Fan Travels Thousands Of Miles To See Steelers
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Pittsburgh is the heart of the Steelers Nation, but that nation is expanding into South America.
For now, soccer is still king in Brazil, but there's one native of the country who flew thousands of miles into Pittsburgh for the game.
While his family may look like an average Pittsburghers, you won't find them next door - unless you travel to Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Tadeo Carneiro traded the 90 degree warmth of his South American country for the single digit temperatures in Pittsburgh; all to see his beloved Steelers play in the AFC Championship.
"I called this. I said the Jets are going to beat the Patriots, and this thing is going to be in Pittsburgh, the finals, and we are going to go," said Carneiro.
His love for the Pittsburgh Steelers started back in the '90s, when he first moved to Pittsburgh.
"When I moved to live in Pittsburgh, I learned very early that if I didn't know anything about football, I would be left out of every conversation," Carneiro said.
He learned all the fine points of the game and can debate offensive and defensive strategies with the best of fans. Now, thanks to technology, his family is hooked on the Steelers.
"Every Sunday, we get the computer connected to the TV, and we watch the games, every single game," said Henrique Carneiro, Tadeo's son. "We don't miss it for anything."
"I like Troy Polamalu," added Sabrina Carneiro, Tadeo's daughter. "I just really think his hair is awesome."
Carneiro says his favorite is No. 92, James Harrison.
"He never quits. He's always getting it done, it's that determination, and that power," he said.
Meanwhile, Carneiro says American football is slowly catching on in Brazil; in fact, he's becoming a football ambassador with a Steelers slant.
"At my work, lots of people now follow the Steelers," he said. "I've influenced lots of people; they're going to be watching today in Brazil."
Carneiro says he also plans to go to the Super Bowl if the Steelers win, and, of course, we all hope he gets to make that trip to Dallas.
