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I'll have to disagree with you on that. The Steelers do not draft showboaters - i.e. Desmond Howard - and don't sign "me,me,me" free agent players like a T.O. or Ochocinco. So the players with the blue collar attitude are the only ones let in the door. Its part of their system.
I'd take a showboat like TO or Ochocinco anyday (mod edit)-next sentence deleted as is off topic and not football related.
Outside of Pittsburgh I'd say it's mostly bandwagon fans. They've popped up in recent years. Just like the Patriots, Colts and Saints "fans".
People will try to say it's because of Steeler fans moving about the country but that's a load of crap. Fans in every NFL city move around the country but don't spawn legions of fans elsewhere. If/when the Steelers take a dip in form again many of the fans will disappear.
I don't agree. There are many fans that due to circumstances in the 70's had to move. I'm in San Jose now and I know many folks that have had the same experience. And, I have kids and grandkids thar are now Steeler fans because of me. Moving out I think is a factor.
Having said that, yeah, I imagine that there are quite a few bandwagon fans.
I'd take a showboat like TO or Ochocinco anyday Mod cut-sentence deleted-off topic and not football related
And the Steelers seriously considered dumping him - despite his 2 Super Bowl wins - after the GA incident. And that was based on a mere accusation, not even an indictment. They also cut loose their last Super Bowl MVP when his ego and drug use got to out of hand. How many other teams would have done that?
Why do so many people who have no ties to Pittsburgh like the Steelers? I have lived in 9 states and traveled to all 50, and it blows my mind how many Steeler fans there are everywhere. I have had many co-workers who have no ties to the city, have never been to Pittsburgh or know anything about it, or seen a game in person. And yet the Steelers are "their team".
I was recently in Kansas, and their top team is obviously the Chiefs. But in stores, they would carry Chiefs, and the only other team they would carry is the Steelers.
I may be taking a trip for work to Iowa, and so I sent for some visitor info. There was some info about a school on one of the pages. The picture had a little boy at a desk coloring, and he was wearing a Steelers' jersey.
I was in San Antonio last week, and out on the Riverwalk with some friends, and saw tons of Steelers jersey before the game.
So why is this? If the answer is simply "because they're good", then that is not a good reason. Is it becasue they are a "low risk" because more often than not they do win, and when they do have a slightly bad year, it is just an exception to the norm? Is it tied to the whole "blue collar" concept people still have about Pittsburgh? There are other cities like that; Cleveland, Detroit, Green Bay, Chicago, but I never see them like I do the Steelers.
I am from Pittsburgh, but lost my love for the city and everything about it because of some really bad experiences growing up. But if you are from Pittsburgh or live there now, then it makes sense to be a Steeler fan. But if you are not from the area, then why out of 32 teams, do so many love this team?
Pittsburgh is my home town.... but some of the reasons I love the Steelers to this day:
John Baker
Tom 'the Bomb' Tracey
Andy Russell
Bobby Layne
John Henry Johnson
Brady Keys
Buddy Dial
Dick Hoak
Ray Mansfield
Bill Nelson
Before they started winning Super Bowls, they had some pretty great players on their team. In my opinion... John Baker deserves a lot more recgonition than what he has received.
Having said that,, yep, a lot of the Steeler fans here in San Jose started following them in the 70's. Does that make them bandwagon fans? Not sure.... they still root for them in the down years.
Last edited by Bagger; 01-24-2011 at 11:57 AM..
Reason: Addeed Mr. Mansfileld and Nelson.
Pittsburgh is my home town.... but some of the reasons I love the Steelers to this day:
John Baker
Tom 'the Bomb' Tracey
Andy Russell
Bobby Layne
John Henry Johnson
Brady Keys
Buddy Dial
Dick Hoak
Ray Mansfield
Bill Nelson
Before they started winning Super Bowls, they had some pretty great players on their team. In my opinion... John Baker deserves a lot more recgonition than what he has received.
Having said that,, yep, a lot of the Steeler fans here in San Jose started following them in the 70's. Does that make them bandwagon fans? Not sure.... they still root for them in the down years.
