When it comes to the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers are my team. I've been a fan of this organization for over a decade now. Before I explain what makes Steeler Nation so unique, I think it's important to know how I became a Steelers fan in the first place, especially growing up in New Jersey.

My father and older brother are huge New York Giants fans, which makes sense because it's technically the closest professional NFL team. I'd argue the vast majority of sports fans root for the teams they grew up watching on TV and that are locally covered.

Now I can't lie up until I was about 7 years old, I rooted for the same team that my family and ultimate role models rooted for. However, I found myself in a state of shock after my favorite New York Giant, running back Tiki Barber, retired in 2006. He was everything a little kid liked, he was the star of most games, freakishly athletic, and he had the coolest name in the business.

But alas, all good things come to an end, and I spent the next two seasons in NFL limbo, while the Giants lost their luster…although it was incredible to witness the 2008 NFL Super Bowl championship where the Giants ruined the New England Patriots perfect season.

Now by 9 years old, I had the knowledge to infer that I could switch teams on two conditions. One, I stuck with this team for life as no one likes a bandwagoner (and I was still young enough to change over my football loyalty in my opinion). Secondly, I'd have to accept the fact that I would be disappointing my brother and father, basically becoming my family's first sports 'black sheep'.

Those were risks I was willing to take as soon as I saw the Steelers play during a primetime football game on "ESPN". It was a combination of seeing quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throw lineman off him and a steel curtain defense that hit harder than any group I had ever seen. But the most important factor of all to a 9-year-old boy…their super slick black and yellow color scheme that glistened under the Sunday night and Monday night lights. That was it, I found my team!

And as if out of a Fairy Tale, the 2008-09 Pittsburgh Steelers won the Super Bowl, defeating the Arizona Cardinals in a last-minute thriller by a final score of 27-23. The first year I choose my own team…and they were on top of the world. James Harrison's halftime pick-six and Santonio Holmes's corner of the end zone catch run on endless loops in my mind. Super Bowl XLIII was the happiest moment of my sports fan career.

After that historic sixth championship, the Steelers haven't had another Super Bowl winning season, but have always provided successful campaigns year after year under head coach Mike Tomlin's leadership. They are that perennial above .500 team which is so hard to maintain.

Now let's talk about what it's like to be a part of the black and gold family. I don't have the rich family history that some die-hard Steelers fans do, but that doesn't mean I'm outcasted, in fact, it's just the opposite.

Pittsburgh Steelers fans are easily the most well-traveled and friendly fans in my opinion. A prime example is when I wore a Steelers jersey to an Arizona Diamondbacks game just last season. During that game, while walking around the concourse of Chase Field, I had 6 other Steelers fans come up and high five me or shout "Lets Go Steelers!". This is in a state where their hometown team was heartbroken by the Steelers in 2009! This is why no matter where I travel, I always pack a Steelers jersey, for potential hospitality and fanbase bonding beyond belief.

Next is the ownership of the "Terrible Towel", arguably the most iconic sports team prop or symbol in all the United States. It's required. You know when you're at Heinz Field or attending a game in which the Steelers are playing when you see a sea of yellow towels flailing in the air as a rally cry. From cheering, to crying, to eating wings, the Terrible Towel better be at your side…at all times!

Finally, you have to learn to hate the Baltimore Ravens. It's a rivalry as rich in history as it is close games and overpowered tackles. If you like passion and peak competitive natures in athletes, be sure to watch this matchup when it happens two times a season.

I think recently Steelers fans have received way less flak from the NFL community over their six championships thanks to the New England Patriots taking on the league's villain role very quickly over the past decade. That one's just an added bonus.

What's it like being a Steelers fan? It's like having a second home. No matter what the future holds, I bleed black and gold.