Steelers: Thank you, Steeler Nation

This might sound sappy, but I feel truly honored & blessed to be a part of the greatest fan base in the NFL.

Since World War 3 starts tomorrow at 7:15 pm (8:15 et), I wanted to write a little something from the heart. This article isn’t going to be anything special or new. I just wanted to take the time to give thanks.

I grew up a Vikings fan, and up until this past Spring, I still considered myself one. I had allegiances to both the Vikings and the Steelers. Most people would ask me “So, if the Steelers and Vikings played each other in the Super Bowl, who would you root for?” For awhile I didn’t have an answer. I was torn, my hometown team or the six-time Super Bowl champions? Where did my loyalty lie? I had WAY more Steelers stuff than Vikings stuff and I paid more attention to the Steelers than I did the Vikings. The choice was clear: the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I mean, yeah, I was called a ‘traitor’ quite a few times, but I didn’t care. I was a fan of the Black & Gold, what’s better than that?

Last October, I posted an article on how I became a Steelers fan. From watching games at home to driving 6 hours to Kansas City to see the Steelers play the Chiefs, I am reminded of the magnitude of Steeler Nation. I can say this with full confidence: Steeler Nation is the greatest fan base in the NFL.

Today I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow Steelers fan. I live in Minnesota, so I’m deep in Vikings country. My boss was nice enough to let me wear my Jerome Bettis jersey to work today. I work in a tile warehouse, and my main job is receiving product. This Steelers fan is a FedEx driver, and he walked in to drop a skid of tile. He walks in, looks at me and says “Alright! Steelers!” We went onto to talk about tomorrow’s playoff game, and a few other Steeler tidbits. It was a great conversation. One of my favorite things is meeting a Steelers fan and talking about our team. I don’t care whether it’s :30 seconds or 30 minutes. I enjoy talking, writing and learning about my favorite team.

I said all that to say this: thank you, Steeler Nation. Thank you for making this fan base the greatest in all of sports. Thank you for allowing me to share this amazing franchise with all of you. Thank you for your passion for our team, even though all of us may not agree on certain things, we’re in this together. I know it’s not always easy, but thank you for continuing to support our Steelers through thick and thin. Thank you for time and money spent on travel to see our team play. Thank you for your continued support of Still Curtain, and all other Steeler fan sites.

When I became a Steelers fan, I never thought that I would be writing for a top Steelers fan site. I was ecstatic when my application was accepted to write for this site. I am so grateful.

An added extra thank you to my fellow writers and editors at Still Curtain. As well as the staff that make the FanSided network awesome. You guys are the absolute best. Thank you for your help, advice and guidance that you’ve given this aspiring sports writer. Because of you, I’ve decided to go to school for journalism in the very near future. I’m excited for many more years of writing for this amazing fan site.

Next: Steelers: Wild Card weekend picks

Thank you, Steeler Nation.

Here we go, Steelers! Here we go!