Do Steelers fans really "Travel well"?

[AStack75]

You hear it all the time, and see Steelers fans showing up in large numbers at road games. Is this really because their fans travel well as you always hear, or is it similar to what you see with the Yankees and Red Sox where you have teams with a long history and thus a fanbase that expanded from and also moved away from their home cities?

 

[BradyisGod]

You hear it all the time, and see Steelers fans showing up in large numbers at road games. Is this really because their fans travel well as you always hear, or is it similar to what you see with the Yankees and Red Sox where you have teams with a long history and thus a fanbase that expanded from and also moved away from their home cities?

This turn of phrase is attached to the team, and not the fans. Ultimately meaning where the Steelers travel to, there will be fans. Not, where the Steelers travel to, people from Pittsburgh will follow.

I'm sure some people travel, but the cliche means they have fans everywhere.

 

[Murphys95]

You hear it all the time, and see Steelers fans showing up in large numbers at road games. Is this really because their fans travel well as you always hear, or is it similar to what you see with the Yankees and Red Sox where you have teams with a long history and thus a fanbase that expanded from and also moved away from their home cities?

That's a great question. The simple answer is, probably yes, they travel well. On the other hand, there was no talk of their fans during the 2003 season (6-10) - in other words, they've got a strong bandwagon.

Two things help their fan base, 1. The Steelers amassed tons of fans from all over the country with their great years in the 70's. 2. Consistency in winning - since 1990 the Steelers have only had 4 losing seasons.

So I guess you could be a cynic and say it's easy to "travel" and root for a team that wins all the time.

 

[Bella*chick]

What exactly does it mean for a Steeler fan to "travel well"? When I use that phrase, I'm usually praising my dogs for making a long trip in a car without barfing.

 

[wistahpatsfan]

Maybe it's because all the fans from the 70's lost their jobs when the mills closed and moved to other parts of the country. Kinda like the Yankee and Sox fans in Florida.

 

[Fanfrom1960]

Thank God there is no more Dallas Cowboys as "America's Team" (not that I've ever heard Pittsburgh called anything like that).

 

[PYPER]

It's not that Steeler fans travel well its just that the Steelers dynasty of the 70's coincided perfectly with a major growth in the league's popularity.

Prior to the Super Bowl era, baseball ruled the sports landscape. But the creation of the Super Bowl and the merger of the two leagues created a lot of excitement and a lot of kids and young adults became football fans in that era. That's why the two biggest fan bases are considered the Steelers and Cowboys.

 

[richpats]

Maybe it's because all the fans from the 70's lost their jobs when the mills closed and moved to other parts of the country. Kinda like the Yankee and Sox fans in Florida.

Also I think the Steelers have a certain blue-collar appeal that hits home w/ people across the country.

 

[brdmaverick]

I must say I am amazed how Steelers fans can negate some of the home field advantage for road games.

i remember watching the MONDAY NIGHT game Steelers at San Diego early in the season. A flag was thrown and the ref pointing in the direction of the Chargers, and the crowd cheered. I quickly turned to my brother and asked "did the ref point the wrong way"? After the Steelers eventually scored a touchdown, I realized that a lot of the crowd was actually cheering for the Steelers.

I have since noticed that in a lot of their games, even in Green Bay where there is great prestige for the Pack during football season. How did all these Steelers fans get tickets?

I must say that the Steelers do have a great following, and yes it is very similar to the Red Sox fans taking over enemy stadiums with their "let's go red sox" cheers