The Steeler Epidemic

[clvmike19]

I have waxed poetic on this subject once before, and since football season is only weeks away I felt it to be an appropriate time to reaffirm my thoughts and feelings on that team from Pittsburgh (borrowing from Woody Hayes and "that team from up North").

Now first I am tempted, only tempted mind you, to give a general absolution to those Steeler fans who were actually born in Pennsylvania. I fear they suffer enough since they were born on the fringe of Western civilization. A place where running water, electricity, and literacy are still looked upon with one cautious eye, and most likely one glass eye. But allowing these troglodytes to be completely free scorn would be a mistake; for it is they who first brought their putrid disease to the great state of Ohio. It is they who fled the backwoods of Western Pennsylvania for the promise of a new, civilized life in Ohio, who brought with them tales of that team in Pittsburgh and beguiled many of the simps in Northeast Ohio.

Now why you might ask, why should it be that the Steeler epidemic was allowed to spread so freely across the area. Like a fresh outbreak of herpe sores on the prom queen? There are several reasons.

First, the Cleveland Browns, who hold a God given, Divine, and righteous claim to the hears and minds of the true football fan in Northeast Ohio have, to put it plainly, sucked. While this is not an acceptable excuse for the simps to turn coat and cheer on that team from Pittsburgh, it is a possible reason. It is true that most people love a winner, and most people will sink a pick axe into their own kin to get ahead in life. This is no different for the knuckle dragging simps who forget where they are from, and what they shold represent. That team has won quite a bit of late, and sadly most of the easily led pro-simiens have followed.

Second, Ladies love a winner. This explains the absolute explosion of female Steeler fans. I've always said that if you can find a true female Browns fan she is surely a keeper. The current female Steeler fans would have been Cowboys fans in the 90s and 49er fans in the 80s. They are the flippant little cheergirl types who put little thought or analysis into their decisions and simply go with the crowd because it is easy. They can also prattle on for hours on end about how "dreamy" Ben Roethlisberger is, or how great Troy Polamalu's hair looks. These banshees know little about the game of football, but still find it necessary to inform me on a constant basis that "ewwwww! The Browns suck!".

Third, and lastly, Art Modell *spit* has a hand in this problem. When he stole the Browns away from Cleveland and whored himself out to Baltimore he left a three year football void in Northeast Ohio. During that time the Steelers were shown on local television and many of the easily influenced among us forgot about the beloved Cleveland Browns. If not for Art Modell there may have been a Super Bowl team in Cleveland, finally!

I suppose when I reflect on my tirade I might question whether or not I would even want the sloped foreheaded among us to be counted in the ranks of Cleveland Browns fans. Really I would not. That team can have them, they fit the fan base perfectly. They can also have the shrill little banshee who harp incessantly about all the wrong reasons to be a Steeler fan (if there is ever a right reason).

No sir, I think I will keep the good hearted, tried and true, honest, decent, and loyal among us. I will count those kind souls in the brotherhood of the Cleveland Browns. We must continue to fight the good fight, and battle the Steeler epidemic wherever it may arise. Like the puss filled, open sore that it truly is.

[swerb]

CLASSIC!!!!!!!!

Welcome to the forums Mike! And with a bang ...

[Jennifer]

Second, Ladies love a winner. This explains the absolute explosion of female Steeler fans. I've always said that if you can find a true female Browns fan she is surely a keeper. The current female Steeler fans would have been Cowboys fans in the 90s and 49er fans in the 80s. They are the flippant little cheergirl types who put little thought or analysis into their decisions and simply go with the crowd because it is easy. They can also prattle on for hours on end about how "dreamy" Ben Roethlisberger is, or how great Troy Polamalu's hair looks. These banshees know little about the game of football, but still find it necessary to inform me on a constant basis that "ewwwww! The Browns suck!".

You are one sick puppy. It is jerks like you who keep knowledgable females away from interner sports's boards. Since you are so heavily into sterotyping I guess you won't be offended if I point out that guys who usually make comments like you did usually have a private organ that would fit into a thimble.

