Something occurs just about every summer that pumps me up for the start of the upcoming Steelers and NFL seasons.

I first noticed this phenomenon in 1984. I was 12 and watching the Pirates take on the Braves at Atlanta in the heat of some hot night. During the game, a Pirates or Braves player attempted to catch a foul ball near the stands and either snagged it or didn’t (it was 40 years ago, man). Right after the play, one of the television announcers said, “He failed to get both feet down as he went out of bounds.” This immediately gave me the warm and fuzzies in my stomach. Why? Football was right around the corner, baby! I wasn’t expecting to suddenly be excited about football in the middle of the summer, but it happened. To reiterate: It usually does this time of year. Much like Dr. David Banner in The Incredible Hulk TV series, I never know what will trigger this excitement for the impending gridiron action. It could be anything, from the smell of freshly cut grass to the sight of an empty high school football field on a hot July afternoon. I’m usually minding my own business when this transformation does occur. Take last year, for example: I was watching an episode of former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s Footbahlin podcast when I noticed Ben was wearing a CFL t-shirt.

Next thing I knew, I was on YouTube looking for footage of the Canadian Football League, a form of pigskin action I hadn’t watched for years but consumed all the time as a child.

That’s all it took in 2023.

That brings me to my 2024 football trigger.

I was in my work vehicle on Tuesday afternoon and listening to Mark Madden’s radio show. Madden was broadcasting from Dino’s in Latrobe, Pa., just minutes from Saint Vincent College, the site of Steelers training camp. Anyway, Madden was talking about the 2024 Summer Olympics currently taking place in Paris, France; he was discussing the U.S. Women’s Rugby squad and was very impressed with one player in particular–it may have been captain Naya Tapper, a wing, or Ilona Maher, a center/prop. He mentioned her badassery and how she could probably stiff-arm T.J. Watt into submission…especially during a playoff game. The “especially during a playoff game” tag had me rolling in my car. I couldn’t stop laughing because I knew other people listening were likely outraged and said things like, “Shut up, fat boy!”

Steelers postseason futility humor, ar ar.

But that’s not what triggered my latest football warm and fuzzies. No, that occurred a little later when I witnessed how the United States Women’s Team defeated Australia to capture the bronze medal (the first-ever medal for the U.S. Women’s Olympic Rugby Team). I don’t understand the rules of rugby all that well, but I do know that the Australians won the gold in 2016 and were heavily favored to do it again this year. And if not them, then their top rivals, New Zealand.

However, Australia was upset by Canada in the previous round and viewed its match against the United States as a nice little way to “get right” and take home the bronze.

But the Australian women only brought a blade to the match, while the Americans came with a knife.

The Americans brandished theirs at the end when they trailed by a score of 12-7 with precious seconds remaining. Alex “Spiff” Sedrick, a center, gained possession near her own goal line–I guess it’s a goal line–and faced about 90 yards–I’m not sure if they call them yards in rugby–and the entire Australian team. Up against seemingly insurmountable odds, Sedrick steamrolled one Australian player and was off to the races. She quickly turned on the jets, as the Aussie girls looked like those pathetic Jets players trying to chase down Eric Dickerson way back in 1983. The announcer said, “She’s at the 50, the 40,” it was like Invincible but in an Australian accent (though, it may have been English, actually).

It was the most badass sports moment I’ve witnessed in a long time, and just like that, I was pumped for football, baby!

I can feel football in my bones. It’s almost here. The Steelers’ first pretend game is just days away. Their first real game is about five weeks from now.

Thank you, Alex “Spiff” Sedrick, and thank you to the U.S. Women’s Rugby Team for bringing home its first-ever Olympic medal.

PS,

Do us Steelers fans a favor and stay away from them if they make the playoffs.

They have enough problems winning in the postseason as it is.