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Pittsburgh Essay

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Pittsburgh has always been a city that loves sports. Memories of sports legends are at the core of Pittsburgh like the Homestead Greys, Roberto Clemente, Franco Harris, and James Hamill. It does not matter what the sport is it has a place in Pittsburgh’s triumphant sporting community. Pittsburgh has used sports as a way to tell its story about innovation, community, and excellence. Innovation is part of Pittsburgh’s sporting story. Sports in Pittsburgh has been constantly evolving. In the 1870s, the most popular sport in Pittsburgh was rowing. However, rowing monopoly on sports in Pittsburgh didn’t last long. Soon other sports like biking, fox hunting, marbles, baseball, and football soon entered Pittsburgh’s sporting story in the late 19th …show more content…

When rowing was Pittsburgh most popular sport crowds gathered to watch the local rowers. This trend of community involvement is best represented with Pittsburgh and the Negro Leagues. Gus Grenlee made Pittsburgh the center of the Negro Leagues in the 1930s with his team the legendary Pittsburgh Crawfords. The Crawfords employed local talent like Josh Gibson and brought diverse African-American communities together on the ballfield. While, the Negro Leagues would fold with baseball’s integration in the 1940s the sense of community in sports never left Pittsburgh. In the 1960s, Art Rooney a Pittsburgh native refused to move his abysmal Steelers to other cities. The Pirates also nearly moved during this time due to a similar abysmal performance. However, the Pirates were purchased by a corporate coalition of Pittsburgh businesses. Neither of these teams left Pittsburgh because of community involvement. In the modern era, community is still at the center of Pittsburgh sports. Whenever the Steelers win a Super Bowl, Pittsburgh is filled with happy fans on the street eager to take part in the festivities. Even distinct ethnic sports like Gaelic Football thrive in Pittsburgh. Gaelic Football is primarily played by Irish descendants and allows for local players to show their talent. Proving that Pittsburgh’s community creates Pittsburgh’s sporting

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