Hello everyone. I’m so happy to be included amongst the talented authors here at Romancing the Jock. Before we get started, I’d like you to take a moment and gaze at the image below. Can you guess what this is? Flag flown by Blackbeard the Pirate Bumble Bee Lovers Association logo Chain gang costume from the movie, Cool Hand Luke Pittsburgh Steelers jersey Bustier worn by the love child of Pippi Longstocking and Elton John If you guessed number 4, you guessed correctly. This, unfortunately, was one of the Steeler’s uniforms for the 2012 season. It was a throw-back to their 1934 uniform, and (in my humble opinion) the reason they are not in the playoffs this year. Pure and simple, I think this throwback jersey jinxed my team. So, who the heck am I, you ask? My name is Chanta Rand. I write contemporary and historical African-American romance. I guess I’m best known for my best selling sports-mance, The Highest Bidder. This erotic cocktail of steamy romance and rough-and-tumble sports centers around a fictional football team known as the California Predators. I modeled my team after my favorite team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. My father, born in Altoona and raised in Johnstown, Pennsylvania passed his love of the Steelers to me at an early age. I’ve had the black and yellow in my blood since as far back as I can remember. Heck, even the high school I graduated from in Texas had yellow and black as its official school colors (Shout out to the East Central Hornets!). You don’t have to be a sports fan to see that this uniform is hideous. USA Today said that the Steelers looked like “bumblebee[s] in a Depression-era chain gang.” Sixty-five percent of respondents to an ESPN poll said they hated the throwback uniforms. NBC Sports’ Pro Football Talk blog said the 2012 throwback uniform “ranks among the worst ever fashioned for any NFL team.” In sports, winning isn’t the only thing that matters–ya gotta do it with style. Look at Venus Williams. She shocked the hell out of everyone at the Australian Open a few years ago by wearing her near-nude booty shorts that showed off her, uh…ASSets. Now, she has her own line of clothing! Due to copyright issues, I can’t show the photo, but I can direct you to the link. http://amygrindhouse.com/venus-williams-butt-sweat-nude-colour-panties.html One noticeable difference is that she won the Australian Open despite her wild outfits. The Steelers, on the contrary, are NOT in the running for the Super Bowl this year. This is not the first time the Steelers have had a wardrobe malfunction. In 1966 (yes, I researched because I wasn’t born until 4 years later), the team debuted what would come to be known as the Batman uniform. See the link below. Do I really need to explain it further? http://www.nearmintcards.com/blog/2010/05/09/holy-golden-triangles-batman/ This uniform was also referred to as the Golden Triangle jersey. This thing needs to be relegated to the Bermuda Triangle! Needless to say, this design was changed two years later. Despite the changes they made over the years, The Steelers, for the most part have always had some of the best looking uniforms. In 2012, they wore the throwback jerseys to celebrate their 80 year anniversary. They did win one game wearing those uniforms (October 28th against the Washington Redskins). I blame this fashion faux-pas on the team’s owners, the Rooney Family. Maybe the guys should let the female family members design the next set of uniforms–or better yet, the female fans! I should note that Pittsburgh has won more Super Bowl titles (6), won more AFC Championship games (8), and played in (15) and hosted more (11) conference championship games than any other AFC or NFC team. The Steelers share the record for most Super Bowl appearances (8) with the Dallas Cowgirls–oops! I mean the Dallas Cowboys. The Steelers are still my team and I love them despite this fashion atrocity. In fact, I’m calling my next sports-mance, STEEL IN LOVE. Look for it during the fall of 2013. While you’re at it, don’t forget to check out The Highest Bidder, and Delay of Game (complete with a black and yellow theme), available everywhere eBook Readers are sold. Now, I want to hear from you. Can you name some other teams (or players) in desperate need of an extreme fashion makeover? And please don’t e-mail me about Michael Jordan. Yes, he could take some wardrobe lessons from Pat Riley, but M.J is still the greatest basketball player who ever ever played the game. But alas, that’s the topic for a later blog!
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