When you think of Pittsburgh, you think of a hard-nosed, blue-collar city that has been through the wringer. But beyond the character of its people, you have to think of sports.
Nicknamed the “City of Champions,” Pittsburgh is home to some of the most passionate sports fanatics the country has to offer. When the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates are doing well, there’s a buzz like no other. When they’re not doing so well, there’s an overarching sense of the feeling that those teams aren’t living up to the standard of Pittsburgh sports.
One team in the Steel City is setting a new standard, though.
The Pittsburgh Passion women’s football team has quickly become a poster child for its sport. If you need evidence, check the fact that they took home the IWFL championship last season and are in a position to do the same this year as the team prepares to battle in Altoona tonight at 7 p.m. in the semifinals of the IWFL playoffs.
For these women, they play the sport for the purity of it. They love the hard hits, the turf burn, the touchdowns. But more importantly they love being role models and reaching new plateaus for their city.
“The game of football is a sport like no other,” said Sharon Vasquez, a safety and wide receiver with the Passion. “As female athletes we get a chance to play on a high level and represent all the little girls who always dreamed of playing.
“We get a chance to play for our city,” she continued. “To wear black and gold and a chance to be part of history.”
Pittsburgh is a city that has such a rich history in sports. That history, too, is embedded deep into the colors of black and gold, the main colors on the city’s flag. While it’s not uncommon in sports, Pittsburgh is one of a handful of cities that use the colors for each of it’s professional sports teams.
Passion players say that has helped band the city together throughout the years. 
“To wear black and gold in Pittsburgh sets you and your team at a higher level,” said Michelle Peters, a free safety on the team. “Pittsburgh fans are the greatest, and they love their football. So we are honored to wear the colors and strive to do our part to fulfill the City of Champions label our city has been given.”
The colors represent the history and the standard that is so evident throughout the state and nation. When someone wears black and gold, they’ve armed themselves for battle with an entire culture behind them.
“Black and gold equals hard work, pride and a standard,” Passion running back Ciara Chic Kimbrough said. “We don’t just play for our team. We play for a city and for women.”
With the United State’s women’s soccer team bringing home FIFA World Cup gold last week, the talk of women’s sports has been a top discussion among media outlets and social media.
For the women of the Passion, they feel they’re out to fight for the same mission and hope to help women keep advancing in the world of sports.
“I see these ladies as pioneers in the advancement of women’s sports around the world,” Peters said.
When the women take the field tonight in Altoona with the hopes of keeping the Pittsburgh tradition alive, they’ll be playing with an entire city behind them in that mission.
“The City of Champions,” Vasquez said. “This brings chills just knowing what it means to be part of the City of Champions.”
Photo Credit: Pittsburgh Passion
