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I hate the Steelers, but they have awesome fans. Not sure what this comment means
What it means is that the Steelers have tons of fans who weren't even born in Pittsburgh. I know a few that I grew up in NJ with that have never stepped foot in Pittsburgh. Why are they Steeler fans? Well, in the 70's, the two dominant teams were the Steelers and Cowboys. Guess which two franchises have the biggest fan bases?? You got it.
If the Steelers and Cowboys didn't have the success they had back in the 70's, they wouldn't have the fan base they have now. I'm not knocking the teams or where they are from, I'm just stating that many of their fans jumped on their bandwagon back in the 70's and have been rewarded since. Well, at least the Steeler fans have been rewarded recently. For many Steeler fans, it has nothing to do with Pittsburgh. Same with Cowboy fans and it not having anything to do with Dallas.
Actually, I would say more actual fans than bandwagoners. There are a lot of Pittsburgh fans everywhere because so many people move away from PA.
I lived in NJ, PA, and now Charlotte. Other than my time in PA (just north of Pittsburgh) I have met many more Steeler fans who aren't from Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh isn't that big in terms of population size. It's mid-level market. I don't doubt they love football there and I know that many people left Pittsburgh because of the poor conditions there so there was that "steeler fan flight".
Coming down from Philadelphia we are a huge sports town football being one of them. I was just wondering how big football was in Charlotte?
In neighboring states like South Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee, college football is what most people follow, and they stick to their old allegiances. I see tons of UGA, UT, Clemson, and USC fans when I'm in Charlotte.
NC college football isn't real popular. UNC and NC State have the potential to be popular, I guess, but I haven't seen much enthusiasm for ACC football.
People from big cities - particularly coming from up north - tend to primarily follow NFL football. I meet lots of Steelers, Pats, Eagles, and Redskins fans. They tend to adopt the Carolina Panthers as their new local team.
I know where I live (not Charlotte), the most popular teams are probably Steelers or Patriots football, Yankees or Red Sox baseball, or UNC basketball. It's sort of like being in an airport all the time. It's amazing how many steelers fans you see in NC.
What it means is that the Steelers have tons of fans who weren't even born in Pittsburgh. I know a few that I grew up in NJ with that have never stepped foot in Pittsburgh. Why are they Steeler fans? Well, in the 70's, the two dominant teams were the Steelers and Cowboys. Guess which two franchises have the biggest fan bases?? You got it.
If the Steelers and Cowboys didn't have the success they had back in the 70's, they wouldn't have the fan base they have now. I'm not knocking the teams or where they are from, I'm just stating that many of their fans jumped on their bandwagon back in the 70's and have been rewarded since. Well, at least the Steeler fans have been rewarded recently. For many Steeler fans, it has nothing to do with Pittsburgh. Same with Cowboy fans and it not having anything to do with Dallas.
Ok, well being from Cleveland I went to lots of Browns/Steelers games since I was a child and their fans were probably mostly locals.
I'm sure due to recent success they have a lot of fair weather fans, just like the Cavs. Lol.
Compared to the old school die-hards from the NFL franchises in the north (Giants, Pats, Jets, Browns, Packers, Vikings, Bears, etc.), Charlotte is not a football town. I'd say fairweather. When the team is winning, people will follow them. When the team is average or losing, fan support wanes. Although in defense of Charlotte, the team hasn't been in existence for very long compared to the northern franchises. In time the support will grow. Transplanted kids that will have grown up with only the Panthers will become die-hards. Right now most of the people attending Panthers games grew up a fan of another franchise, so the dedication just isn't there yet.
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