And Rich you should be completely ashamed of yourself for encouraging such sterotyping. If he had said the same type of things about African-Americans I doubt you would have given him such a warm welcome. Your post was not a good way to attract females to your site -- not a good way at all. Us empty headed superficial bimbos just do not like being remineded of our shortcomings.

[swerb]

Jen, he was complimenting true female Browns fans like you from the way I read it.

[furls]

I've always said that if you can find a true female Browns fan she is surely a keeper.

Nothing wrong with what he said. He complimented true female Brown's fans and then took a cheap shot at fairweather females.

[clvmike19]

Jen....yikes! Take a deeeeeeeeeeep breath....count with me. One. Two. Three.

Alright. I have no problem with female football fans. I was simply commenting on the flippant, fly by night Steeler trolls. I think Furls mentioned my quote about true female Browns fans, that should clear things up. Just go re-read the post. Maybe have a sip of whiskey beforehand? That should settle you down a bit.

Oh. Ive never had a cyber attack on my "manhood". Not very clever, but kind of entertaining. Keep at it lass, just read before you attack. Im not such a bad guy.

[johnnyo]

I must say the recent post by Mike was quite amusing. Too bad your grammar and spelling are so atrocious. Perhaps you should use a program which has a "spell check" feature before posting a thread bashing someone else's idiocy.

For example, "simien" and "foreheaded" are not words. Perhaps you meant "simian" and "fore headed". Also, the team is called the Steelers. That would make fans of said team "Steelers" fans, not "Steeler" fans.

What is "herpe"? Do you mean "herpes"? The "hears and minds" of the true football fan? Try "hearts and minds". "Shold" should be "should". In addition, "the little banshee who harp..." is idiotic. Since "banshee" is singular, you should have used "harps".

When referring to the "puss filled", open sore, one must assume you mean "pus filled". Pus is defined as "a thick opaque usually yellowish-white fluid matter formed by suppuration and composed of exudate containing white blood cells, tissue debris, and microorganisms".

It boggles my mind that someone as illiterate as you has the nerve to belittle others, when you appear to have a 6th grade education. Is your name Jethro Bodine?

[Jennifer]

Mike - I'm so glad you don't "have problems with female football fans" I'm sure females everywhere have had their day made by that condesending comment cause clearly your acceptance is a priority among millions of females.

And thank you for your condesending comment about my need to "re-read" your post. This might surprise you but I, like most females really do have the capability of not only reading something but actually understanding it the first time through. Really! My being a female did not prevent me from obtaining a high enough level of reading proficiency to graduate high school (although not at the top of my class).

You began with the sterotypical comment that females "love a winner." Really? Guys don't, huh? While born in Cleveland I grew up mostly in Columbus before heading off to college in Arizona (sorry after the shock I provided you that females can read and comprehend maybe I shouldn't have mentioned college. Starting in the mid-90s nearly every baseball cap you saw on males was a Tribe cap. In a visit to Columbus recently I noticed quite a few men wearing Reds caps and so maybe one or two Tribe caps. In mentioning it to a friend who lives in Columbus he told me he had noticed the same thing. The Tribe radio outlet the last two years does not even carry every Tribe game. Hardly, scientific proof but certainly as valid as your "observations." Incidentally, it is my understanding that Columbus wasalmost entirely a Reds town before the mid-90s.

Since the Cleveland expansion football team started playing the local CBS affiliate )WBNS( carried "Browns" games when both "Browns" games and Bengals games could not both be shown. My understanding is that changed in mid-season of last year when the Bengals became serious contenders for a playoff spot. WBNS's website has a page that apologizes for not carrying Browns and Steelers games but asserts that the demand for showing Bengals games is the highest. Previous to this the explanation offered was the demand to see the Browns games was the highest. Since men by a pretty large majority provide makeup NFL viewership it is not unreasonable to assume the shift in demand is because males know would rather see the Bengals than the Browns.

As to your comments about the females you know who root for teams based on physical attractiveness of players I think that is more a comment about you and the type of females you associate with then being a valid statement about female football fans in general. And if you spend hours listening them "prattling" on you have some major issues to deal with.

Sure there are people of both sexes who root for teams for superficial reasons like because the team plays in Cleveland and the acceptance of the fantasy offered by the NFL that the Cleveland expansion team is the same team that started playing in the All American Conference in 1946. "^60 Years of Browns Football," indeed. Notwithstanding your assertion the Browns did win a superbowl but unfortunately in another city under a different name.

