by Jared Garrett

Created on: January 02, 2009   Last Updated: July 29, 2010

The Chinese Women's Gymnastics team. The 2007-2008 Boston Celtics. The Patriots. The Giants.

Was one of these teams the best sports team of 2008? Or is the holder of this honor an obscure cricket team out of India? Perhaps the best sports team of 2008 was the newest basketball dream team at the Beijing Olympics.

Sorry! The honor of best sports team of 2008 belongs to two teams, for two somewhat similiar reasons. These reasons have much to do with character.

We'll start with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yes, that's right: the Pittsburgh Steelers. For this team, character starts at the top with the Rooney family. From the franchise's inception in 1933, the Rooneys have owned the Steelers and have made a point of encouraging forthrightness and loyalty in their organization.

Consider: from 1933 to 1968, a period of 64 years, the Steelers went through coaches much like any other team. Meaning that they had a new coach every 1-3 years. This was because things were still not fully settled in the leagues. However, from 1969 to 1991, the Steelers had one coach: Chuck Noll. That's right, one coach for nearly 23 years. While this is not the longest tenure for a pro football coach, it's way up there. This is loyalty.

What's more, the Steelers had Bill Cowher, their next coach, for fourteen years. More loyalty.

This is what has made the Steelers of 2008 one of the best sports teams of the year. They show their loyalty to each other by playing their best each day; leaving it all out on the field after each battle. With a defense that was ranked #1 all around, this team enjoys the benefits of athleticism, fire and passion, and a devotion to each other's success. Just think. Troy Polamalu and James Harrison shine because they are able to make incredible plays on defense, terrifying offenses the country over. They do this not to be superstars, but to win for their team.

Character has made this team win when they shouldn't, grinding out points at sometimes the last second. With a far too weak offensive line. Ben Roethlisberger has been hurried, dropped and sacked very nearly more than any other QB in the league. You'd think that with these problems, they wouldn't be contenders.

But they are. They still fight, despite the weakness of the O-line. The defense shuts down the other team and the offense fights and grinds on the other teams defense until the D breaks down and the Steelers capitalize. Yes, ball control and execution still need improvement, but the Steelers have shown their

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