Here comes the shade…

I’m very disappointed in the behavior of some of our fanbase since Sunday. I made some of these sentiments known on the Steel City Underground podcast this week, but I felt it necessary to put into writing as well: our fans are spoiled.

Brian Roach said as much earlier this week, talking about how the job Mike Tomlin has done (and Bill Cowher before him) has given us over a decade of winning seasons. Even in rebuilding, the Steelers haven’t had a losing season.

So what is there to get upset about?

That is my main question and I think so of it falls on so-called fans; not the diehard fans who hang on every word, watch every play, and eat, breathe and sleep Steelers football.

I think it’s an ignorant subset of fans, who want to be part of a winning tradition, but only when that team wins.

That is otherwise called a “bandwagon”, and I can see some of those people that were along for the ride over a nine game winning streak, have decided to jump off. They want Mike Tomlin, Todd Haley and Keith Butler fired. They say incredibly insensitive things in public forums such as Facebook and Twitter; not only limited to players, but also to sites who cover the team, such as this one.

And there’s the few who have even more Internet courage, mustering up the gall to directly send their threats in private messages on social media.

It’s disgusting and unbefitting a franchise which is considered one of the finest in all of professional sports.

Shouldn’t we be happy that this team made it to the AFC Championship?

Consider the amount of teams which have not even been to the playoffs in ages: the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills of the world. How would that fanbase react to something as small as a winning season?

Consider the teams that didn’t make the playoffs this year: the Arizona Cardinals were in the NFL Championship game last season, while the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos made it to the Super Bowl.

Are their fans disappointed? Sure they are.

Do you think they took their postseason success for granted? Perhaps.

And that’s what I’m asking of Steelers Nation: enjoy the moment. This is a game, and as such, there are winners, and there are losers.

Losing is a part of the process; eventually there’s only one team who gets to hold the Lombardi trophy and call themselves champions. Everyone else: cannot make that claim.

But you can still enjoy what was a wild season. It started hot, got cold to the tune of a 4-5 record, of which the Steelers never looked back on.

Those bumps should send any fan flying off the wagon. We get it: you have a lot of pride and passion for your team. So do I. So do a lot of people.

Do you think the players do too?

Of course they do!

So why are fans making threats, and openly doing some of the disrespectful things that they do? It could be an emotional response for their pride and passion, but the result of that is nothing but childish. It opens the door for people to criticize a coach who’s never had a losing season, and has brought his team to three AFC title games.

It opens the door for people to criticize the very players who brought the team to this point; a wide receiver, Antonio Brown, who has never been an off-the-field problem, and is one of, if not the hardest working players at his position.

It’s thrown ugly remarks at a running back who has surpassed numbers only duplicated by Hall of Famers such as Franco Harris, Jim Brown and Jerome Bettis.

Must we really critique what one does in their free time? What do “yinz” do after work? Unless you go to a second job and that consumes your life, I don’t think you have the right to chastise anyone.

Then again, I believe a lot of this new age technology is to blame. People used to say these things behind closed doors, but now a new level of fan interaction has in fact opened those doors so far open, someone can easily be as nasty as they want, and vent their frustration directly to the source within seconds.

Could it be that some of this negativity forces players into retirement? Is that what you really want them to do? Leave forever?

Players already, and knowingly, sacrifice themselves for our entertainment. They risk their health for different rewards. They are mentally challenged by studying film, traveling, and always being in the public spotlight.

Do we recognize that acting in negative light doesn’t help, but instead hurts them? This is a team, and these are the players we’re supposed to love.

I understand that loves hurts, and I’m not saying we cannot be critical of one’s failures; but let’s also understand that you shouldn’t always scold a dog either. Part of the joy of having a pet is their mutual love in return. Sometimes we have to pet the dog and let them know the did good.

Constantly yelling, or striking them will not have the result we all desire.

All I ask, is as fans, is to be respectful. Treat others how you’d want to be treated. After all, didn’t your mother ever say “if you don’t have nothing nice to say, don’t say it at all?”

The players know what they did or didn’t do on the field. They don’t need salt rubbed into their wounds by those who are supposed to support them!

Why are we doing it then?

There’s always another fight to be had, another game to be played. The faces may change. It’s inevitable. It’s inevitable that they’ll also lose along the line.

Those are the bumps in the road we cannot avoid. During those seemingly tough times (remember, it’s still only a game), we need to continue to support our Steelers.

Don’t fall off of the bandwagon; instead, hang on tight.

Tell these warriors that they battled hard, and that we were there to see them off to war, and are here with open arms upon their return.