It is true that some females choose NFL teams based on phyiscal attraction and no males do, other than gay ones. Hmmmm. I wonder why that is so. While I can't prove it I'm guessing that the reason might be because all NFL players are male and my experience (albeit limited) is that straight males are not physically attracted to other men. I was involved in a discussion last school year between a couple of law classes (Whoops! Sorry, I probably have really gone too far in mentioning I'm in law school) about superficial reasons people root for teams. A couple of guys mentioned they knew men who rooted for NFL teams based on who they thought had the best looking cheerleaders.

Also consider the fifteen minutes of fame enjoyed by the U.S. women's soccer team. I had more than one discussion with guys who's favorite player was based on his physical attraction and not the player's skills. Many of the players on the team were viewed as sex objects -- not as highly skilled athletes.

As for your defense of saying you excepted out female Browns fans and then your later affirmation of it, it hardly constitutes anything more than more of your sterotyping. Is is not possible that some of these fans are fans because they are physically attracted to a Browns player? More to the point there are certainly many non-Browns female fans that have reasons other than physical attraction.

Additionally, your defense reeks of predjuice for those who do not agree with you. During the civil rights struggle during the late 50s and 60s many southerners distinquished between "good" and "bad" African-Americans. The "good" ones were the ones who accepted segregation and their own inferiority to the white race. (Sorry again, females do study history).

And yes, I understand that your original post was meant at least partially tongue in cheek. But what people find funny is often based on one's own understanding of reality. Since you offered no justification on that basis it appears that your post was consistent with your understanding of reality. Even worse you apparently had no understanding (or didn't care) that some females might find your post offensive. Furthermore after I posted my objection rather than apologizing and/or admitting you might have been a little insensitive you chose to reply with a partial defense and mocking me for my feelings.

Finally, my attack on your "manhood." I know a friend of mine who has a master's in pschology and wortked her way through law school counseling the sexually dysfunctional (Oops, I did it again) would find it quite interesting that you equate "manhood" with size especially since my assertion was not an attack on your "manhood" but on unfair and inaccurate sterotypes. What I said was "I guess you won't be offended if I point out that guys who usually make comments like you did usually have a private organ that would fit into a thimble." Hmmmmmmm! Perhaps you are the one who needs to "re-read" things to gain a proper understanding -- unless, of course, you think the sterotype does apply to you. Hmmmm!!!!!!!

[Jennifer]

Jen, he was complimenting true female Browns fans like you from the way I read it.

Rich - I intend to write you privately with a longer response when I have time but do feel the need to respond with something publicly. How do you know that I am not a Steelers fan?

More to the point you completely misunderstood my objection. It had nothing to do with what team I root for and everything to do with the general treatment of females on boards like this. Neanderthal males exist on every board but most are intelligent enough not to express such gender sterotyping publicly. Still there is enough of them that females I know will not participate on boards like this. I have learned to live with it by responding with my objections if a male member doesn't do it first.

You have expressed the interest in attracting, and presumably retaining, female readers and members. Yet, not only did you embrace Mike's post but you then proceeded to defend it after I expressed objection even though I asked for no relief. I didn't ask for it to be deleted nor did I ask for any sanctions be taken against him. While I accept the Mike's of this world I will not, and after this post participate, on any board where a mod, who also happens to be the owner in this instance, approves such gender sterotyping.

And Furls, your post was also a contributory factor.

See y'all

[Big Lu]

I agree with your posts wholeheartedly.

[swerb]

Jen, you have been treated with nothing with respect on these boards. Several contributors have gone out of their way to single out your contributions as excellent.

I emailed you personally saying the same.

clvmike19's post was directed at Steeler Fans, not women in general, and I did not see it as gender stereotyping, especially considering he went out of his way to differentiate between true female Browns fans, and fairweather female football fans.

The fact that I didn't "take sanctions" against clvmike, and was honest in stating that I found his post hysterical does not make me some kind of woman hater. About 50% of the contributors to these forums know me personally, and know this to be true, so theres no need to defend myself on that front.

