Another Division Title

January 9th, 2015

It has been a while since I made it to a Steelers game, but I picked a great one to go to this year, game 16 versus the Bengals at Heinz Field. The winner would claim the AFC North title. Brisk but not to0 cold. I took a water taxi from downtown that took a little longer than usual. We made a pit stop on the river to pick up Rod Woodson from another party boat. “Just don’t drop him in the river,” called the captain while he maneuvered the two boats together. I’d been out on the river before, but never in December, and coming up on Heinz Field from the river at night felt like something out of this world. The glow from a massive structure of the stadium, the cloud of steam in the atmosphere and the twinkling lights of the bridges gleaming on the water made it look like something from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Noises echoed off the water: stadium announcements, tailgating music, a marching band rehearsing, and the random scream of excitement of someone pumped up for the game.

Sixteen Sundays began because I saw a community experiencing the same moments. It was a realization that the spectacle at each game takes place around the field, not always on it. As much as I try to just watch and enjoy the game, I am drawn to turn around and look at the faces in the crowd; to witness there shared or opposing emotions. After a hiatus from photographing Steelers games, I decided to take this opportunity to shoot with my iPhone. Though the manner of capture is different, the scenes of intensity, excitement, disappointment, and anticipation are still the same as they were ten years ago when I started photographing games. It’s still a thrill.

The highlights of the game included Antonio Brown’s punt return for a touchdown. The sad news was the injury to Le’Veon Bell which may have cost the Steelers any hope in the playoffs. But for one night in Pittsburgh, there was excitement and hope of a Super Bowl run.

Steelers defeat Bengals 27 – 17

Steelers are AFC North Division Champions