The Spirit of Shalieve
The origin and meaning of Shalieve
Ryan Shazier is no stranger to injuries. Yet he comes back from them more fit, more determined, and an even better player. He’s also a guy who knows the importance of maintaining lifelong friendships. His best friend from high school, Jerome Howard, is also his trainer.
On a trip to the airport before the 2016 season, Shazier, Howard, and Shazier’s wife Michelle were talking about Ryan’s upcoming goals for the football season with the Pittsburgh Steelers
“It was the year before my first Pro Bowl,” says Shazier, “and I told Jerome, ‘Yeah, I wanna make Pro Bowl—I want people to believe—like SHA-lieve in me!”
Michelle takes over, “We all started laughing, and I remember saying, ‘That sounds so cool and so different and so YOU!”
Shalieve became a locker room mantra, a “Steelers shout.”
Shazier crushed his goals, and was selected to the 2016 Pro Bowl.
During the 2017 season, Shazier suffered a spinal cord injury, and #Shalieve became a trending hashtag on Twitter, a sign of support on hats and other merchandise in the Pittsburgh area, and a way to show love and support to Shazier, who was again “Shalieving” in himself through his SCI recovery.
A fun, fabricated word between lifelong friends became the declaration for hope.
So what does Shalieve mean?
It means believing in yourself, even when others harbor doubt.
It means setting, and then crushing your goals.
It means keeping your inner circle close, because they believe—Shalieve—in you.
And it means spreading the spirit of Shalieve to the people you meet.
The Spirit of Shalieve is infectious.
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