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Who thinks "America's team" are the Pittsburgh Steelers? (1 Viewer)

B

Ballstein

Footballguy
I never understood why they weren't coined this phrase, as they were the dominant team, and beat the Cowboys in the superbowls at that time.

Chime in.

 
how can one team be known as America's team when all the teams in the league are in America.

 
Because its a pompous term and it doesnt fit.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a football team.

 
Because their fans are all racists who cling to guns and religion.

Wait... Wrong board.

 
Steelers probably have the best nationwide fanbase. But I'm biased. But this was posted in the Steeler thread a little while back.

Tuck's Takes: Steelers fans are unquestionably best in the NFL -Jaguars game most recent example of Steeler Nation's excellenceThe news out of Jacksonville Monday morning that approximately 25 percent of the fans for Sunday night's Steelers-Jags contest were waving yellow Terrible Towels came as no surprise to me. The Steelers have the most dominant fan base in the National Football League and their ability to consistently travel, en masse, and infest other team's stadiums gives the Steelers a competitive advantage that no other franchise can claim.For the record, I grew up in eastern Pennsylvania, was an Eagles fan during my youth and subsequently played for five NFL squads that were not located in Pittsburgh, so I have no allegiance whatsoever to the Steelers or their fans. I just call it like I see it.Seemingly minutes within signing with a new team, a player will be told by someone within the organization that, unequivocally, they have the best fans in the world. And though there are thousands of die-hard fans in Green Bay, Washington, Dallas, Buffalo, Cleveland, New England, and every other NFL city, the simple truth is very evident to every player in the NFL: Steelers fans are the best in the business.My thoughts on NFL fans were confirmed in a recent straw poll of a couple active players who said the Steelers fans far and away do the best job of taking away a home team's advantage. None of the players wanted to state their feelings publicly and disenchant their own fans, and for good reason, but the fact remains there is nothing quite as powerful in the NFL as Steeler Nation.I realized this for the first time in 2004, while playing for a resurgent Bills team that was one win away from a playoff berth. Running out of the home tunnel and seeing the smattering of Terrible Towels and black and yellow in the stands was disheartening. The Steelers had already clinched homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, so this final regular season game was meaningless to them, yet their fans had made the trip in droves.Though playing at home doesn't assure a team a victory, there are typically four significant advantages to playing in the friendly confines. There is no travel involved. The field and facility are familiar. The players can certainly feed off the energy of the home crowd. The noise can make it difficult for the opposing team's offense to call audibles or utilize the snap count to their advantage. Ask any offensive tackle how much fun it is blocking elite rushers on a silent cadence. They flat-out detest it.The significant presence of Steelers fans in opposing stadiums, whether they are Steel City transplants or folks who traveled in for the game, effectively eliminates the last two advantages. It is difficult to feed off the energy of the home crowd when you look up in the stands and see that a significant portion of the crowd is actually cheering for the other team. Plus, the noise is not nearly as deafening when less than 80 percent of the fans in the stands are screaming in unison.All of this adds up to the Steelers having a significant competitive advantage based upon their fans' ability to partially, if not completely, eliminate some of the basic reasons teams are so happy to play at home in the first place.I know exactly what everyone is going to write in their e-mails to me. First, people are going to comment on the Jags having arguably the worst fans in the NFL, and I will not dispute that in the slightest. People in Jacksonville would probably be more excited to watch an SEC clash between Kentucky and Vanderbilt. But it is not just Jacksonville. Seemingly, no stadium is truly immune to the Steelers culture.Secondly, I am well aware that the Packers, Raiders, Cowboys and Redskins, just to name a few, have great fans who pop up in away stadiums every time their team is on the road. Trust me, it does not compare to Steelers fans. I have played for some of those teams and it is not even close. The Steelers have the best fans in the NFL. @ CNNSI
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poopdawg said:
I wouldnt consider them America's Team and I think that term is stupid as hell.
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Pretty much. I'm a Cowboys fan, and I have that nickname. Can't blame anybody for knocking the nick or hating the team because of the nickname. There's enough to hate about the Cowboys (primarily, their fans and their owner) without that silly, silly nickname.
 
Whenever they do those fan "surveys", the Cowboys always show the highest percentage of fans.

HOWEVER, go to any Steelers road game and you will find that half the stadium is Steelers fans.

