This article was written by a Behind The Steel Curtain
contributor, Ivan Cole (RickVa) and first appeared on the BTSC blog site on May
17, 2012. I'm re-posting it here in commemoration of Week 1 of the
Steelers 2012 Season, as it speaks volumes to what makes the Steeler
Organization, and the people of Pittsburgh so special.
In the comments thread
of my article on ‘The Downside of Being a Football Hero' and during an
exchange with BTSC regular 5020, I wrote the following (typos corrected):
The idea that so many of us subscribe to is that with
enough money, perhaps a better relationship, a better job that everything would
be great. On the other hand, some of the most content individuals I have ever
met didn't have much of anything. One of the things I think is really great
about the so called blue collar mentality is that it detaches itself from and
rejects the notion that the good life is a function of position and how much
you make, but rather how you approach your life and responsibilities (values);
a wise position because despite the propaganda suggesting otherwise many of us
rarely completely transcend our circumstances. This may be the essence of the
culture of Pittsburgh.
On reflection, two
things resonated with me. First, as pointed out in the article, class is
defined by more than financial status, but also by a system of values. That is
why, I suppose, the definition is socioeconomic class. Second, while most of us
in some sense recognized those values in a ‘know it when I see it fashion', sometimes
there are things that are so obvious and pervasive that in a paradoxical sense
we are unable to grasp them in a meaningful way.
When I was interviewing
long time Steelers scout and talent evaluator Bill Nunn he mentioned something
to me that I already knew, but the context of his statement jarred me into a
deeper understanding of the meaning behind the facts. He pointed out that Dan
Rooney, one of the most successful men in America, if not the world, a
billionaire (that's spelled with a ‘B'), the United States Ambassador to
Ireland, lives in the same home on Pittsburgh's North Side in which he grew up.
Who else does that? Donald Trump? Dan Snyder? Jerry Jones? Mitt Romney? And
what gave this greater impact was the fact that Nunn was saying this while we
sat on the back porch of his home, which was also the home that he grew up in
located in the Hill District (Nunn having enjoyed a successful career in the
NFL spanning more than forty years and prior to that having served as Editor of
the most prominent black newspaper in the United States).
In the article I posed a
number of questions concerning what purchasing choices might be made if in
possession of relatively large sum of money:
Do you buy a nice little economical hybrid or like
ex-Steeler Leon Searcy do you use a limousine service? Do you purchase a condo,
or a McMansion or something even more palatial?
I think we know how the
Rooney family would probably answer that question. Some may be tempted to think
that this type of thinking and behavior is peculiar to the Rooneys, but they
are largely honored and respected by Pittsburghers because they so faithfully
adhere to the values of the local culture. We label those values "blue
collar", but they transcend both the type of work one happens to engage in
as well as class affiliation.
Culture can be most
difficult to define by those residing within it because, like water to a fish,
it is so all encompassing that it becomes invisible, virtually impossible to
discern. As such, you can be forgiven if you believe that the relationship
between the Pittsburgh
Steelers and what has come to be known as Steeler Nation is
simply about football.
We call it the Steeler
Way, but what that organization unswervingly represents is the Pittsburgh Way.
Because one of the cornerstones of the underlying value system is a sincere,
understated humility faithful practitioners like the Rooneys refrain from
either self-promotion or justification of themselves or their governing set of
values. Misunderstandings and underestimation is unavoidable since most of the
rest of the nation, including (especially) the sports media operates under a
different covenant.
Nor are the
misunderstandings confined to outsiders. Many within Steeler Nation continually
demonstrate a lack of comprehension of the culture, the values that are the
foundation of the franchise's success. I certainly get how easy it is to be
seduced by the priorities of the dominant culture. Nonetheless, it has to be
acknowledged how bizarre it is that some of us envy those whose greatest
aspiration is to someday be as successful as the Steelers. And nobody has been
as successful as the Steelers. Yet we want to throw money at ‘big name' free
agents because that's what everyone else does. We would jettison the
development strategy that is dependent upon patience and loyalty for instant
gratification because that's what everyone else does, and it is endorsed by the
sages at ESPN. We ignore the example of the wise to worship at the feet of the
ignorant.
I live in an area (Metropolitan
Washington DC) that is largely governed by a different, competing value system;
let's call it white collar values. Under this system your value is determined
by the position you hold, your credentials and the amount of money you make.
Like many people I have
been highly critical of Washington Redskin owner Daniel Snyder based upon the
assumption that he has been stuck on stupid in relation to his decision making
for his team. Looking at it from a different perspective Mr. Snyder can be
viewed as being a prisoner of a dysfunctional value system.
How do I make the case
that the white collar values are dysfunctional? Remember that professional
football is rooted in the culture of western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, the
same area that spawned the Pittsburgh (and Steelers) Way. In the culture of
football self-sacrifice and interdependence are much more than just admirable
warm and fuzzy qualities; they are essential elements to success. When
understood in this context money and talent, though important, can be of
limited value if the other elements of cooperation aren't present.
Self-promotion (and the individualism that fuels it) is at odds with and has a
corrosive effect on the team consciousness (and the attendant leveling effects
on individuals) that is necessary for winning. And when that attitude begins at
the top; when your owner lives in a modest home and stands in line in the
cafeteria at lunch time just like everyone else is it any wonder why the
Steelers have been so successful.
