HOSTILE TERRITORY

Ever since college, I have lived at least 4 hours from Pittsburgh.  I started off in New York City for about 2 years, then Philadelphia for about 5, followed by a 5 year stint in Washington, DC, and back up to Philadelphia just recently.  Because of this, I have attended many more Pittsburgh sporting events in enemy territory rather  than in friendly stadiums/arenas.  I can’t help  it…when  a Pittsburgh team comes within a couple of hours, I try and go.  This Saturday will be no different when I head to Rutgers University for the third time to see the Pitt Panthers.  With the exception of one drunk Rutgers student screaming in my face, the previous two went without incident.  After his screaming in my face, my friend walking with me at the time, said it best, “someone always wants to be the funny guy asshole of the group.”  It’s true.  I don’t care if you go to a Green Bay game or a Philly game as an opposing fan, you can always run into that one fan who has to be “that guy”.

I have attended games in Philadelphia, New York (you name it…Mets, Yanks, Giants, Jets, Devils, Rangers) as a Pittsburgh fan.  I’ve also been to UVA in that awful Pitt loss a few years back, as well as Caps (too many times to count) and Redskins territory, and Baltimore a few times.  Villanova and Georgetown also were invaded by myself and fellow Pittsburghers.  You can add Boston when the Pirates inexplicably won 2-0 in interleague play, and Morgantown 3 times. 

I really have never had a problem.  I obey some simple rules….I wear what I want, but do not draw attention by dressing like a moron.  I stay quiet and do NOT react when people are yelling at me or getting in my face….you CAN NOT REACT!  That is just not going to turn out well for anyone.  I also tend to travel in packs and try and make friends…you would be shocked what asking an opposing fan an intelligent and in depth question about their team will do.  Lastly, when possible, go to the game with and sit with someone that is cheering for the home team.

I have rarely encountered anything REALLY bad, although Balitmore seems to have a huge need to challenge me to fight and question whether I really do want to be engaged to a woman.  Philly had the potential to be the worst…a Flyers-Pens playoff game and I wore a Lemieux throwback.  My Flyers’ friends were all huge, but I had to get to them, as they were tailgating far from where I parked and I was meeting them there.  The number of people that got two inches from my face screaming were too many to count, but I made it and once I got to my rather large friends, who are Flyers fans, it was like having a personal escort for the game….no one said much of anything.

The reason I was thinking of all this, is on Saturday, I do plan on dressing in Pitt garb (if you are going, follow me on twitter @BrunoPittsburgh and let me know where you are tailgating).  Rutgers is not known as a bad place to see a game, but I just wonder about the whole ACC move.  I do remember fans from V-Tech, Miami, and BC being treated rather rudely during away games back in 2003.  I hope not, and if someone does say something to me, hopefully I am able to recite this beauty of a story that a friend recently relayed to me:

My father and I went to Penn State for the first time when Paterno was going for 50 straight non-losing seasons. We were staying at a Sheraton in University Park. As we were going to the game, we went down on the elevator with a 20-something. I was about 10, and it was clear that we were Pitt fans from our garb. It was also clear that it was a father-and-son time, no alcohol, nothing rowdy planned. For no reason, other than being a Penn State fan, he looked at us and said, "Pittsburgh is such a dirty, slimy steel town." It was a classy move, typical of a Penn State fan. After Pitt won 31-11, we encountered the same fan. He was sitting at the bar, and my dad, from our table, bought the guy an Iron City beer, with a handwritten note, "That is what victory tastes like, not that you'd know."