I would say that the Cowboys have more fans but the Steeler fans are more passionate about their team.

 
as most of you prolly know the name "Americas team" was coined by NFL films. should the Steelers have been called that, maybe. do i care? no. the Cowboys and Steelers were far and away the most popular teams in the NFL in the 70's.

as a Cowboys fan, the term Americas Team, just gives more ammo for the haters. they relate it with the "bandwagon" fans spread across the country. of course this is mostly eagles fans who live in philly and go to every game, blah, blah, blah...........

 
Dallas can have the term "America's Team". That's fine.

"Steeler Nation" sounds cooler and is much bigger.

 
By the TV ratings, the Cowboys far and away have the largest fanbase. The Steelers have a big one, but it doesn't compare. I think part of it is geography. The Cowboys for decades could extend their fanbase far to the west into Arizona, as the Cardinals only recently moved there. There are even a lot of Cowboys fans in Southern California. The Cowboys even held training camp this year in SoCal.

 
Steelers fans are great but the one thing that bothers me about many of them is their insistence on explaining that they're the best. We all have eyes and ears.. you really don't need to keep pointing it out.

 
gman74 said:
In 1 word NO. Packers or Boys,Steelers not even in the conversation not even close
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These are the top 3 no doubt, and there are numerous reasons for each team. Each team can make a claim and back those claims up. But to say the Steelers aren't even in the conversation is ludicrous and ignorant.
 
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BusterTBronco said:
Whenever they do those fan "surveys", the Cowboys always show the highest percentage of fans.

HOWEVER, go to any Steelers road game and you will find that half the stadium is Steelers fans.

I would say that the Cowboys have more fans but the Steeler fans are more passionate about their team.
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and 90% of them don't know the difference between a Pass and a Lateral.
 
Phurfur said:
BusterTBronco said:
Whenever they do those fan "surveys", the Cowboys always show the highest percentage of fans.

HOWEVER, go to any Steelers road game and you will find that half the stadium is Steelers fans.

I would say that the Cowboys have more fans but the Steeler fans are more passionate about their team.
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and 90% of them don't know the difference between a Pass and a Lateral.
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Well it is "America's team" not "the subset of America that knows the rules of football"'s team. By definition, they need to even attract very casual fans.
 
What is more prestigious? Being the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, or the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers?

 
kaa said:
What is more prestigious? Being the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, or the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers?
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I would say that Ben has about 102 million reasons to think being the QB of the Steelers is pretty prestigious.
 
I don't think they are even close to America's team. I agree they have nice tradition and history, but I think they are viewed a tier or two below several teams. I come back to a point I heard a national sportscaster make a year or so ago. He was referring to how every fan regards themselves as a part of a "nation". Redskins nation, Bears nation, etc. He argued that there are only 4 teams that can be referred to has having a "nation". His opinion not mine.

Cowboy nation

Packer nation

Yankee nation

Red Sox nation

 
CrossEyed said:
kaa said:
What is more prestigious? Being the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, or the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers?
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I would say that Ben has about 102 million reasons to think being the QB of the Steelers is pretty prestigious.
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So did Dilfer,Shuler,Leaf. What does the amount you make have anything to do with this. Another dee da dee on here
 
I believe the true measure of the quality of a fanbase can be measured during the lean years rather than the good ones. I'll always be indebted to the Steelers (and Ralph Wilson) for going to bat for the Browns during the move; however, I wonder how many would jump off of the bandwagon if they fell upon some hard times.

Although many fellow Browns fans I know act like battered women, I'm proud of this fan base and would put it up against anyone calling themselves America's Team or some nation. And by the way, the term "Nation" belongs to the Raiders.

 
gman74 said:
CrossEyed said:
kaa said:
What is more prestigious? Being the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, or the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Click to expand...
I would say that Ben has about 102 million reasons to think being the QB of the Steelers is pretty prestigious.
Click to expand...
So did Dilfer,Shuler,Leaf. What does the amount you make have anything to do with this. Another dee da dee on here
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Conversely, what the hell does having a more prestigious QB position have anything to do with whether a team is "America's Team"??
 
