees. This game would be at least 20 degrees colder maybe even more.
Well, to say we bundled up the game would be an understatement. First, I put on my thermal underwear. Next, I reached for two pairs of socks. Then, I put on all the Steelers sweatshirts I owned.
My wife bought some new heavy-duty Steelers gloves, which were worth their weight in gold. She also reminded me to wear the black and gold scarf a friend had given me for Christmas. I think that might have been the key to the whole thing. Finally, I put on my heavily-insulated winter coat, which weighs about 20 pounds. I was sagging a bit under all the protection, but I was ready. James Harrison could have hit me and I probably wouldn’t have felt a thing+well maybe a little.
I donned my Steelers tossel cap and was finally ready to go.
So, off we went. We were sitting up high, but luckily the big scoreboard was to our right and we got to see every play closeup just like the folks at home. The Steelers jumped out to a big 24-0 lead, and we were having the time of our lives, jumping around and high-fiving everyone in sight.
The second half was more somber as the Jets mounted a frantic comeback, but Pittsburgh held on and everything was A-OK in Steeler Nation. For a record eighth time, we were going to the Super Bowl.
As for the cold, I don’t how to explain it. Without a doubt, it was freezing, but for some reason it didn’t seem all that bad. Maybe it was the crowd or the adrenaline or just seeing the Steelers win a historic game live in person, but the weather wasn’t near as bad as I had originally feared.
We had survived and then some. I had forged another unforgettable experience with my son. It was something we’d be certain to talk about endlessly in the coming years.
And that to me is the real beauty of football and watching the Steelers. It’s not just fathers and sons, it’s entire families and communities coming together to enjoy a shared experience.
All the hoopla leading to today’s game reminds me of the 70s when the Steelers ruled the NFL roost. It was a great time as almost everyone in western Pennsylvania was a Steelers fan. It didn’t matter if you were young or old, poor or rich. You could talk about the Steelers with anyone from the area. The Steelers back then were almost like family members and everyone had their favorite player.
Now, it’s even more widespread as many native residents of the tri-state region have had to move elsewhere to find jobs. So, Steelers fans are everywhere and Steeler Nation now covers the entire United States and parts of many foreign countries.
It’s an amazing phenomenon and one that doesn’t show any signs of slowing down anytime soon with the Steelers a lock to win that seventh Super Bowl today.
I’ll be watching the game at home all warm and toasty as will the Steelers and Packers. They’ll be battling it out in of all places, a dome. Somehow, that just doesn’t seem right. These are the two of the coldest-weather teams in the NFL and an outside game in say Alaska would be much better than a dome in Texas.
Steelers fans undoubtedly would head in droves to such a game. I’m not saying I’d be the first in line, but if I didn’t go, it wouldn’t be because of the cold. I already learned this year that true Steelers fans can weather just about anything.
Mark O’Keefe is the executive editor of the Herald-Standard. He can be reached by phone at 724-439-7569, by e-mail at mo’keefe@heraldstandard.com or by regular mail at 8-18 Church St., Unintown, Pa., 15401.