Tag archives for pittsburgh steelers

Roethlisberger’s Decision Damages Credibility

8th March 2010 by thesportsfag under NFL     

Rothlisberger

Rothlisberger

I’m getting an uneasy feeling about the latest allegations of sexual assault against Steeler’s quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. As my momma used to say, once is a coincidence, twice is a trend.

What’s known right now is that police in Milledgeville, GA are investigating a complaint from a female college student, who claims Roethlisberger sexually assaulted her. Witness reports place Roethlisberger in the same club as the woman and claim that he appeared to be inviting females into a private VIP area of the club.

Unfortunately for Roethlisberger, this news comes while he’s facing a civil charge of sexual assault in Nevada.

Sports Hypocrites
This is hard for me cause I’m a huge Steelers and Roethlisberger fan, but I can’t be a sports hypocrite.

I hate when sports fans cast aspersions on rival teams or players when questionable behavior surfaces, but justify, downplay or outright defend similar behavior from their own team. Roethlisberger’s track record and actions demonstrate a pattern of reckless behavior and poor decision making, making it hard for me to believe in him.

Emotional Investment in Athletes
Like most sports fans I really want to believe that the guys who play for my favorite teams are beyond reproach; it’s not realistic but it’s a fact. Like it or not, we emotionally invest in the teams and athletes we pull for, it’s not the right thing to do but it happens. Anyone who says they can completely separate the two is a straight-up liar.

I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt until they’ve proven themselves to be less than trustworthy or credible, and for me there’s a level of disappointment involved when I realize someone I’ve emotionally invested in no longer deserves the benefit of doubt. That’s where I am with Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger’s WTF Moment
So in an attempt to separate my emotions from the story, I have to ask myself how would I react if the quarterback of my most-hated rival was facing charges of sexual assault. I’d like to believe that although I hate the Cowboys and Crimson Tide, if Dallas QB Tony Romo or Alabama QB Greg McElroy were facing a single sexual assault allegation, I would give them the benefit of the doubt.

However, if either Romo or McElroy put themselves in the same situation Roethlisberger did — going out to clubs, drinking and inviting girls back to a VIP area, all while facing allegations of sexual assault in Nevada — I wouldn’t hold back much. If this had been any other quarterback without Auburn or Pittsburgh ties, I’m certain I would begin associating their poor decision making with a lack of self control which could easily lead to something like this.

I’m not making a call on his guilt or innocence, yet, in my opinion, Roethlisberger no longer deserves the benefit of the doubt, and we must now seriously question his maturity and intelligence. Although the Steelers won’t say it publicly, Roethlisberger’s stupid-ass decisions will force the organization to consider the franchise risk Roethlisberger brings to the Steelers.

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What’s a ‘Fan Nation’?

30th December 2009 by SportsFags under Baseball, College Basketball, Football Jocks (American football), Hockey     

On a growing list of over used and under deserved sports cliches no single cliche chaps my ass more than when schools, players or fans over inflate their team’s importance by attaching ‘nation’ after the team’s mascot.

The latest examples of this phenomenon I’ve witnessed over the past few days have come from Tim Tebow and Craig James describing the Florida and Texas Tech fan base as ‘Gator Nation’ and ‘Red Raider Nation’ respectively. I’ve had the privilege to live in the Northwest, Southwest and Southeastern parts of this great country and I can guarantee you there is no Gator or Red Raider ‘nation’ out there.

Simply stated, it’s a crutch used by fans to validate their loyalty and is strikingly similar to the ego-centric world view of adolescence.

Is that a circuit party or soccer game?

Is that a circuit party or soccer game?

As gay sports fans we are, on average, smarter than your average straight sports fan and so we should be more selective in our use of certain terms. It’s only possible for one group to have the most fans, best fans or most rabid fans.

We can’t have several ‘nations’ of fans within this one nation of ours so there must be some set of criteria used to define what a ‘nation’ of fans looks and feels like. And so, I volunteer the SportsFags.com criteria used to determine which teams truly have a ‘nation of fans’.

Note: No straight people were harmed or used for research purposes when developing this list.

Criteria for a ‘fan nation’

1. National fan base - I’m an Auburn graduate and so when I see another Auburn fan outside of the Southeast I get excited. I realize this excitement automatically excludes Auburn from using the term ‘nation’ because if we were truly a ‘nation’ of fans seeing an Auburn fan in Boise would be common and not out of the ordinary. Part of having a national fan base means there’s a good chance that you see a fan of your school or team regularly no matter where you live.