DawgPoundNJ said:
I believe the true measure of the quality of a fanbase can be measured during the lean years rather than the good ones. I'll always be indebted to the Steelers (and Ralph Wilson) for going to bat for the Browns during the move; however, I wonder how many would jump off of the bandwagon if they fell upon some hard times.Although many fellow Browns fans I know act like battered women, I'm proud of this fan base and would put it up against anyone calling themselves America's Team or some nation. And by the way, the term "Nation" belongs to the Raiders.
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I guess in name only. Raider fans certainly don't travel well.
 
jurrassic said:
DawgPoundNJ said:
I believe the true measure of the quality of a fanbase can be measured during the lean years rather than the good ones. I'll always be indebted to the Steelers (and Ralph Wilson) for going to bat for the Browns during the move; however, I wonder how many would jump off of the bandwagon if they fell upon some hard times.

Although many fellow Browns fans I know act like battered women, I'm proud of this fan base and would put it up against anyone calling themselves America's Team or some nation. And by the way, the term "Nation" belongs to the Raiders.
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I guess in name only. Raider fans certainly don't travel well.
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While Steeler fans do travel well, that is not why (the main reason) they always have so many people at other stadiums. From the link I posted earlier:"A generation of young people left the city to find work elsewhere, but they remained passionate about their hometown team. And that's why your local stadiums are often invaded by a black-and-gold army."

They are not bandwagon fans, they are merely transplanted fans that remained loyal. And they brought their kids up like that as well.

So "Steeler Nation" is a bit different from "other team name Nation".

 
jurrassic said:
DawgPoundNJ said:
I believe the true measure of the quality of a fanbase can be measured during the lean years rather than the good ones. I'll always be indebted to the Steelers (and Ralph Wilson) for going to bat for the Browns during the move; however, I wonder how many would jump off of the bandwagon if they fell upon some hard times.Although many fellow Browns fans I know act like battered women, I'm proud of this fan base and would put it up against anyone calling themselves America's Team or some nation. And by the way, the term "Nation" belongs to the Raiders.
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I guess in name only. Raider fans certainly don't travel well.
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Um, yeah, they do.
 
This sums it up...

January 25, 1996

New York Times

ON PRO FOOTBALL;The Steelers' Rooney Is an N.F.L. Rarity

By THOMAS GEORGE

In the 1970's, when the Pittsburgh Steelers were winning all those Super Bowls -- four in all -- NFL Films approached the Steelers with the idea of naming them "The Nation's Team." The idea was to produce a fancy documentary highlighting the Steelers' success and their national prominence.

One small problem, though.

Art and Dan Rooney would have none of that.

Why, the Steelers were Pittsburgh's team, the Rooneys said. And that was good enough for the Rooneys.

And though Art, the patriarch of this proud franchise, is gone (he died at age 89 in 1988), Dan, his son, age 63, remains as the team's guiding light. Actually, Dan Rooney is much more than that. He has been a beacon of light for the entire league, a voice of rationale when everything appears awry and a man who is completely comfortable in the backseat when everything is rosy.

So, little wonder that Dan Rooney had to be prodded and coaxed yesterday to walk up to the podium at the team's headquarters here to chat about the Steelers reaching Super Bowl XXX. But he did it, with grace and dignity, in just the manner that he handles nearly everything that he touches.

Dan Rooney is a rarity in pro sports today. A member of the Steelers' organization for 38 years and president since 1975, he has resisted the temptation over the 16 years that have passed since Pittsburgh last reached the Super Bowl to clean house repeatedly in an effort to win big again at all costs. Nearly as remarkable, he has not allowed himself to wilt under any internal pressure of trying to match the legendary Super Bowl success the Steelers achieved when his father was alive. In fact, his stature within the league has continued to grow despite the Steelers' lack of recent Super Bowl success.

In an era of high-tech sophistication and modernization that teams employ in efforts to nab championships, Rooney has kept things simple in Pittsburgh. He has held true to the longtime league axiom that each team is only as great as the sum of the league's entire 30 parts. That what is good for the National Football League is good for Pittsburgh.

Look around. With franchises seeking to bolt their cities at will and with independent marketing agreements for teams becoming more common, that is a noble idea under tremendous fire. Rooney helps to keep it alive.

"It's the people that matter most, the people in our organization, the fans, and it will always be that way in Pittsburgh," Rooney said. "People are meaningful. Everybody can have input. I believe in that.

"As far as matching or competing against my father, what does that mean? He would not have wanted it that way. That was not the way our relationship was. We were family. We are family. And the people of Pittsburgh have not treated me that way, as if I had to match him in Super Bowls. They have not turned it into that kind of impossible situation."

