Here we go, Steelers...

Anyone who knows me is familiar with the following: I'm not generally much of a sports-enthusiast, I'm absolutely an irreconcilable Pittsburgh-enthusiast, and I can be bullheaded and rarely keep my opinions to myself. With that in mind, here is the Superbowl post that my friends have been dreading:

Pittsburgh is a town that is accustomed to being the punchline of many a joke ('shittsburgh', 'armpit of America', etc), regardless of the civic renaissance that has occurred over the past few decades. With that being said, there is an intense pride in the Steelers that rivals any team in the NFL. The Terrible Towel is a hallmark of the SteelersNation, and a unifying symbol that other teams have unsuccessfully attempted to recreate. Recently I've put my sports reluctance aside in favor of my natural hometown pride. Go Steelers!

If (when) the Steelers prevail, this will be their record-breaking 6th Superbowl victory. They are currently tied for 5 with the Cowboys and 49ers. The Arizona Cardinals have... never even been to the Superbowl (despite being the oldest continuously run American football club in existence).

As a proud Pittsburgher, I realize the absolute bias I present in assuming/looking forward to a stunning Steeler victory on Sunday. However, nearly every major prognosticator/commentater has gone on the record that this is essentially the Steelers' game to lose. The most compelling to my non-scientific mind? Legendary prognosticator Ernie Epps (who has accurately predicted the last 10 Super Bowl, World Series, and NBA champions, as well as the last five Presidents and the past fifteen Oscar-winning films) has predicted a Steeler victory.

Giving due deference, I also point you to our friend Cocktail's latest blog entry on the matter, in which he sizes up the Cardinals' great offense against the Steelers' legendary defense.

On a final note, there are some very entertaining things coming out of this whole lead-up to Sunday. Particularly, I point your attention to a great version of Beyonce's "Single Ladies" adapted for the occasion:




In any case, I'll have my Iron City Beer and Terrible Towel in hand and look forward to an excellent Superbowl. Happy Superbowl everyone!