"I will be happy to see Pittsburgh fans:" Despite Pittsburgh roots, one native trades Steelers for Bills
BUFFALO (KDKA) - In the office, in the grocery store, virtually everywhere, fans are getting revved up for Sunday's game in Buffalo.
That's just how it's going here - so imagine what it must be like to be a Pittsburgh native living in the Buffalo area this week.
We found one and we have her story.
Her name is Jackie Silver, a North Allegheny graduate, who has for the past 12 years been a practicing attorney in Buffalo.
As rabid as Steelers fans are at Acrisure Stadium, Bills fans have weathered it all in Highmark Stadium, and Silver has been in the middle of it all.
However, during our interview, she was wearing a Bills shirt.
"So, I love the Steelers," she began. "But I have actually switched my loyalty to the Bills in recent years since Big Ben retired. It's really hard to live in Buffalo and not root for the Bills and be part of the excitement and energy behind every game."
She said it's not unusual to see Steelers logos and flags around Buffalo and for 10 years she held out.
"As we were playing the Bills, it was rough, very rough," she said...but then she went to the dark side. "I did, I did go to the dark side, but I'm all-in on the Bills now."
Now, Steelers fans know, it's a family affair. If you're born in Pittsburgh, chances are you're also born into Steelers fandom.
"[Mom's] a little upset that I've switched teams," Silver said. "I have an aunt still in Pittsburgh and two of my cousins, they've been giving me a little bit of a rough time this week."
It's not limited to just family, she's catching it from friends now, too.
"You know, I will own that - I can take it," she said.
Come Sunday, Silver will be inside Highmark Stadium wearing the red, white, and blue, but she expects to see yellow, the yellow of the Terrible Towels, when she gets there.
"I secretly want to put one in my jacket and bring it but I will be happy to see Pittsburgh fans, I always am," she said.
She also told me that 29 degrees and windy on Sunday isn't "Bills weather" enough, she's hoping for a snow game.
Sure, you can take the fan out of Pittsburgh but you can't really take the black and gold out of the blood - she said if the Steelers win, she won't be terribly upset.
