Oakland riot impressive, but these could top Sunday

Riot (n) – a wild or turbulent disturbance created by a large number of people.

A large… Riot (n) – a wild or turbulent disturbance created by a large number of people.

A large number of people would be a massive understatement when one considers the amount of students/Steeler maniacs that flooded down Forbes Avenue as far as the eye could see from the Cathedral onward.

And I do believe that at least two overturned cars, people hanging from street signs, people ripping out street signs, kicked over garbage cans, ripped down storefront canopies and burning miscellaneous materials in the middle of the street qualify as “a wild or turbulent disturbance.”

The Steelers’ Super Bowl victory last Sunday marked an important day, or night, in all of our lives. I know that for me the ensuing chaos following the franchise’s fifth such title was unlike anything I had ever seen before in my life, which got me thinking: Would this display of mayhem represent the epitome of all sports-related violence?

Could there possibly be other victories involving other teams that would ignite a fire greater than what we all witnessed when the pride of Pittsburgh brought home its first championship in 26 years?

These just might.

A Cleveland Browns Super Bowl victory – Although it may never happen in our lifetime, it’s hard to tell whether a Browns victory in the Super Bowl would be more combustible than a Browns victory over the Steelers in the AFC Championship. Either way, the infamous “Dawg Pound” would lead the fans that threw alarm clocks at referees in trashing the “mistake by the lake.” It would be enough to make all the actions of those enshrined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame combined look tame.

A Chicago Cubs World Series victory – Think the Boston Red Sox’s 86-year world championship drought was long? The Cubbies are approaching their centennial, as the last time they brought home the World Series trophy was in 1908. Let’s put this in perspective: This was back when the team played at West Side Grounds, before Wrigley Field was even built.

It doesn’t help that their South Side counterparts, the Chicago White Sox, a team that previously had tried to throw the World Series, won it this year. Who knows what would happen on the corner of Clark and Addison if the Cubs won the World Series title.

A Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl victory – Four straight years in the NFC Championship; one disappointing late-game Super Bowl drive; a cocky, waste-of-talent, team-destroying wide receiver contract controversy and a losing season later, Philly would erupt should Donovan McNabb lead the Birds down the field in the game’s closing minutes and seal a championship victory with a touchdown pass to a wideout that doesn’t go by his initials.

A Penn State National Championship – in football, of course. Although Joe Paterno might not be able to take the excitement, Happy Valley would turn mean in an instant should the Nittany Lions capture their first “real” national title since the 1980s. Since there’s not that much else to do in the middle of nowhere, State College would find its streets ablaze and local farmers would awaken to find many of their cows viciously tipped.

A Pitt National Championship – either football or basketball. Pitt hasn’t tasted a national title in football since 1976 and in basketball since 1930. Although many have noted the lack of fan support for the Panthers in Pittsburgh as a metropolitan area because of the professional sports atmosphere, from a strictly Oakland standpoint, it might be rowdier than Sunday. Think about it – only about half of the people on Forbes Avenue and around the Cathedral were legitimate, die-hard Steelers fans. I’d like to think everyone that is involved with the University of Pittsburgh is a Pitt fan.

A West Virginia win – in anything. Should be self-explanatory.

Pat Mitsch is a staff writer for the Pitt News. He does not condone rioting. E-mail him at prm17@pitt.edu.