Red Wings fans can out number home crowds when on the road

Red Wings fans can out number home crowds when on the road

2. Travel extremely well - have you ever been to a game where you observed a large number of visiting fans in attendance? That’s what’s meant by traveling well, it’s not just about selling out the visiting team’s allotment of tickets but also grabbing up tickets from the home team’s fans as well, it’s about hearing a loud roar when the home crowd is quiet.

3. Sustained success - a ‘nation’ of fans takes time to develop and those fans have stuck with the team through both the good times and the bad.

4. Success not attributed to money - if your team is able to outspend everyone else there will be many people who identify with your team but who will quickly disown your team when adversity strikes. We all know the person who pulls for the Cowboys, Yankees, Lakers, Manchester United and Florida Gators, they are front runners not fans.

5. One per sport.

UNC_fans_basketball
Using the criteria above SportsFags.com has vetted all of the fan bases, both college and pro, and determined who is the only school or organization who can lay claim to having a ‘fan nation’.

Baseball – Boston Red Sox
Football – Pittsburgh Steelers
Hockey – Detroit Red Wings
Basketball – University of North Carolina Tarheels

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The Greatness of Troy Polamalu

7th December 2009 by SportsFags under NFL     

There’s so much parity in the NFL these days one could argue that every team is just a player or two away from being mediocre or just plain bad. Such is the case with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009.

En route to their .500 record this season the Steelers have led in the fourth quarter of all six losses. This past Sunday Raiders QB Bruce Gradkowski led the Raiders on three touchdown drives against Pittsburgh in the fourth.

So what’s the difference between the Steelers of 2008 who routinely put teams away in the fourth quarter and this year? It’s quite simple really, due to injuries the Steelers have played seven games without the greatness of safety Troy Polamalu this year, in his absence Pittsburgh has realized just how integral his role is to the success of the entire organization.

Troy Polamalu's injury is the main reason for the Steelers sub par record. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)

Troy Polamalu's injury is the main reason for the Steelers sub par record. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)

With and Without Troy 2009

  • With Troy Polamalu in the lineup the Steelers are 4-1, without Troy in the lineup the Steelers are 2-5.

  • With Troy Polamalu in the lineup the Steelers haven’t given up more than 17 points in a game, without Troy in the lineup the Steelers haven’t held a team to less than 17 points in a game.

  • With Troy Polamalu in the lineup the Steelers have 7 interceptions, without Troy in the lineup the Steelers have 1 interception.

The numbers make the case for Troy’s greatness but ask any Steeler and they’ll tell you it’s his leadership and experience the struggling Steelers’ secondary misses the most.

Opposing quarterbacks fear Polamalu sneaking up to the line before a snap as much as they do watching him drop back into coverage, that’s what the Steelers really miss.

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Lather, rinse, repeat…Steelers in the AFC

10th September 2009 by SportsFags under NFL     

Pittsburgh-SteelersThe one thing I am certain about this year is that the Steelers will either face New England or San Diego in the AFC championship game. San Diego is the chic pick to win the AFC and the Chargers will probably win home field advantage because they play in the weak ass AFC West. Yet, the Chargers are too inconsistent and haven’t proven they can win the big game. The Patriots can’t match the Steelers defensively and when you play defense like they do in Steeltown you put yourself in position to win a lot of football games. Pittsburgh is my pick to win the AFC.

A tumultuous NFL offseason that included head coaching changes, TO to Buffalo, Cutler to Chicago and quarterback controversies has been relatively quiet in the little hamlet of Pittsburgh. And that’s the way they like it in Western PA. The Steelers are the model franchise for the NFL and with improved health at the running back position and 18 of 22 starters returning they appear primed to defend their Super Bowl crown. Some have compared the Steelers to the Yankees. Yet these franchises have drastically different approaches to success. The Yankees have the funds to acquire the best free agents in baseball. The Steelers? Well, they unload veterans who are too expensive in favor of younger players who they acquire through the draft.

Over a period of 30 years the Steelers have established a brand of winning football that only the Patriots are close to emulating. Let’s play word association. When I say Steelers, what comes to mind? Defense, running game, power, fear or stability. OK, next word. When I say Cowboys, what comes to mind? Jerry Jones, Tony Romo or Cowboys stadium? Do you see the difference? The Steelers have a winning system, into which, the players fit. While teams like the Cowboys and Redskins follow the Yankees’ roadmap to success.

What do you know the Steelers are going to do this year? Play tough defense and run the ball, right? What do you know about the Cowboys this year? You know they’re changing their offensive scheme to account for the loss of TO, unproven wide receivers and the addition of Marty B at tight end. Anyone really thinking the Boys are gonna be there to meet the Steelers in January? I’ll have my NFC prediction tomorrow.

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