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Health & Fitness

You're In Steeler Country

You only have to leave your house on game day to find evidence that Pittsburgh is a football town!

Well, the football season that almost wasn’t began in earnest last Sunday with our first home game. I realize that this was the second game of the season, but let’s just call it the first game and ignore what happened the week before in Baltimore.

For the very few who forgot that there was a game on Sunday, it would become abundantly clear upon stepping foot outside ones door. It doesn’t have to be playoff season to find store employees and customers alike dressed in Steelers jerseys on game day. Walking through the mall, you’ll see babies in strollers, teenagers, and couples holding hands, all wearing their black and gold. During playoff season last year, I saw a young couple shopping for a Steelers shirt for the 1½-year-old that they had in tow. They obviously knew that it’s never too early to start teaching children the important life lessons.

Someone from a less rabid football town might find themselves bewildered by this allegiance to our team. It is a shared experience that bridges nearly any barrier; politics, race, age, gender, religion. Plug "Steeler songs" into your computer's search bar and you will find 13,900 listings for Steeler fight songs; 5,430 listings on YouTube. 

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I've always known that the "Steeler Nation" extends beyond the state line. There are Steeler bars in many cities for those displaced from their homeland either by choice or necessity. However, I was amazed to find out from my son, who had the great fortune to travel with a friend to the Bahamas last year, that even the small island they stayed on was full of Steeler fans!

This got me thinking about the idea of belonging. We begin life as part of a nuclear family and then our sphere widens to include school, places of worship, teams, clubs, colleges and companies. I am proud to be a part of the Steeler family who, like any other, has persevered through challenges and celebrated triumphs together. GO STEELERS!

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