The Pittsburgh Sports Landscape is Evolving

Time for this Slogan to Change...

The Pittsburgh sports hierarchy has always been as follows: Steelers, Penguins, and then the lowly Pirates.  Granted, not everyone is a fan of all 3 teams, so that order might be different for everyone, but one thing MOST Pittsburgh fans can agree on is that the Steelers have always run Pittsburgh.  For the Steelers to NOT be the #1 team in the city, you would have to go back to the early 70s when Pittsburgh was the "City of Champions" when Willie Stargell and the "We are Family" Pirates were winning World Series Championships and Terry Bradshaw was leading the Steelers to Super Bowl victories.  Even then, the Pirates were the must see team in town.  Some might even say that the early 90s would have had the Pirates up towards the front along with the Penguins.  No matter how you view the Pittsburgh sports landscape in the past, one thing is certain...the past 20 years has placed the Pirates on the bottom looking up at the "successful" Pittsburgh teams.  I never forget seeing someone sending me a picture in 2010, after the Steelers won Super Bowl 43 and the Penguins won the Stanley Cup over the Red Wings, that read: "PITTSBURGH: City of Champions...and the Pirates" [pictured above].  Nonetheless, as Bob Dylan would say, "Times they are a-changin'". 

Now, don't get me wrong.  Even if the Pirates end the streak and even if they make the postseason...the Steelers will always run Pittsburgh.  Even if the Penguins won back to back Stanley Cups again...the Steelers are the top dog.  The Steelers fan base is the largest of the three, the fans are very rabid in terms of their allegiance, and fall Sundays belong to one team and one team only....the Steelers.  However, this year is going to be different.  Am I putting the cart before the horse?  Maybe, but I don't think so.  What am I referring to?  For the first time in 20 years, Steelers training camp is NOT going to be the leading news story in Pittsburgh.  Barring a major injury (please Lord no...don't even think about that), the Pittsburgh Pirates...yes, you read that correctly...the Pittsburgh Pirates will be the main story as this team presses on towards the postseason and continues to distance themselves from the pack.  No longer will Pittsburgh fans be glued to every word that Ed Bouchette and Gerry Dulac place on Twitter in regards to Steelers training camp, no they will probably be more focused on Clint Hurdle's lineup instead.  Will the Steelers be supportive of the Pirates like the Pirates were of the Penguins during their postseason run?  Will we see Ben Roethlisberger and company approach a podium to talk to media sporting a Buccos cap?  Will the Steelers follow the Pirates like they did back in the 70s?  All questions that have yet to be answered.

One thing I do know for sure, is that Pittsburgh fans should be happy that there are 2 relevant sports stories going on at the same time.  The promise of a new Steelers season, and the excitement of potential post season baseball in the 'Burgh for the first time in 20 years.  The excitement of weekday baseball with the week long anticipation of Steelers football?  It doesn't get any better than that, if you ask me.  This isn't a time to squabble over who's following whom and which story is better.  No, its time to be unbelievably ecstatic for the Pirates, and still hold all that passion for the boys that will be walking into Latrobe, PA tomorrow afternoon.  Its a good time of the year to be a Pittsburgh fan...lets just hope that slogan gets changed to: "PITTSBURGH: City of Champions - Steelers, Penguins, AND PIRATES"