I promise not to mention ‘Rocky.’ Pittsburgh is a good, nay, great sports town. The Pirates… I promise not to mention ‘Rocky.’ Pittsburgh is a good, nay, great sports town. The Pirates have a proud history, the Steelers are a perennial powerhouse, and the Penguins’ presence proves what power a city can have if it stands up against the money-hungry suits of sportsdom. But calling Pittsburgh a better sports town than Philadelphia? That’s cute.’ ‘ ‘ You can remind me a million times if you’d like: The Eagles have never won a Superbowl. I get it. What Philadelphians understand, however, is that sports is about more than just the endgame. Sure, championships are nice ‘mdash; and Philly has way more than Pittsburgh, by the way ‘mdash; but it’s Philly’s fighting spirit that separates the City of Brotherly Love from the City of Bridges. Despite the fact that last year’s report in ‘The Sporting News’ ranked Philadelphia in the top 10 sports cities in the country, 12 spots ahead of Pittsburgh, let us withhold from making our own judgment until all of the evidence is presented. Exhibit A: Basketball Philadelphia hosts six Division I college basketball teams, but five ‘mdash; the St Joseph’s Hawks, Temple Owls, Villanova Wildcats, Penn Quakers and La Salle Explorers ‘mdash; make up the most historic group of teams in the sport’s history. The Big Five boasts 59 conference titles, 11 Final Four appearances and four National Championships. While Pitt’s 1941 Final Four appearance and two pre-tournament NCAA titles are just adorable, the numbers are pathetic compared to Philadelphia. But again, it’s about more than just the titles. The Palestra, Penn’s basketball arena, is ground zero for contests between any competing Big Five rivals. There’s no environment in the world ‘mdash; let alone, in Pittsburgh ‘mdash; that compares to 4,000 Villanova fans and 4,000 St. Joe’s fans dividing the gymnasium right down the middle during their annual ‘Holy War.’ The Cathedral of College basketball, as some call it, also hosts six museum exhibits dedicated to the history of the sport. The history and character of Philly sports exhibited in this stadium alone ‘mdash; which has hosted the most NCAA men’s basketball games and the most NCAA Tournament games than any other arena in the country ‘mdash; makes anything Pittsburgh has to offer look junior varsity in comparison. Speaking of basketball, the 76ers’ three championships and 11 division titles ‘mdash; in addition to playing host to the careers of Hall of Famers like Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving and Charles Barkley ‘mdash; remind us that the mere presence of a professional basketball team puts Philly sports on a totally different level. Exhibit B: Hockey In a 2005 report, ‘The Sporting News’ named Philadelphia the nation’s best hockey town. That shouldn’t have surprised anyone. While the Penguins and Flyers tie with two Stanley Cups each, the Flyers double both the Penguins’ division and conference championships. But in Philadelphia, it’s about more than just the titles. In Pittsburgh, the Pens have faced a few instances of almost being forced out of town. In Philly, we embrace hockey as the lifeblood of our city. During the NHL lockout, Philadelphians turned to their minor-league hockey team ‘mdash; yet another institution I can’t seem to find anywhere within Pittsburgh city limits ‘mdash; to get their fix of competition on the rocks. The Phantom’s response? A championship season, during which Philadelphia set an AHL single-game playoff record of 20,103 fans in attendance. The Philadelphia Phantoms weren’t playing for a Stanley Cup. And in a way, they weren’t even playing for the Calder Cup they won. They were playing for a city. Exhibit C: Everything else The Steelers have five championships, the Eagles have three (1948, ’49 and ’60. Look it up.). Good for the Steelers. But Philadelphia offers an entire world of sports ‘mdash; and from those sports, champions ‘mdash; that Pittsburgh, for the most part, neglects. Philly stallions such as Smarty Jones, Barbaro and Afleet Alex would leave anything Pittsburgh has to offer in the dust, and the ‘Burgh just can’t trade punches with Philly boxers like Joe Frazier, Joey Giardello and Bernard Hopkins. Speaking of boxers from Philly, I know I promised not to mention ‘Rocky,’ but I lied. There’s something about ‘Rocky’ that many Pittsburghers seem to be especially disgusted with. Perhaps they’re just sick of all the references, perhaps they’re jealous that it’s better than any sports movie filmed in their hometown. But whatever the reason, Pittsburghers, please understand that Philadelphians don’t love ‘Rocky’ because it takes place in Philadelphia. Philadelphians love ‘Rocky’ because it embodies the never-give-up spirit that represents not only Philadelphia, but America. So for all of you Pittsburghers out there who brandish your ‘one for the thumb,’ maybe you’ll just never get it. But, hopefully, you too can one day see just how American it is to smile ‘mdash; instead of roll your eyes ‘mdash; when you watch Rocky recite, ‘Maybe I can’t win. Maybe the only thing I can do is just take everything he’s got. But to beat me, he’s going to have to kill me.’ Philly’s heart lies not within the trophies of its athletes, and Philly’s passion cannot be found within the pages of the record books. The wins and losses will come with any sport, but in Philadelphia, that’s all part of the fun.