He insists that the Steelers have been close to the Super Bowl in recent years. So close last year, in fact, that they were only three yards away in the American Football Conference championship game versus San Diego. He said that the former Steelers great Joe Greene told him recently that fans look back on those old championship Steelers teams and think of them as dominant and invincible. In fact, Greene said, each of those championships came after hefty struggles. Clos' calls. A play here or there that changed everything.

And now Rooney applauds his coach, Bill Cowher, for overcoming hurdles, for surviving the Indianapolis Colts' last-play desperation pass that nearly sent the Steelers home this season.

"These young people," he said, "have earned it, and the recognition is all theirs'. They have come of age."

Dan Rooney knows plenty about that.

He has been aligned with the league's Old Guard of owners when in fact, 'e said, he is simply part of the tradition of the N.F.L. He talked about how Pittsburgh's Super Bowl XXX opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, are different in that they use "the big sell," the America's Team label, to push their franchise while the Steelers remain a relatively small fish, one part of the 30. Both franchises are similar though, he said, in that they have built in-house through the draft in attempting to win.

And he wants teams in the N.F.L. to remember that.

"It's the football end of it that's important," he said. "We're here for the game. We're not here for Nike. We're not here for Coke."

Some might take that as a direct slap at Jerry Jones, the Dallas owner, who has pushed the Cowboys into a new realm in marketing and has been sued by the league and has sued the league in the process. But Rooney said no, that Jones is O.K., that they have differences but that they think alike in terms of football. That Jones is still a part of the N.F.L.

That's Dan Rooney. Much like his dad.

He makes room -- and has time and concern -- for everyone.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...agewanted=print
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Manster said:
as most of you prolly know the name "Americas team" was coined by NFL films. should the Steelers have been called that, maybe. do i care? no. the Cowboys and Steelers were far and away the most popular teams in the NFL in the 70's.

as a Cowboys fan, the term Americas Team, just gives more ammo for the haters. they relate it with the "bandwagon" fans spread across the country. of course this is mostly eagles fans who live in philly and go to every game, blah, blah, blah...........
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Thank you Manster. Just what I was coming in to point out to the younger generation (or those with no knowledge of the facts) that this moniker was in no way driven or introduced by the Cowboys organization themselves. Although, all the haters out there would sure like to believe differently. All things considered, it's something that the Cowboys got "stuck with."From Wikipedia- Bob Ryan, the Vice President and editor-in-chief of NFL Films, coined this for the Cowboys in 1979. After preparing and editing the team’s 1978 season highlight film he had to come up with a title for the film. [6] He was quoted as saying:

I wanted to come up with a different twist on their team highlight film. I noticed then, and had noticed earlier, that wherever the Cowboys played, you saw people in the stands with Cowboys jerseys and hats and pennants. Plus, they were always the national game on television.

During the Cowboys' first game of the 1979 season, a nationally televised game against the St. Louis Cardinals (which Dallas won 22-21), the television announcer introduced the Cowboys as America’s Team and the nickname stuck.

 
It cracks me up that every year some team tries to steal the "America's Team" nickname from the Cowboys.

The Giants fans wanted it after 911

The Saints fans wanted it after Katrina

The patriots have made claims to it as well as the Packers.

and now the Steelers....

Why not come up with a new nickname instead of always trying to steal the Cowboys nickname?

I have never understood why that annoys so many people.

 
jurrassic said:
DawgPoundNJ said:
I believe the true measure of the quality of a fanbase can be measured during the lean years rather than the good ones. I'll always be indebted to the Steelers (and Ralph Wilson) for going to bat for the Browns during the move; however, I wonder how many would jump off of the bandwagon if they fell upon some hard times.Although many fellow Browns fans I know act like battered women, I'm proud of this fan base and would put it up against anyone calling themselves America's Team or some nation. And by the way, the term "Nation" belongs to the Raiders.
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I guess in name only. Raider fans certainly don't travel well.
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You really can't blame them for not traveling well. It is their only opportunity to see the Raiders on TV.
 