I'm not a Steelers fan, but I thought I'd mention one more name: Bill Saul, the "miked-up" linebacker from the 60s, playing for some very poor Pittsburgh teams, and made famous by NFL Films.
"No, no, don't bug me; we're not allowed..."--said to kids trying to get equipment from him after the game.
I'm not a Steelers fan, but I thought I'd mention one more name: Bill Saul, the "miked-up" linebacker from the 60s, playing for some very poor Pittsburgh teams, and made famous by NFL Films.
"No, no, don't bug me; we're not allowed..."--said to kids trying to get equipment from him after the game.
Oh.... shame on me for not mentioning him.
He had two brothers that were pretty good also... Rich and Ron
I'll throw another one into the mix... Ernie Stautner!
I'm a Bengals fan so I hate the Steelers. Loathe them. I grew up in NJ and know plenty of Steeler fans who haven't stepped foot in Pittsburgh. I used to live 30 minutes north of Pittsburgh for a few year too, so I was responsible for taking two of my best friends to their first Steeler game back at Three Rivers Stadium. Up until 2 years ago, I hated most of the fans but not necessarily the team. In fact, I had a tremendous amount of respect for the team. I always thought they were run the right way. As an American of Irish descent, I was happy that Dan Rooney was made Ambassador to Ireland. Still am actually. Anyway, I thought if the Steelers can be successful being run by a family, why can't the Cincinnati Bengals? Well, the reason is Mike Brown who is current owner of the Bengals. Worst owner ever, but that's another story.
The Steelers lost my respect when they immediately cut Najeh Davenport after he was arrested and then cut the likes of Johnathan Dekker, Cedrick Wilson, Jeff Reed after their arrests. However, when James Harrison, Santonio Holmes and Ben Roethlisberger get in trouble, they don't cut them. For a franchise that supposely prides itself on its clean image, they've proven to be a bunch of hypocrites. They are no better than any other team in that aspect. Let's not forget the rampant steroid abuse led by their coaching staff in the 1970's. They are not squeaky clean by any stretch of the imagination, but many teams are the same way as well.
Sure, they have a huge fanbase. However, if they were an average franchise, they wouldn't have half the fans they have today. Pittsburgh isn't a huge city so don't give me population numbers to support the fanbase. Sure, many have left Pittsburgh back in the day due to the decline of the steel business, but if there are so many Steeler fans, whey aren't there as many Penguin or Pirate fans? I respect the average Pittsburgher's love of football and football opinon aside, I've always liked the average Pittsburgher and found them to be one of the most friendliest groups of people. However, they are no match for those people living in the Southern states in their affection for football.
I don't consider the Steeler fans to be the best fans as they like to arrogantly consider themselves to be. It's easy to like a successful team and the Steelers have been the most successful team the past few years. While it's not the fans fault that the Steelers haven't had much misery lately, I question if they can handle the misery that Bengal, Brown, Lion, or even Cardinal or Buccaneer fan has endured. Fans of these teams are much more deserving of the title "best fanbase".
(That being said, I think they sneak by the Packers. I just hope it's a clean game and that the refs keep their flags in their pockets)
Its funny how people love a team, even though the players themselves have nothing to do with the "blue collar-working class" mystique people have about Pittsburgh. The players just happen to play there, and know nothing about life in the steel mills or coal mines. If they were traded or sign with a new team, they would be same people.
Let's face it, if you're an NFL player anywhere making millions, you really can't relate to the "working class".
Like someone mentioned above, you sure don't see very many Pirate fans outside of western PA. That would really show a true love for the city of Pittsburgh.
Exactly. The team, all teams, are just a group of players from around the country that are drafted, signed, etc. While some teams are better than others at doing these things, they aren't pulling players from their local area only. Otherwise Texas, Florida and California teams would dominate every year.
The Steelers have more players from Ohio than Pennsylvania. Their last two Super Bowls were won because of Roethlisberger and James Harrison. All Ohio boys. Nobody on the Steelers is from Pennsylvania outside of Charlie Batch and Ryan Mundy and they never play. Which is weird if you ask me.
ummm... because they like FOOTBALL and not hockey or baseball!
Oh. I guess they are physically or mentally unable to like and follow other sports then.
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