Follow the Steelers’ Lead and Enjoy the Rollercoaster Ride of Life

As an avid sports fan, this is one of my favorite times of the year. The leaves are changing color, the NBA season is just starting, the college football playoff race is heating up and every week is important in the NFL. After graduating from law school and moving to Pittsburgh, I have been following the Steelers closely and it has been amazing to watch the public perception of the team change over the past several weeks. Specifically, I enjoy listening to sports radio shows on my way to work, and it is always entertaining to see how quickly the hosts change their “expert” opinion from week to week.

Several weeks ago, after a 31-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns, the local sports radio hosts could not stop talking about how horrible Pittsburgh’s offense was and how they thought the offensive coordinator needed to be fired. Even though the Steelers were 3-3, countless listeners called in and were just as worried about the team’s ability to compete against the NFL’s elite in the upcoming weeks.

Fast forward three weeks, the Steelers have won three straight games including dominating performances against the Colts and Ravens. Not only have the Steelers been winning, but the offense that everyone was worried about has scored at least 30 points for three straight weeks. Moreover, the Steelers’ quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, has thrown for 12 touchdowns in the past two games, which is a new NFL record.

Perhaps the most remarkable statement, in my opinion, came this morning on the same radio show that was calling for the offensive coordinator to be fired a mere three weeks ago. The host of the morning talk show now thinks the Steelers should worry that other teams may offer the offensive coordinator a head coaching position for all of the success he has had this year. A mere three weeks have completely changed the city’s outlook on this man’s ability to coach.

While changes in sports are minor compared to the changes people endure in their everyday lives, I have always believed that sports are an excellent tool to teach children and adults life lessons in a relatively cost free environment. One of my coaches in college always told me that life and basketball are like a rollercoaster ride, with many highs and lows, but successful people and players find a way to enjoy the highs and ride out the lows, realizing, like the Steelers, things can change quickly.

Many times, changes in people’s lives can be difficult and cause unhappiness and stress. I can think of many examples in my own life where change was not expected and took me down a completely different path than originally anticipated. However, these changes, although sometimes difficult, can lead to the greatest periods of growth in people’s lives and often lead to a better result than originally planned. Like the Steelers over the past several weeks, change can occur quickly and life’s ups and downs can come and go with little warning. Many times, when people are struggling through times of great change, embracing and overcoming the changes with a positive outlook can lead to some of life’s greatest joys.

Hopefully the Steelers can stay consistent this upcoming week and their opponent, the New York Jets, do not stumble upon this blog post and find a way to change their recent struggles.

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