The two major cities on the opposite ends of Pennsylvania are also on the opposite end of the sports spectrum.

On one side is Philadelphia, which is on top of the world with the Phillies in the World Series, the Eagles sitting as the NFL’s only unbeaten team, the Flyers off to a better-than-expected start, and the 76ers still an NBA title contender. 

On the other side is Pittsburgh, where absolutely nothing is going right. It’s so bad that if you asked, “Are the Pirates the best team in the city?,” you might be able to piece together an argument for it. 

It’s so bad right that even the Penguins, the one team in the city that has been remarkably consistent over the past two decades, are struggling. They are on a six-game losing streak that has seen them blow back-to-back, multiple-goal leads in the third period.

On Tuesday, they turned a 5-3 third-period lead against Boston into a 6-5 overtime loss, then followed that up 24 hours later by turning a 3-1 lead in Buffalo into a 6-3 loss in which they allowed five consecutive goals. 

This start comes after four consecutive first-round exits in the playoffs, including last year’s, in which they allowed a 3-1 series lead to slip away. There is still plenty of time for their season to turn around. And given the talent they still have, they probably will. 

Then there are the Steelers, who seem to be on track to have their worst season in decades, potentially handing head coach Mike Tomlin his first losing season in the NFL. 

After Sunday’s ugly 35-13 loss to the Eagles, the Steelers find themselves with a 2-6 record. They are last in the AFC North. Pittsburgh has the league’s worst offense, led by a rookie quarterback in Kenny Pickett, who is going through early career growing pains behind a bad offensive line in a broken system.

The Steelers have seemingly already thrown in the towel by trading one of their starting wide receivers, Chase Claypool, to the Bears for a second-round draft pick. 

The struggles actually go back even further than this season. Since starting the 2020 season with an 11-0 record, the Steelers are 12-19-1. 

The Pirates, meanwhile, are coming off their second consecutive 100-loss season and have little hope because of a lack of financial commitment by ownership.

Even the college scene is bad.

After a 10-win season and ACC championship a year ago, Pitt football entered the 2022 season with huge expectations. But after losing Pickett to the NFL and star wide receiver Jordan Addison to the transfer portal, the Panthers have been a massive disappointment. They are 4-4 and out of the ACC race.

The Pitt basketball team, once a national power, has failed to reach the NCAA Tournament in each of the past six seasons and is projected to be one of the worst teams in the ACC. 

It has been a long year for black and gold sports fans, and it does not seem close to getting better.