The following is the February 2nd edition of "Fielder's Choice," the weekly sports column in Geneva College's student newspaper "The Cabinet" written by sports editor Seth Kuhns:
I’ve been mulling over this column for a week and a half, trying desperately to decide what I can say that will accurately reflect my feelings on the Super Bowl. I wrote a half-hearted column last week in lieu of writing about the game for two straight weeks, but it’s five days before the game, and I wish I had already written this article.
At one point, I was dead-set on being the hero that changed everyone’s mind. I was going to write a brilliantly worded manifesto on why Pittsburgh was the most ethnocentric area I’ve ever encountered and attempt to alter all of your opinions on who the greatest team in NFL history truly is. I was prepared to dismantle Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow” word by word in order to convince you that the song had more to do with his over-inflated ego than any cultural pride he felt about The Steel City.
I thought about defending the Green Bay Packers as the greatest NFL franchise in history. After all, they have 12 championships to their name. I have a whole argument prepared as to why their pre-1967 NFL titles are just as relevant as the Steelers six Super Bowl titles. But that just seemed like a one-way ticket to getting mocked around campus for the next three months.
I have decided that there would be no point in trying to do any of that; after all, if Western Pennsylvania is as ethnocentric as I am led to believe, there’s no way some ignorant outsider from Emmaus (Where?) is going to convince you that you’re wrong in 600 words on the back of a small-time college newspaper.
The main reason I’m not writing to convince you of anything is that I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how little flack I have had to deal with around campus. Before you say, “That’s because this isn’t Philadelphia!” I want you to know that I had plenty of reason to believe I would be getting a few Cee Lo Green shout outs throughout the week.
Last December, I went with my fiancée to Heinz Field. It was the first chance I ever got to see the Packers play in person, and I was thrilled. Some of you will remember that the Steelers won on a (soul-crushing) last-second touchdown pass to Mike Wallace. Anyway, on the way into the stadium, many Packer fans around me were met with unsolicited jeers by the Steeler faithful, and swear words flew back and forth between the factions.
On the way out of the stadium, a large group of fans of the 7-7 Steelers decided that chanting “Packers suck” was a brilliant idea. The 9-5 Packers. The team that would go on to the playoffs while the Steelers sat at home and watched from their La-Z-Boys.
If there’s one thing that I’ve learned since arriving in Beaver Falls almost four years ago, it’s that being a Steelers fan is a religion all its own. Fans wear Hines Ward jerseys to church, decorate their houses with Steelers lights, and hang Ray Lewis in effigy. They say “we” and talk about how many rings they’ve won. I don’t really understand it, but to each their own, I suppose.
Because this article is released two days after I write it, I might have completely different feelings about this. I might have gotten jumped by a group of Myron’s Minions in the last 48 hours for wearing my Packers sweatshirt. But if that hasn’t happened, I want to thank all of you for not being like the folks I encountered at Heinz Field.
Even if you keep posting “STAIRWAY TO SEVEN!!!!” Facebook status updates and wearing “Seventh Heaven” t-shirts until kingdom come, I’ll just laugh it off. It’s just a game, and the Steelers are just a sports franchise.
Just try not to be too jealous of my “Thirteen Bay” shirt if the Packers pull out a win.
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