The boys are back in town.
On Wednesday, Saint Vincent College in Unity became the center of the Pittsburgh Steelers universe as players arrived on the scene for their annual training camp.
This is where the players begin the process of becoming a team.
Sure, they all have numbers and jerseys and contracts — even T.J. Watt, who just slid that three-year, $123 million extension deal in under the wire. But training camp is where everyone learns to work together.
It’s where veterans like Watt and Cam Heyward find out how they jell in the locker room and on the field with newcomers like the seven guys in the 2025 draft class. It’s where they figure out how to piece much ballyhooed marquee player Aaron Rodgers into the mix for what is likely his last season — while still helping his three backup quarterbacks grow.
It’s a process of taking disparate interests and goals and fitting them together for the good of everyone: players, coaches, front office, fans and all the businesses that depend on the Steelers.
It is possibly the only place where politics might not matter. Making the team work depends on every player doing his job. When one person starts to place self-interest ahead of the team’s goal, that’s when things fall apart. We know this from experience, from seeing so many talented superstars flame out in an excess of attention and attitude.
This is where sports can be a life lesson for other arenas.
Business thrives when it recognizes no one gets on the scoreboard alone. Education improves when there is a realization that well-prepared students come from every discipline.
Government could improve by accepting that it also is a team sport. Like the Steelers at training camp are split along offense and defense, it is divided by Republicans and Democrats. But, in the end, they are all on the same team.
Whether in Harrisburg or Washington, elected officials need to stop preening for cameras and credit. They are there to move the ball down the field for their constituents — all of their constituents.
So take a page from training camp. Find a way to work together. Team up — or like a player who just can’t find his fit, you might not make the roster next time.
