I feel compelled to write something about the Super Bowl, but I couldn't think of anything compelling. Then something fairly unusual occurred to me.
I don't know anyone who's a Seahawks fan. Not one. In my business, you know or know of fans of almost every team in every sport. But I don't know anyone who's a Seahawks fan.
Obivously, they're out there. I didn't realize Seattle referred to them as the 12th man until I read Texas A&M filed a restraining order against that because the Aggies think they coined the term. Ridiculous. Doesn't every football team describe its fans as the 12th man, like every basketball team calls its faithful the sixth man?
Anyway, I know some Steelers fans. I used to be one back in the Steel Curtain days of my youth. I always was a bandwagon jumper. Steelers and A's back then.
When I was covering the Bulls, I found out that former player and current ESPN analyst Greg Anthony is a big Steelers fan. I'm sure it's just a coincidence, but I've found that the Steelers fans I know are so avid as to be obnoxious.
So just because of that, I think I'm pulling for the Seahawks. Not even sure I'm going to watch. Heading to San Diego on Sunday. But I do kind of like the idea of a couple of obnoxious fans being disappointed.
Wanted to follow up on Steelers fans.
Wouldn't necessarily call them obnoxious. I'd prefer rabid. They travel well; better than any other sports fans. When I lived in Ohio, you might have thought you were in Heinz Field whenever the Steelers played at Cincinnati. It wasn't lost on the Bengals players, either.
I now live in the Dallas area and whenever I go to a sports bar on NFL Sunday, Steelers fans are ALWAYS the most well represented and most vocal, even in down years.
When Pittsburgh visited the Cowboys in '04, all week before the game the Cowboys' brass begged fans not to sell their tickets to Steelers fan. Didn't work. And there were Terrible Towels everywhere.
Now that's rabid, just like Green Bay fans in Soldier Field, as Chicagoans can attest. Speaking of Chicagoans, you might have the obnoxious market cornered. What, you've got Sox fans running on the field and beating up first-base coaches and fighting with opponents' wives; you've got Bears fans wearing captain's gear when the Bears played Minnesota, days after the Love Boat scandal; you've got Cubs fans fighting with Dodger players and even their own (see Bartman).
Now that's obnoxious.
When I was at Arizona State university my roomate from outside Yakima Washington talked about the seattle seahawks all the time. I would toy with on occasion about the lack of stars that have been on the seahawks. As a Bears fan my whole life I can spit out a list of Hall of Famers that have played on the Bears ( Payton, Sayers, Butkus), and so can many other football fans. But can anyone name Hall of Famers that played for the seahawks. How about Steve Largent? Or actor/defensman Brian Bosworth? Bosworth made his name outside of football, not while on the football team. Sorry to say the Seahawks have no big names on this years team, except Alexander, and he doesn't even compare to Payton or Sayers.
The Seahawks have a great fan base and their 12th man is the strongest in the NFL. This super bowl will pit the two toughest and well-coached teams in the NFL, and they deserve to be going against each other. I plan to go to a local pub, grab a Pabst and order some wings for the game and watch the best two teams this year in football.
Seahawk Stadium is the LOUDEST stadium in the NFL. So they may not be well seen or known, but they are most definetely heard. There's a reason they are 12-0 at home.
That 12th Man stuff with A&M is ridiculous.
To clear things up about obnoxious Steeler fans.....
I am a life-long Steeler fan and NOT obnoxious when it comes to Pittsburgh - just full of PRIDE and not ashamed to show it! I admit I'm a little rabid sometimes, too!
We'll be watching the Rush this Sunday and they'll keep our football fix going for months. Try it out, Roman.