What Grinds My Gears

As the Super Bowl nears, I am reminded of an old and well documented phenomenon in sports known as "the bandwagon." I have noticed this phenomenon lately in the Hampton Roads area. Those who know me know that I have been a Pittsburgh Steelers fan since birth. I admit that I am a fan by family and not by geography. My father grew up 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, so my family and I have grown to root for Pittsburgh teams.

Obviously, Williamsburg is a long way from Pittsburgh. Most of the people around here are Redskins fans with a few Carolina Panthers fans. I see a lot of Cowboys flags and car banners, too. So what's the issue? In the last few years, I have seen more Steelers paraphernalia. Car stickers, flags, clothing, and what-have-you. So why is this? I have a few theories.

My first thought is the bandwagon phenomenon. I have definitely seen an increase in Steelers fans since they won Super Bowl XL. Maybe the increase is because more people became fans after they won the Super Bowl. To disprove this theory, I have not seen more fans for other teams that have won Super Bowls since. Not many Colts fans and no more Pats fans than there were before.

Another possibility is Mike Tomlin. He graduated from Denbigh High School and then from W&M where he played as a wide receiver. In each edition of the Daily Press this week, there's an article about him. Though this is only his second season as the Steelers head coach, he has received a lot of medi attention in the area since. However, can one man really inspire people to start cheering for a team?

This theory was actually brought to me by a co-worker's client's mother. My co-worker told me that they have talked about her being a fan (my co-worker became a fan about a year ago because her ex-bf was a fan and says she still cheers for them because she says they are still fun to watch). The mom said that as the steel mills have closed in Pittsburgh, the families have moved into the Hampton Roads area. I think this probably makes the most sense. A few years ago when Steelers games weren't broadcast locally, my parents and I would go to a bar where there a large group of Steelers fans already there.

My last theory is a psychological one. I'm sure there is a name for this phenomenon but I don't feel like looking through my old psych. texts. I have found that when you are really interested in something, you are more likely to notice it. For example, there was a time where I really wanted a VW Passat. I would see them everywhere! I relaized there weren't actually more Passats on the road. I was just more observant of them because I really liked them. So if that is true, then it would make sense that it appears that there are more Steelers fans in the area.

People become fans for many different. Maybe they or a family member went to a particular university. Or someone has lived in a city or close to a city that had a professional sports team. Regardless of the reason, people are proud to show their support for their favorite team. And some people choose to become of a fan because their team is "the best" or "most popular" at the time. So is this why there are more Steelers fans in Hampton Roads? I don't know. I'll tell you in a few years when they aren't as successful as they have been this year.