Sore Losers or True Fans?

I am a crazy Pittsburgh Sports fan. 

When it comes to the Steelers: I'm used to being good, the AFC North champion, hating the Ravens, and seeing them lose in the AFC Championship year after year. This year, the Ravens did it. They beat the New England Patriots (after losing last year) and are headed to New Orleans to compete in the Superbowl. 

And...I want to say congratulations. 

Haha, who am I kidding. No i don't.

"You're going to know a little bit more about yourself after you play the Baltimore Ravens." -Mike Tomlin

Such a true quote. Steelers, Ravens. Definitely one of the most physical & entertaining rivalries in the NFL. The players, the staff, and the fans are built to hate each other. And oh, they do.

"Good Morning, AFC Champion Baltimore Ravens" 

-Segment on ESPN.

Like, get over it Kelsey. Good for them. They did it finally. 

No, not good for them.

It's like a back and forth exhausting battle in my head. 

"Why do you let things like that bother you." 

-The wise words of my father.

The answer: I have no freaking idea.

I think they raise us like this. In Pittsburgh, we get SO passionate about our sports. Penguins, Steelers, Pirates. We don't like to lose and when we build a rivalry with another city's team, it's a hatred. 

The Ravens, the Browns, the Bengals, the Patriots, the Capitals, the Flyers.....the teams we want to see fail in every way. 

As the Superbowl gets closer and ESPN continues to inform me that the Ravens are partaking in it's events, it makes me think. What is the difference between a sore loser and a true fan?

 I thought I would be fun and urban dictionary it.

Sore Loser: 

A sore loser is someone who loses in a fair competition but whines about it on a constant basis, blaming everyone around them for their loss except themselves. Fun to taunt, but no fun to play with. True Fan: A term that describes a person's blind loyalty to a team individual, or product.

I always see people make fun of Pittsburgh fans when our team may not be succeeding. 
They call us sore losers from the "way we act".

I disagree. 

I don't think that our attitudes after a loss are because we are sore losers. I think they are because we are true fans. We are so loyal to our team that when we lose, it's almost like a sharp pain is sent through our bodies. We are so passionate about our teams that we want to see them succeed. When they win, we are happy. But we will still discuss what we can do better. 

It's almost like we are coaches and analysts. We sit down and fret, get excited, get mad, get sad. We've witnessed winning championships, losing championships, getting SO close to .500 and failing, missing the playoffs, barely making the playoffs, and more. Pittsburgh fans may have it good with 6 rings and a couple Stanley Cups, but we also have it rough with two Superbowl losses and two decades of a losing baseball team.

Sore losers blame failure on everyone but themselves. Pittsburgh fans don't do that. I think we may be the hardest on our teams then any other fan in the league. It's almost like we are never completely satisfied until we are holding that trophy above our heads.

So what does this have to do with the Ravens or any of our other rivals? 

It's not that I am mad they are going to the Superbowl. It's not Ray Lewis, it's not the Harbaughs, it's none of that. They played great this year and they deserve to be there. (You'll never hear me say that again).  It's because it's them.  It's because they are the Baltimore Ravens. It's because my city & I have been programmed to hate them and their fans. 

The best thing is, they are the same way with us. That's the beauty of sports. We root against the teams we don't like and love ours. 

I love my team even though we are going into the 2013-2014 season on an 8-8 record. I love my team even though we have been the "running joke" of the MLB for two decades. I love my team even though we are only playing half a season this year. I LOVE MY TEAMS. 

We are true fans.

LETS GO PENS.

Xoxo,

Kels