| 01 December 2009
We as fans don't demand much do we? I mean all we want is to go undefeated every year and if that doesn't happen then I guess we'll settle for a championship. Is that really too much to ask for?
Okay so we ask for a lot. I know being a Steelers fan I am extremely spoiled. Take this year for example. Okay, we may not be doing so hot, but it's not the end of the world. We won a championship last year and I still think we'll make the playoffs. Most Steelers fans are about to kill themselves over this unimpressive season. Losing three straight is just not something we are used to. So we may be spoiled, but if you are used to it then you expect some things to happen every year. I expect to make the playoffs, I expect to be in the running to win the division, and I expect to never to lose to the Browns. So I may expect a lot of things, but is it really a bad thing to expect greatness?
On the other hand we have the teams that are the complete opposite of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Teams such as the Cleveland Browns, St. Louis Rams, and the Oakland Raiders don't expect championships, they hope for a chance to make the playoffs. There aren't really any expectations, except these days they expect to lose. Fans who can watch these organizations every week are die hards, they have hope, but hope only last so long. Once the hope runs out then they have to take matters into their own hands and that's what fans are starting to do.
Yesterday a group of Oakland Raiders fans from www.messagetoal.com banded together to post a billboard up near Oakland Alameda County stadium that reads, "Mr. Davis, Please Do the Right Thing. Hire a GM" This type of effort by a few individuals to create the billboard idea and tens of thousands who joined the mission to petition against Al Davis is what makes sports fans so great. We have the resources now to easily communicate across the globe and to come together for a cause, no matter what the cause is. Now the billboard will be up for a month and hopefully it sends a message to an organization and owner that are in desperate need of help, but more importantly it shows that these fans still have hope and still want their teams to be great.
Now I'm not sure what everyone actually expects to get out of the billboard or if it will truly cause any change, but fans who pursue these types of efforts should be applauded. They may not have the same expectations I do as a Steelers fan right now, but maybe with their effort someday they can be as spoiled as I am.