America's Team

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(Redirected from Americas Team)

Jump to: navigation, search

NFL Films The Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys: The Complete History of America's Team 1960-2003 DVD Cover

Directed by NFL Films

Starring The Dallas Cowboys

Distributed by Warner Home Video

Release date(s) November 25, 2003

Running time 73:00

Language English

The term America's Team is a popular nickname in American sports that most often refers the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. [1] The term is recognized and often used by media outlets, including ESPN,[2] Yahoo!,[3] HBO Sports,[4] and Sports Illustrated.[5]

Bob Ryan, the Vice President and editor-in-chief of NFL Films, coined this for the Cowboys in 1979. After preparing and editing the team’s 1978 season highlight film he had to come up with a title for the film. [6] He was quoted as saying:

I wanted to come up with a different twist on their team highlight film. I noticed then, and had noticed earlier, that wherever the Cowboys played, you saw people in the stands with Cowboys jerseys and hats and pennants. Plus, they were always the national game on television.

During the Cowboys' first game of the 1979 season, a nationally televised game against the St. Louis Cardinals (which Dallas won 22-21), the television announcer introduced the Cowboys as America’s Team and the nickname stuck.

The popularity of the Cowboys as America's Team has been supported somewhat by such NFL records as "Team with Most Consecutive Sold Out Games", a streak of 160 home and away games (including playoffs) that began on December 23, 1990, at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium and came to an end on December 24, 1999, in a Christmas Eve game against the New Orleans Saints in the Louisiana Super Dome.[7] Other examples are the NFL games featuring the Cowboys that result in record-breaking ratings at the time of broadcast, such as 7 of the 8 Super Bowl games featuring the Cowboys and the NFC Championship Game between the Cowboys and 49ers, the only non-Super Bowl NFL game to be ranked in the Top 45 Primetime Telecasts of All Time.[8]

Still, Dallas's Hall of Fame coach Tom Landry originally did not approve of the appellation of America's Team. He felt that it would give opposing teams extra incentive to play harder. Eventually he gave in and actually came to like the name.[9]

In 2003, NFL Films released a DVD collection chronicling the Dallas Cowboys franchise entitled The Dallas Cowboys: The Complete History of America's Team 1960-2003.

 
clinton_c said:
It cracks me up that every year some team tries to steal the "America's Team" nickname from the Cowboys.The Giants fans wanted it after 911The Saints fans wanted it after KatrinaThe patriots have made claims to it as well as the Packers.and now the Steelers....Why not come up with a new nickname instead of always trying to steal the Cowboys nickname?I have never understood why that annoys so many people.
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Steeler fan not smart enough to come up with something. They would rather steal ummmmmmmmmm "borrow" nicknames from the Raiders and Boys
 
gman74 said:
clinton_c said:
It cracks me up that every year some team tries to steal the "America's Team" nickname from the Cowboys.The Giants fans wanted it after 911The Saints fans wanted it after KatrinaThe patriots have made claims to it as well as the Packers.and now the Steelers....Why not come up with a new nickname instead of always trying to steal the Cowboys nickname?I have never understood why that annoys so many people.
Click to expand...
Steeler fan not smart enough to come up with something. They would rather steal ummmmmmmmmm "borrow" nicknames from the Raiders and Boys
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Not sure who thinks the Steelers are "Americas Team". The OP made the claim and I think its a stupid ### nickname. "Steeler Nation" sounds alot better to me :lmao: :goodposting: :towelwave:
 
clinton_c said:
It cracks me up that every year some team tries to steal the "America's Team" nickname from the Cowboys.The Giants fans wanted it after 911The Saints fans wanted it after KatrinaThe patriots have made claims to it as well as the Packers.and now the Steelers....Why not come up with a new nickname instead of always trying to steal the Cowboys nickname?I have never understood why that annoys so many people.
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Don't be confused, I would hope most Pittsburgh fans like myself would not want that cheesy nickname.
 
poopdawg said:
gman74 said:
clinton_c said:
It cracks me up that every year some team tries to steal the "America's Team" nickname from the Cowboys.The Giants fans wanted it after 911The Saints fans wanted it after KatrinaThe patriots have made claims to it as well as the Packers.and now the Steelers....Why not come up with a new nickname instead of always trying to steal the Cowboys nickname?I have never understood why that annoys so many people.
Click to expand...
Steeler fan not smart enough to come up with something. They would rather steal ummmmmmmmmm "borrow" nicknames from the Raiders and Boys
Click to expand...
Not sure who thinks the Steelers are "Americas Team". The OP made the claim and I think its a stupid ### nickname. "Steeler Nation" sounds alot better to me :nerd: :shrug: :towelwave:
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The only "nation" is the Raider Nation.Seriously we Pittsburgh fans have to stop this nonsense.
 
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