Mt. Lebanon senior Ronan Young has loved Pittsburgh sports since he was a kid. On Dec. 13, 2022, Young launched his Instagram account, @steel_city_recaps, a page that posts daily Pittsburgh sports and city updates. Three and a half years later, the account has grown to 33,400 followers followers and changed Young’s life forever.
During his freshman year of high school, Young enrolled in a construction course at Parkway West after encouragement from his dad. After realizing the class was not the right fit for him, he decided to pursue something more aligned with his interests, ultimately leading him to start his Instagram account.
“The process of starting my account was really just clicking a couple of buttons and going,” Young said. “The hard work comes whenever you’re putting yourself out there.”
Once Young launched the account, he recalled facing initial backlash. However, by taking things day by day and focusing on his long-term goals, he stayed motivated, allowing not only the account to grow, but himself as well.
“Honestly, [the hate] is more funny to me than anything,” Young said. “I think I initially struggled with it, but it was also the fuel to the fire. I had gone through hating [trade school] so much that I began to love something that even had its negative parts. The criticism is always gonna come, but you’re never gonna get criticism from anyone that’s doing more than you.”
Young said people now regularly approach him and ask for photos when he attends events such as Steelers training camp.
“One time, this little girl came up to me and went, ‘You’re Steel City Recaps, right?’” Young said. “I noticed she had a phone case with players’ signatures on it, and as I headed out, she asked me to sign her phone case. I’ll never forget signing that phone case because [being] put on the same pedestal as players that I look up to showed me I really had an effect, not just on social media, but real stuff too.”
During the Steelers season, Young’s average day often includes spending several hours at Acrisure Stadium, whether filming content, meeting players and coaches, or promoting his brand. Through those experiences, Young said building personal relationships has become one of the biggest keys to his success.
“I always tell people a handshake is the key to life,” Young said. “I can’t tell you how many times a handshake has gotten me somewhere behind the scenes.”
Over the past year, Young said many events have changed his life, but the one constant has been Steel City Recaps.
“It’s not just a sports page, it’s my life,” Young said. “Unfortunately, I didn’t get into the school I wanted to, and that was very challenging for me. I was down for a week and then had a blow-up on Steel City Recaps and I forgot about it. Steel City is about the only constant in my life.”
Young described his future as “up in the air.” Next year, he plans to work at Pro Knitwear with his dad, where he will serve as a sales executive while also helping with social media. He also plans to continue growing Steel City Recaps for years to come.
For kids interested in launching a sports broadcasting account or putting themselves out there creatively, Young strongly encourages them to take the leap.
“Starting anything is hard,” Young said. “If something crosses your mind, you should go do it. Is it day one or one day? There are so many things you can start, whether it’s a business, a gym membership, who knows. But if you just go out there and do it, at least you did it and tried something new.”
Young also emphasized the importance of understanding that success rarely comes without setbacks. He said failure has played a major role in helping him grow.
“I have failed at so many things in my life,” Young said. “But I’m so happy I failed. There can’t be mountains without the valleys. There are negative parts all the time with Steel City Recaps, but I don’t let it get to me, because I know once there’s negatives, what’s next? Positive. At the end of the day, you gotta think to yourself, just do it. Don’t half-a– it. Wake up, breathe, and just go do something that you want to achieve if you care enough about it.”