Message boards are not always warm, fuzzy, 100% politically correct places. There must be moderation to avoid things from becoming a zoo, but years of talking sports on message boards have told me that overmoderation is worse than no moderation in many cases.

Reality is this - 95% of the visitors/contributors to these forums are male Cleveland sports fans. Johnny O, who I know personally, knows this, and has fun with it.

If your skin is going to be that thin, I can't imagine there are any message board forums out there that will not offend you on some level.

[Jennifer]

The fact that I didn't "take sanctions" against clvmike, and was honest in stating that I found his post hysterical does not make me some kind of woman hater. About 50% of the contributors to these forums know me personally, and know this to be true, so theres no need to defend myself on that front.

Nor, did I ask you take any sanctions. I can stick-up for myself. Nor, did I claim or even imply that you were a "woman-hater." I did accuse you of insensitivity and I'll now add to the list condescending.

It is nice to know that you think that contributors had to go out of their way to compliment me. The truth of the matter is at least some of them were written because I'm a female. My experience is that males almost never bestow such lofty compliments on new male members. Indeed some of them, I don't recall whether they were private, public or both even commented on my physical appearance.

You refer to your complimentary private message to me which shows how clueless you are. Do you really think I felt complimented when you asked me to contribute to the front page to help attract females?

The problem is not what you believe or don't believe. The problem is that you don't understand when to keep your mouth shut. It is also pretty obvious that you have not understood what I have said to you publicly and privately. There is a certain number of members on every board who put women down and I have left one for that reason. I accept as par for the course and deal with it as I dealt with Mike. What bothers me is the large number of women who stay away from the boards because they find the sexual insults, sexually condenscending and sexual innuendos painful. And these are boards that moderators do not affirmately side with the poster of this type of garbage. I was going to write you privately (and less abrasively) about this because I'd hoped that it might make you pause and think about how you would deal with these types of issues in the future particularly after losing one "valued" contributor. Instead, taking no time to reflect on what I said you chose to immediately respond to defend yourself and try to put me down.

And you are also absolutely cluess as to why I'm leaving this board notwithstanding our exchanges of email. I made it quite clear to you that I was already thinking about leaving the board before I heard from you because of so little participation on the board. Your attitude in your posts on this thread just madeup my mind for me. Every actively posting member potentially contributes to new members joining. Why would I possibly want to help you grow your board under the circumstances?????

Please feel free to respond further in an effort to save face with the others but don't do it under the pretense of addressing it to me. The only reason I saw your last post was I made the mistake of forgetting to unsubscribe to this thread and I gave into curiousity. I have now unsubscribed.

[swerb]

Others warned me that you pulled similar stunts on other boards.

I should have listened.

If you are going to spend so much of your free time talking sports with all men on internet message boards, you should really lighten up.

[consigliere]

What. The. Hell. Was. That.

[furls]

A sense of humor really makes life better. Take it for what it is a joke. If you cannot have a good time, then I personally think we are probably better for having you gone. For I, personally, would prefer to have a small message board with interesting, dynamic, and fun people than some giant mess full of drama queens (or kings as appropriate, wouldnt want to stereotype).

[Big Lu]

I wholeheartedly agreed with Jennifer. But . . . Wow, I've known Rich for 7 years and except for his gambling problem (which I am included in that category too ) he is fair and fun. Jennifer, if you read this, do not attack him again!

I could care less if you guys mock women in any way. As I am female, I am very comfortable with my sexuality and find nothing in these forums that is condescending. If it is perceived as condescending, who gives a shit -- get over it already! I am also very comfortable with the fact that I know so much about football, baseball and basketball. I could sit for hours and talk about sports -- present and past.

What do I get from all these posts? Laughter and I sometimes learn a little. I didn't need to read that Jen was asked to "contribute to the front page to attract females." I don't need a kick in the ass by a female to join the forums. I fit in with the guys someway, somehow!

I will continue to read, laugh and vent in any forum. I guess you can never please everyone. We're all assholes in our own way . . . point being we are equals.

My motto: don't sweat the small stuff, really applies here!

[johnnyo]

Hey, Jen.... Don't you have some laundry to finish?