Yesterday, hometown fans sent the Pittsburgh Steelers off in style with a raucous rally at Heinz Field.  An estimated 18,000 card-carrying members of Steeler Nation braved weather colder than your mother-in-law’s stare for one last opportunity to support their Black and Gold clad heroes before they head off for godforsaken (but seasonably warm) Dallas.  I tend to be a bit jaded when it comes to pro athletes, particularly football players and their massive egos, but the fact almost half the team (twenty-seven players) showed up for the festivities really speaks to the connection many of them share with this city.

Among the highlights were Brett Keisel, owner of the greatest playoff beard ever, singing the “Here We Go” fight song.  James Harrison acting typically badass before beat-boxing (?!) while Rashard Mendenhall busted a move.  The crowd going absolutely ballistic when “Renegade” played on the scoreboard.  And, of course, a chorus of boos greeting obnoxious mayor Luke Raven, er “Steelerstahl,” who didn’t reveal whether he would be attending the Super Bowl on the city’s dime like he did the Stanley Cup finals.

This display of Steeler Pride has inspired me to run one final contest before the big game next Sunday.  Awhile back, I was contacted by a company called Coveroo.  They sent me a snazzy Troy Polamalu emblazoned cover for my iPad which was the envy of all my co-workers.  Well, now it’s your chance to win some free Steeler swag of your own.

Coveroo creates custom phone covers, cases, battery doors, face plates and back plates for iPhones, iPads, BlackBerries, and dozens of other phones and portable electronic devices.  It’s not a skin.  It’s not a decal.  It’s not a cheap sticker.  It’s an actual casing that replaces your existing casing with one bearing a design of your own choosing.  You don’t need to send your phone, iPad, or iPod to Coveroo, just replace your existing case with the one they send you.

Coveroo holds cover-art licenses for many bands/musical artists, TV shows, and movies.  There are over 5,000 designs in their catalog, from university and corporate logos to cartoon characters and tattoo designs.  People can also upload any original artwork or designs they want, such as their child’s artwork or a favorite photo.  All you do is visit their website by clicking on or going to  Coveroo.com, choose the cover or case  you prefer, and they’ll ship it within 48 hours.

Best of all,  Coveroo holds an exclusive license for the Pittsburgh Steelers!  If you want your cell phone, iPod, or iPad pimped out in Black and Gold, this is your golden opportunity (check out the designs by clicking here).  You can also choose from any of their other designs (such as Pitt or the Pirates) but I’m going to assume people want use their electronic gadgets in public.

Usually when I run a contest, I tie it in with an upcoming game.  Unfortunately, there are no football games this weekend except the Pro Bowl, which can only loosely be defined as football.  I don’t want to tie it in with the Super Bowl because let’s face it, there’s already enough on the line as it is.  So I’m going to do something different, something inspired by last night’s rally at Heinz Field.

I want to see your Steeler Pride.  Other websites have had readers send in pictures of themselves waving Terrible Towels at the top of the Eiffel Tower or some such.  Therefore, I’m giving you the chance to represent Steeler Nation.  I want to know the person winning the contest is a diehard member.  That’s not unreasonable, is it?

Simply post a photo showing off your Steeler Pride.  It can be anything from a shot of your black truck with the logo painted on the hood to you dressed up as Troy for Halloween to your dog wearing a Terrible Towel themed ran slicker.  It can even be something as simple as you wearing the jersey of your favorite player (bonus points for females wearing actual authentic jerseys instead of those disgusting pink abominations).  I don’t care what you share as long is it shows you’re a member of the Nation.

Here’s the best part, I have three free Coveroos to giveaway.  THREE.  Since I want all entrants to have a fair chance, I’m going to put everybody who submits a photo’s name in a hat and then pick three winners.  HOWEVER, to reward creativity, people who submit a particularly unique or clever (or out and out crazy Steeler obsessed) photo will get multiple names put in the hat.

In other words, if you submitted a picture of your dog looking like this:

It’s one picture but instead of your name going into the hat once, you’d get three pieces of paper with your name in the hat because you’re awesome.  Note:  that was a professionally done grooming job.  Please don’t dye your dog yourself.  Noting pisses me off more than animal cruelty.  Also note:  I’ve seen plenty of fan-photos from the various Pittsburgh related websites on the web.  If you a steal a photo, I will call you on it.  Don’t be a dick.

Contest will run until Friday so you have plenty of time to get your photos in.  My blog doesn’t support images in the comments so you’ll have to just post the link.  If you’re shy or don’t have any way to get it uploaded, you can email it to me directly by using this email address (clickable):  nicepickchris@gmail.com

Good Luck.   And Go Steelers!