Behind Enemy Lines

By Jonathan Miles (JonM229)

September 16, 2010

First, I would like to acknowledge the fact that I am a Ravens fan. I was born and raised just outside of Baltimore. And while I may not even live near the state of Maryland anymore, I will always cheer for the Purple and Black. As a Ravens fan, it is demanded of me to hate the Steelers. While the Colts and Patriots may have the most popular rivalry going these days, the Steelers and Ravens certainly have the most intense rivalry in the NFL.



There is definitely a great deal of hostility not just between the teams themselves, but also between the teams’ fan-base. From the games I’ve been able to attend, I don’t think I’ve seen as many fights as when the Steelers are in town. They say familiarity breeds contempt, and that’s true for any division rival. I’m sure Steelers’ fans hate the Browns and Bengals as much as I do. Although having been born several months after the Colts moved (don’t you feel old now?) I can say that I hate the Steelers the most. However, I also respect them the most as well.



But how did this animosity come about? Many fans in Baltimore were left without a team once the Colts skipped town. They’d be damned if they were going to root for the Eagles or Redskins, so they began rooting for the next closest team: the Steelers. These (foolish) people continued to do so once the Browns relocated to Baltimore as the Ravens. And let’s not forget that the Steelers were one of only two teams (the Bills being the other) to vote against the Browns’ relocation. Many Ravens fans took this personally.



Fortunately, the NFL kept the Ravens in the same division as the Steelers. This means two games per season of defense-first, smash-mouth football (my favorite kind). More often than not, these games tend to decide who earns the division title. Unfortunately, the majority of these games have been won by the Steelers. I’ve never thrown anything while watching football until a certain Monday night game several years ago. If I remember correctly, James Harrison made every single tackle in that game.



For years Steelers’ fans have had a moral superiority over the AFC North. The Ravens have employed an acquitted murderer, a convicted drug dealer, and an alleged wife-beater. The Bengals entire roster has been in jail at one point in time. And nobody cares about the Browns, so they don’t count. The Steelers have been squeaky clean until this past offseason, and I’ve loved every minute of it. A star wideout traded for next to nothing and a top 5 quarterback suspended for four games would make any Ravens fan happy. Does a Week 4 win mean less in the grand scheme of things? Probably. Do I care? Absolutely not.



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