Dysfunctional values
compel you toward questionable decision making. Snyder could have never hired
someone like Mike Tomlin (or Chuck Noll or Bill Cowher) based upon his
governing values, at least not at the front end because there wasn't that much
‘sizzle' in Tomlin's resume. And again, there were folks that had this issue in
Steeler Nation as well. Tomlin was thought by some to be an ‘affirmative
action' hire, the Rooneys being taken prisoner by their own rule (at the time
there were people who were disappointed that Noll was chosen over a more ‘name'
individual, Joe Paterno). Snyder ended up hiring the likes of Steve Spurrier
and Mike Shanahan, guys with plenty of sizzle, but relatively little steak. Of
course he would hire Tomlin now because he has a proven track record. But the
key to success sometimes is the ability to recognize the potential before it
manifests, something the Steelers organization demonstrates constantly.
The same value system
likely would have encouraged Snyder to go in a different direction than Ben
Roethlisberger if he had been in the market during the 2004
draft. Being true to his value system Snyder would have probably picked Eli
Manning because of, literally, his name, and would have
preferred either Manning or Philip
Rivers because they were products of large conferences
(SEC, ACC) as opposed to the mid major conference (MAC) associated with Ben. James
Harrison, another MAC player, with less than standard
measurables (too short for one thing) and something of a project would have
been passed over as well. And isn't it funny that players that they let go
often do rather well; thinkRyan
Clark, or more recently, Carlos
Rogers.
The cultural/values
argument goes a long way in explaining why the Skins consistently invest in
players that are, objectively speaking, either past their prime (Deion Sanders,
Bruce Smith), over-hyped (Albert
Haynesworth) or were a bad fit for the team's schemes or
personnel. Of course issues such as relationships don't come much into play
with the white collar mentality. I would also argue that the Skins are extreme
in some respects, and therefore more dysfunctional, but are for the most part
closer to the norm for the league relative to Pittsburgh.
As I mentioned earlier,
a lot of us in Steeler Nation are either white collar types (psychologically
not necessarily professionally) or have been seduced to the point where we
adopt the mindset when discerning the actions of the Steelers and other teams
in the league. Confusion and other misunderstandings can result, something I
have noticed playing out over the recent discussions over ‘character issues'
involving our recent draft choices (Michael Adams, Sean
Spence and Chris
Rainey).
One of the questions
being raised is whether the Steelers compromised their values by selecting
these players. Were they so hard up for the infusion of talent that they turned
their backs on their principles? Let's get one thing straight. If you
conceptualize the Pittsburgh Steelers as being a bunch of milk drinking boy
scouts you are somewhat deluded. Here begins an admittedly incomplete history
lesson.
Are you concerned about
Mike Adams' weed smoking? Eugene ‘Big Daddy' Lipscomb was a heroin addict.
Bobby Layne would close down nightclubs at dawn and then go quarterback the
team a couple of hours later. Joe Greene really was mean, at least on the
football field. He kicked opponents in the groin, he spit in their faces. By
comparison James Harrison looks like a nun. Ernie Holmes had disturbing
psychological issues. Steve Courson (and others) used, some would say abused, performance
enhancing substances. More recently, Adams has nothing overSantonio
Holmes as a weed smoker, and he went to court on domestic
issues. And of course there were Ben's troubles.
Clearly the point is
that having a troubled past (or present) does not necessarily disqualify one
from being a Pittsburgh Steeler. Environmental and developmental issues explain
a lot of questionable decisions. The important thing is that once immersed in
the Steeler Way, the Pittsburgh Way, can they exercise the self-sacrifice,
specifically over their own vices for the good of the franchise and the
community that supports them. Now in some cases the problems really are based
upon the innate deficiencies of an individual's character, they are incapable
of acting in any other manner. But if the waywardness is influenced by other
factors then it would be a violation of blue collar values to not provide an
opportunity for redemption. The problem with Santonio Holmes, to use one
example, was not the indiscretions of his life prior to coming to Pittsburgh;
it was the inability to move beyond that even in light of the extraordinary
life opportunity provided him by being a Super Bowl MVP.
Big Ben represents the
other side of the coin. Have you noticed that there hasn't been much talk
lately about Ben's ‘issues'. My theory is that in the collective mind of
Steeler Nation Ben has been completely rehabilitated, and according to the
theory I can tell you exactly when it happened and why.
The moment came at the
beginning of the second half of the first Cleveland game this past season. I
was on the open thread of BTSC when it was clear that Ben was going to play
after folks had assumed that he was on his way to hospital after having his
ankle crushed. The reaction on site, at Heinz Field and presumably elsewhere
was electric, and people actually said at that moment that all was forgiven.
Ben's actions were not
merely heroic in the generic sense but also consistent with the Pittsburgh way.
One of the fables that we were taught growing up was the story of John Henry.
John Henry was a laborer who drove spikes to secure railroad tracks. One day a
machine was brought in that, presumably could do the job faster and more
efficiently. John Henry challenged the machine and was holding his own in the
ensuing contest, but eventually the exertion killed him. This was a powerful
metaphor for a people whose methods of making a living included the possibility
of black lung disease, being asphyxiated by gas, buried alive or vaporized by
an errant splash of molten metal. You soldiered on even though to do so might
cost you your life.
In this context a high
ankle sprain isn't a deal killer, and it is a tremendous act of leadership. It
is also consistent to an extent with Steelers lore. In his time it was said the
game hadn't started until Terry Bradshaw was bleeding and half dead. Some have
said that Ben's insistence on playing on that ankle may have cost the team the
season. They may be right, but It may have also set a tone that will yield
great returns in the future.
Being from the area,
Adams has been exposed to the Pittsburgh Way. And maybe that is what inspired
the courageous act of pleading his case to the Steelers brass. That action and the
Steelers response both exemplify the Pittsburgh Way in action. There is
certainly a risk involved, but it is a risk that is consistent with the value
system. In fact, you could say that the value system would insist that these
types of risks be undertaken if you truly strive for greatness.
