SteelerEmpire
09-29-2010, 12:49 AM
As I sit and read so many discussions and commentaries surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers I can't help but notice a single phrase that keeps repeating itself over and over again without fail; and that phrase is "under the radar".
Under the radar ? What does it mean ? In the context of Steeler football it means: to be ignored when repute is warranted, to be called short when you are tall, to be called blue when you are green, to be called bad when you are good.
But what is the physics and logic of 'under the radar' ? To me it means you basically do good when your not noticed, and then basically do bad after you have worked hard and toiled to make a name for yourself...this process then repeats itself over and over... in other words your "running laps" or "running in circles" (some of you who are familiar with this term's religious definition already know what I mean). So you never show your full potential or in the US Army's words, "Be all you can be."
This whole concept led me to think about the atmosphere that the 70's Steelers developed and actually thrived in. The Steelers were a team that went 'under the radar' (for good reason) for close to the first 40 yrs of their existence... then came Chuck Noll. We already know what he did, so I won't re-elaborate. But too many don't know, or forgot, the type resistance the team faced in the decade of the 70's... It was all Packers or Cowboys !!!
There was so much adoration for Vince Lombardi's team, the Green Bay Packers, and 'America's Team', the Dallas Cowboys, that some back-water 40 yr losing unit called the Pittsburgh Steelers caught the temperament of the nation off guard. Fast forward, the Steelers were 'under the radar' ONLY the year leading up to that first Super Bowl title in 74-75. After that... no more under the radar (man I don't like those 3 words).
If there was any type of motivation that drove the 70's Steelers the biggest was THAT SO MANY PEOPLE HATED THIS TEAM !!! Cowboys fans, Packers fans, Bears fans, Colts fans, Minnesota fans... etc... It was just sure HATE of the Steelers (sound familiar ?) that was so thick in the air you could see it !!! Almost out of nowhere the 'nobody' Steelers took over the NFL. That ticked some pretty big names in sports off to (again, sound familiar ?). Why just ask the "stupid, dumb, retarded" Terry Bradshaw (and those were some of the lighter terms thrown his way)... the whole team went through it. Now we have Ben, the 'Rapist' ... if you listen to and believe BS stories surrounding the issue. That's on top of "paying the refs" and 70's Steroid ridicule... and I can go on. We can't get no respect.
After the world saw what the Steelers could do after that first SB win, then the 2nd, there was no more 'under the radar'. There was just pure, cold, up-front 'disdain'... pure and simple. And Lambert and Co. made them (the haters) eat it for Sunday dinner countless times... it was the Steelers primary source of motivation. The HATE of the team... 'under dogs' they were not.
I submit that there are "plenty" of Steeler fans today. After 6 Super Bowl titles there should be... but THERE IS NO OTHER SINGLE FRANCHISE MORE HATED as well !!! ...still the same after all these years.
Man. Why do so many people "absolutely" hate the Steelers, and now even their fans - Steeler Nation, today ?
The Hatred, the Hatred... vs the Love of the Steeler Nation
Under the radar ? What does it mean ? In the context of Steeler football it means: to be ignored when repute is warranted, to be called short when you are tall, to be called blue when you are green, to be called bad when you are good.
But what is the physics and logic of 'under the radar' ? To me it means you basically do good when your not noticed, and then basically do bad after you have worked hard and toiled to make a name for yourself...this process then repeats itself over and over... in other words your "running laps" or "running in circles" (some of you who are familiar with this term's religious definition already know what I mean). So you never show your full potential or in the US Army's words, "Be all you can be."
This whole concept led me to think about the atmosphere that the 70's Steelers developed and actually thrived in. The Steelers were a team that went 'under the radar' (for good reason) for close to the first 40 yrs of their existence... then came Chuck Noll. We already know what he did, so I won't re-elaborate. But too many don't know, or forgot, the type resistance the team faced in the decade of the 70's... It was all Packers or Cowboys !!!
There was so much adoration for Vince Lombardi's team, the Green Bay Packers, and 'America's Team', the Dallas Cowboys, that some back-water 40 yr losing unit called the Pittsburgh Steelers caught the temperament of the nation off guard. Fast forward, the Steelers were 'under the radar' ONLY the year leading up to that first Super Bowl title in 74-75. After that... no more under the radar (man I don't like those 3 words).
If there was any type of motivation that drove the 70's Steelers the biggest was THAT SO MANY PEOPLE HATED THIS TEAM !!! Cowboys fans, Packers fans, Bears fans, Colts fans, Minnesota fans... etc... It was just sure HATE of the Steelers (sound familiar ?) that was so thick in the air you could see it !!! Almost out of nowhere the 'nobody' Steelers took over the NFL. That ticked some pretty big names in sports off to (again, sound familiar ?). Why just ask the "stupid, dumb, retarded" Terry Bradshaw (and those were some of the lighter terms thrown his way)... the whole team went through it. Now we have Ben, the 'Rapist' ... if you listen to and believe BS stories surrounding the issue. That's on top of "paying the refs" and 70's Steroid ridicule... and I can go on. We can't get no respect.
After the world saw what the Steelers could do after that first SB win, then the 2nd, there was no more 'under the radar'. There was just pure, cold, up-front 'disdain'... pure and simple. And Lambert and Co. made them (the haters) eat it for Sunday dinner countless times... it was the Steelers primary source of motivation. The HATE of the team... 'under dogs' they were not.
I submit that there are "plenty" of Steeler fans today. After 6 Super Bowl titles there should be... but THERE IS NO OTHER SINGLE FRANCHISE MORE HATED as well !!! ...still the same after all these years.
Man. Why do so many people "absolutely" hate the Steelers, and now even their fans - Steeler Nation, today ?
The Hatred, the Hatred... vs the Love of the Steeler Nation