Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Steelers Diaspora: North Carolina

I doubt Steeler fans living in the Pittsburgh region travel as well as Steelers fans who reside beyond the pale:

Sometimes they even travel to catch the Steelers live. But Bob Mack said he hasn't been that tempted to travel to the Super Bowl. "I've heard that it's actually not as exciting. A lot of people aren't there for the football," he said.

But he has traveled to see the Steelers play in Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Miami, Cleveland, Baltimore and other cities. "I keep saying I want to visit every NFL stadium. But then they keep building new ones," he said.

The Macks have two sons, Bobby, 24, and Eric, 22. A lot of people know them from when they ran cross country at North Forsyth High School. Both are now at N.C. State University. Bobby's finishing up a graduate degree and Eric is a senior. "They probably won't come home (for the Super Bowl) because there's a big Steelers contingent in Raleigh," Mack said. "They have their own Steelers ritual at their house."

Robyn and Bob Mack moved to Winston-Salem soon after college. Bob Mack had passed through the area many times during childhood trips to the beach and loved the idea of living in a warmer climate.

"My brothers (Doug and Steve) soon followed," he said. "And my mother (Dolores) lives here now, too."

The Mack family relocation is a great example of network migration. The most adventurous Pittsburghers serve as pioneers (e.g. Bob Mack), but even that path tends to end in a familiar place (e.g. family vacation). I think the second generation expatriates would make a good target for Pittsburgh employers desperately seeking talent.

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