Throughout my high school career, my favorite professional Pittsburgh sports teams – the Pirates and the Steelers – have not only taught me many valuable lessons in life, but have shown me some great moments as well.

The key lesson that these teams have taught me is to stay patient. Whether it is the quarterback situation for the Steelers, or the lack of talent from the Pittsburgh Pirates, I have learned that things will take time in order for them to be great.

This is something that I have heard from many family members and teachers throughout my entire life, but I never really understood what it meant until I fully started following the Steelers and the Pirates.

One thing I know for certain – for the Steelers at least – is that they will succeed again at some point. The Steelers were seen as one of the most dominant teams in the NFL in the early 2000s, and every NFL team has had their down years.

But the thing about the Steelers is that their down years still result in playoff hopes by the end of the season, no matter how they started or how hard their schedule is. So as a member of the Steelers fan base, we must be patient.

Both teams also have shown me some great moments during my high school career.

For the Pirates, my favorite memory from the past four years is Paul Skenes being drafted first overall. This moment brought excitement to all Pirates fans and me, especially because he was brought up early in his first season.

As for the Steelers, seeing quarterback Ben Roethlisberger play and win his final game against the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field (now Acrisure Stadium) was definitely an enjoyable moment, but also a sad one too.

Not one thought came into my mind that after Roethlisberger, we would have one of the worst quarterback situations in the NFL.

But no matter what happens with both teams, I will always stay in support for the rest of my life, and I will use the patience that these teams have taught me at a younger age to do so.