#5
STEEL DREAMS
THE BIRTH OF A BEAST
At 4:44 Pm on January 11th, 1998, in Abbington, Pennsylvania, an absolute beast entered the world in the form of yours truly, Jason Michael Narkoff. Weighing in at 8 pounds 2 ounces, I was the largest of my siblings, my older brother and younger sister. My dad, who on that day was playing pickup basketball, had to leave the gym to come to the hospital, regretfully so I might add. That right there shows the sports world I was immediately brought up into, my dad not wanting to leave the basketball court for the birth of his second son, but he made it. My dad was born in Pittsburgh, and is a die hard Steelers fan, he lived through much Steelers glory that I never got to experience, but will always appreciate. My mom on the other hand was born in Upper Dublin, Pennsylvania, which is near Philadelphia, so she grew up as an Eagles fan and is still one to this day. Abbington, where I was born, is right outside Philadelphia and on the other side of the state as Pittsburgh. One would presume I would adopt the Philadelphia culture and become an Eagles fan, but one thing would change such a thing. Starting at 12:30 pm that day, was the 1998 National Football League (NFL) American Football Conference (AFC) championship, between the Denver Broncos and the Pittsburgh Steelers. At the hospital at 4:44 and at that moment, with the game in the corner of the hospital room so my dad could watch his beloved Steelers, I was born and immediate was deemed a Steelers fan. Granted, I still like the Eagles, but they are my number 2, with the Steelers forever my number 1. Unfortunately, the Steelers did lose that 1998 AFC championship game, 24–21, but the quarterback of the Broncos was the infamous John Elway, so I can’t say it was a bad omen at all. Immediately I was cuddling my first Terrible Towels and growing into a Steelers culture I would follow to this day. Also, being born into the Steelers culture was perfect, as we took home Super Bowls in 2005 and 2008, two of the better years of my life. Also, the Steelers are clearly the best team ever (in my eyes), which causes me to despise their entire divison without any ounce of love for a single other team in the AFC North. But this pure hatred, poses a interesting family issue.
My grandmother, an incredible lady, who this whole project is devoted to, and who I love, has on major flaw to her that I will never let her live down. My ancestors also, had one flaw, even though I am sure they worked extremely hard for me to get where I am today, they settled into Cincinnati. Now this would be okay if they moved and my grandma was born somewhere else, but my ancestors stayed their for many years and my Grandma was born in Cincinnati, making her a die hard Cincinnati Bengals fan. And of course that Bengals team is in the AFC North, the divison I despise except for the Steelers. I respect all things about my grandma, but will never be able to get over the fact that she is a Cincinnati Bengals fan, I will never be able to root for them even if all my ancestors are from there and formed a life there, helping me to get where I am today. It is extremely ironic that my grandma is a Bengals fan and I am a Steelers fan. The good part is, is that she is a Bengals fan though, because the Steelers hold that season series over the Bengals with ease and are consistantly better then them which makes my life a lot better, becuase I can taunt my grandma about it. The Pittsburgh Steelers have the overall series 60–35, a healthy lead which I do not see them giving up any time soon. That includes 2–0 in the playoffs against the Bengals, a low number of matchups in the playoffs because its the Bengals and they rarely are making it there. Pittsburgh also is currently on a 4 game win streak against the Bengals, meaning they have swept them the past 2 seasons. Regarding divisional championships, the Steelers have a whopping 22 compared to the Bengals 9. Then when it comes to conference championships, Steelers also have the lead there with 8 to the Bengals 2. Lastly, and most obviously, the Steelers have a clear lead in Super Bowls as they have the most ever, in 6, to the Bengals goose egg, 0. It’s fair to say even though I hate the Bengals, they are not that much of a threat to my beloved Steelers, sorry grandma. I have always despised the Bengals and the way they play the game, for example the 2015 wild card game when Vontaze Burfict had an illegal hit to Antonio Browns head, sidelining him and ultimately injuring him in the playoffs. It was a dirty hit that made me want to teleport to the game and get in Burfict’s face myself. Afterwards, Adam “Pacman” Jones would also be flagged for an incident with the Steelers Outside Linebacker Coach Joey Porter. It is fair to say that even though I have great respect for my ancestors and what they have done for me, I will never be able to respect their hometown team in the Bengals. I will forever be a Steelers fan for life, and will always despise the Bengals with all my heart. I am sorry Grandma, but I cannot respect your beloved team, and that is the only part of you I despise, but you’re still my grandma and I will always respect and look up to you as a role model and a person I would love to see myself emmulate in life. My grandma also gave me a wonderful lady in my mother, who has tought me more than anyone and more than she probably even knows. I am glad my grandma decided to give birth to my mother close to Philadelphia where she became a Eagles fan, because if my mom was a Bengals fan, lets just say there would be an extreme amount of fights in the Narkoff household. Go Steelers.
Pictures:
A Steelers fan since the beginning, one can say I was born near Philadelphia and should be an Eagles fan, but the Steelers are my team for life and nothing will break that bond.
Halloween, my brother dressed as an Eagles player, and I, of course, dressed as a Steelers player.
A tad blurry, but 6th grade confirmation, a religious event that I’m sure my very religious grandma, was proud of me for completing.
My brother and I, this time showing off my favorite Steeler of all time, the Bus, Jerome Bettis.
Even though I will never be against the Steelers, I revert to Philadelphia for my other teams. I am forever a Phillies and 76ers fan for life.
Thank you for viewing my biography. It was a pleasure to write about, mostly because the Steelers have a great history against the Cincinnati Bengals. After writing the rest of the project about my ancestors, it was good to get to switch it up and focus on me. Now it is my turn to carry on the legacy that my ancestors have left, and I believe I am well equipped to do so.
Thank you.
