First of all, I'd like to announce that I get really irritated when other teams try to copy the Steelers' Terrible Towels. Get your own damn gimmick! Try getting your fans to wave around neckties ... or have the crowd hold up pinwheels ... a maybe everybody brings their own piñata to the game (hey, now that's an idea!)
Next, I want to go on record as saying that the mayor of Phoenix is a brave man. I will give him that. He's a silly little man, but a brave one. Brave because he dared to defy the mythical Terrible Towel. in a pep rally the other day, he stomped on it ... blew his nose in it ... and even looked on as the Phoenix mascot rubbed his "furry armpits" with it.
All fun and games? I think not. The Terrible Towel is important to Pittsburghers. It's more than a gimmick. It represents the heart and soul of our gritty little Steel Town. Read this piece in The New York Times and you'll know why. When you diss the Towel, you diss the entire Steeler Nation. I realize that the Cardinals are the Cinderella Story of the weekend. But Cinderella would have NEVER acted like this.
And as Arizona fans make light of the condemnation by Steeler fans everywhere, it's because they have no way of possibly understanding the tradition and deeply rooted love for this team — a team that is actually a huge part of the fabric and DNA of this proud, yet humble city. The Pittsburgh Steelers have always been about character and class. The nondescript Cardinals have to resort to this kind of behavior just to make headlines.
Today, I'll be cheering for Cinderella's much more popular, yet gracious and unassuming older sister. Go Steelers!
P.S. This is funny.
