The Steelers were founded by Art Rooney, Sr. in 1933. Art was a horse handicapper, and invested $2,500 to purchase the team. He had made a trip up to Saratoga, and won a series of long shot bets, took that money and made the Pittsburgh Steelers.
https://books.google.com/books?id=yQ1FWZ03ncsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=beyond+the+scoreboard&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiP3dr9mLDOAhUDQiYKHQqGAdwQ6AEIJjAB#v=onepage&q=beyond%20the%20scoreboard&f=false
Pittsburgh Gazette
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/96452463/
Art, four years later, in 1937, came back to Saratoga, and won somewhere around a quarter of a million dollars, and invested more into the ball club. Art, and Giants owner Tim Mara, were avid bookies and gamblers of that era. Eventually, the NFL made them choose one or the other, the Mara family and the Rooney family chose football. The Rooney's own Yonkers Raceway, and the Mara's still have horses that race.
Saratoga Springs is home to the National Museum of Dance. I guess it's ballet, because I didn't see any mosh pit relics or articles of twerking, but all kinds of ballet stuff. They currently have a theme of Sports and Athletics on display.
Ballet is used often by athletics of all sorts. It seems to mix with everything from fencing, to hockey and football. One of my favorite Steelers to ever play the game, Lynn Swann, has a bunch of stuff on display in the museum, for the current theme. He used ballet to train his feet, and was known for the "circus catch."
I stopped in and payed tribute to my favorite player of all time, Lynn Swann.
My first impression of the Steelers and Lynn Swann, was a Super Bowl, the Steelers won, I have been a fan ever since. My older brother was a Cowboys fan, so, I had to root the 'other' team, and I still do!
Here's a football from one of the 3 Super Bowls between the Steelers and Cowboys, signed by Lynn Swann.
Yeah, I have all his rookie cards, here's his locker room nameplate.
Here's to the Steelers, and Saratoga!
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