I'm handling losses better than I use to...

[Captain Lemming]

Pretty big generalization there. I became a fan at the age of 5 in 1972...in SoCal. Just because I liked the logo. Who's to say that hasn't happened for someone else as well?

Wow, its a good thing you didnt see the blank side of the helmet first. Even worse "Lions" are pretty cool when you are a kid. That would be quite scary

[frankthetank1]

The Steeler Nation is something special but you have to wonder what portion of those pretenders would drop off if we went 2-14. I know I will still be wearing #95 proud but how many of these phonies would be purging themselves away. Maybe a year like that would at least leave us with the true Nation.

I also stuck through the Mark Malone, Mike Merriweather, Keith Wilis, Louis Lipps days of the (mediocre) 1980's. And truth be told, what's happening now is what happened when we were young bucks: just building another generation of young Steeler fans (you & I from the 70's teams). Kids gravitate toward the winners.

Here's how you can identify a potential bandwagon fan: any fan (without connections to the Western PA area) in his/her later 20's. They would be the kids who would've saw those 80's teams.

And while we loved those folk-hero type ham & eggers we had playing on our squad like Frank Pollard or Gregg Carr, no little kid (not from Western PA) would choose to be a fan of ours... (more like the 49ers.) In a way, a bit nostalgic for those days in the 80's, when everyone and their mother weren't Steeler fans. But it's all good; anyone who knows ME knows I ain't no Johnny come lately.

no way most band wagon fans are in their late 20's. im 29 and i had to suffer through all of those afcc losses not to mention the loss to the cowboys in the super bowl when the cowher finally won an afcc game. also i had to suffer through the 80's while most of my friends in the nyc area were all huge giant fans with their team on top. i would think most band wagon fans are younger since the steelers have won the sb 2 out of the last 4 years

[JTP53609]

i still cannot fathom to watch espn or check other sites after a loss, I usually start to get over the loss by wednesday or thursday
a regular season loss is really hard to take when it is a game you know we sould have won but did not because we did not go for the kill, but a game in which we are blown away and deserve to lose, they are the ones that are actually easier to get over.
now a playoff loss, that takes weeks to get over, especially when you see the team playing the next week that just beat you, and super bowl losses, well it only happened once but it stunk.....
worst losses on my list
-super bowl XXX
-97 afc champ game
-94 afc champ game
-01 afc champ game
-04 afc champ game

[pfelix73]

That's what happens when we win SB's. After we won the 5th and finally got the one for the thumb, I felt the same way. Now after the 6th, I'm even more 'mellow'.

At least until January 2010......

[stlrz d]

[quote=Captain Lemming]

Pretty big generalization there. I became a fan at the age of 5 in 1972...in SoCal. Just because I liked the logo. Who's to say that hasn't happened for someone else as well?

Wow, its a good thing you didnt see the blank side of the helmet first. Even worse "Lions" are pretty cool when you are a kid. That would be quite scary [/quote:3g3y7y3x]



Actually my best friend in kindergarten was showing me his newly decorated room...his parents did it up with NFL logo stuff. He had wallpaper, curtains, lampshade, bed dressings...everything in NFL logos!

I saw the Steelers logo and really liked it...and that day when I went home I told my dad (a Rams fan) that I was a Steelers fan from that point forward. Of course I was in kindergarten...so I probably didn't use the phrase "from this point forward".

[AngryAsian]

I'll take the feeling of losing any day, because of our history. You don't win 6 Lombardis without speed bumps on the road to those championships.... AFCCG and SB XXX included. Were those missed opportunities? Absofugginlutely! But when you measure the level of consistency of this organization with other multiple SB winners like the niners and boyz... there's not even a comparison to be made. We are in the hunt once again and have a core nucleus of players that has us poised to win it all again.

As for bandwagoners, I could care less. Being one of early members of this site, I can attest that most of your very active posters on here are some of the most knowledgeable and rabidly hard core fans there are. Proud to call them "brother/sister." As for the others, I just let them spew their fodder and move on to the next thread. We are going to see a diverse spectrum of viewpoints... negative as well as positive. We can't all drink the koolaide. This is what makes for a great discussion/debate on the subjects at hand.

[JTP53609]

i remember becoming a fan when i was born, it was like yesterday, came out, the doctor wrapped me up and i made home in time for the nfl draft (i was born in late march) i remember screaming when we picked daryl simms.....

i actually do remember being in pre school and my dad always watching the games and i wondered what is so exciting about this, than once cowher was hired in 92 i started to get into it more, (i was in second grade) and once the 94 season started and we went 12-4 i was hooked from then on....

[aggiebones]

Oviedo said #1 make the playoffs, you can do that many ways and not win the division or get home field.

2) win the division - that does indeed lead to a home game, but you can get a home game without winning the division. I think Baltimore did it last year (not sure), but I can't remember who won their division

Maybe his 3 and 2 could be switched, but #1 is most important.


also, also forgot that I've added two kids to my life and that tends to soak up some rage from football days. Especially with them running in front of the TV, wanting to watch cartoons, etc.
I normally watch the games with a slight delay on Tivo when they are sleeping. I finish about the same time as everyone, but I skip the commercials. This leaves less time to stew after a bad play and they cut to commercial.

[JTP53609]

Oviedo said #1 make the playoffs, you can do that many ways and not win the division or get home field.

2) win the division - that does indeed lead to a home game, but you can get a home game without winning the division. I think Baltimore did it last year (not sure), but I can't remember who won their division

Maybe his 3 and 2 could be switched, but #1 is most important.


also, also forgot that I've added two kids to my life and that tends to soak up some rage from football days. Especially with them running in front of the TV, wanting to watch cartoons, etc.
I normally watch the games with a slight delay on Tivo when they are sleeping. I finish about the same time as everyone, but I skip the commercials. This leaves less time to stew after a bad play and they cut to commercial.

yea i am pushing off on kids because i want to have 2 more good years of watching steeler football before i change diapers and run around with them during games......but baltimore played at miami and at tennessee last year in the playoffs.....

[Shoe]

haha... OK, it's a blanket generalization. Just saying, most fans (kids) become fans cuz that team is 1) winning 2) always on the tube. It happened to me, it's natural. By the same token, I'm guessing there are a lot of Laker fans nationwide, cuz they were "the team" back in the day.)

That's all I meant to say.