It shouldn’t be a secret or a surprise that the Pittsburgh Steelers have the biggest Mexican fan base of any NFL team. And the Steelers have played South of the border before. Now, they’re interested in taking a trip back there.
The 2016 Mexico venue has already been scheduled with the Oakland Raiders and Houston Texans playing on November 21st. But the next two years are open and according to what Bob Labriola has gathered from Art Rooney II, the Steelers have interest.
In addition to holding fan camps over the years, ones that drew monstrous crowds, the team played a preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts in Mexico City back in 2000.
According to this archived article in the Post-Gazette, over 87,000 fans attended, with “90 percent” Steelers fans. A quote from Ed Bouchette, who was there, in the same article.
“They twirled thousands of Terrible Towels as if they had bought them off the rack at Giant Eagle. They booed and hooted the Colts, one time provoking a delay of game penalty because Peyton Manning could not be heard calling the signals above the din of “Deee-fense.”
The Steelers have played one other game overseas, losing to the Minnesota Vikings in that ugly early-season stretch back in 2013.
While it’s unknown if or when the league will announce future overseas games, it likely won’t be for another year, it’s reasonable to think the Steelers will be a frontrunner because of their international draw.
But it isn’t any easy endeavor for any team. Though you’re not crossing the ocean and landing on another continent like London, it is a logistical nightmare from a travel, medical, and financial standpoint to play any game out of the country. There’s a great article from someone who had to plan a trip and the many many headaches it creates that I will try to find and throw in later.
