For a moment anyway, Pittsburgh can forget the tough times.

The Steelers’ Super Bowl victory has made Pittsburgh a city of champions once again, and the region’s political and economic leaders hope to capitalize.

“By itself, the Super Bowl is not going to turn the region around … but it’s a good complement to what’s already been happening,” Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato said Monday, a day after the Steelers’ 21-10 victory over Seattle

Chief among the city’s troubles is that it was declared a distressed municipality two years ago, triggering state oversight of its finances. But Onorato said that the Steelers’ victory “allows us to elaborate on other things.”

“It’s been tremendously uplifting to see the incredible community spirit that’s arisen and we can take that energy and use it to continue to promote the city,” said Mary Ellen Solomon, spokeswoman for the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership.

The city will have plenty of other moments in the spotlight. In July, PNC Park plays host to baseball’s All-Star game. Then, the U.S. Open golf championship will be in nearby Oakmont in 2007, and the city celebrates its 250th anniversary in 2008.

Like Steelers coach Bill Cowher, who spent years assembling the right cast of players to win the franchise’s fifth NFL championship, leaders say the Pittsburgh region has been assembling the ingredients necessary to become a winner.

Richard Lapchick, a sports sociologist who runs the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida, agreed with local leaders that the city can expect a bounce.

“I think that anytime a victory of this magnitude comes to a city like Pittsburgh, it’s got to have a tremendous bounce not only for the people in Pittsburgh, but also people around the country to take a look at Pittsburgh in a different light,” Lapchick said.