It was exactly one year ago today on which I wrote about the fact that the city of Pittsburgh was awarded the distinction—at least by one outlet—as the top city in America for football. Which also basically means it’s the best city in the world for fans of the sport, since, you know, that’s pretty much where it’s played.
It turns out, apparently, that not much has changed, because that same outlet has once honored Pittsburgh with the same distinction for the second year in a row. That would be WalletHub, a finance website that has put together a methodology designed to calculate just the question at hand: which is the best football city in America?
Pittsburgh, in fact, came pretty handily in first, receiving a total score—across both professional and college sports—of 63.11. The next-best city was Boston with a score of 56.15, and there were only four total cities with 50 points or more, the others being Dallas and Green Bay.
The areas in which Pittsburgh really stood out for the fan experience was at a more fundamental level, especially given the way the Steelers have played recently. They finished tied with Green Bay for the most engaged NFL fans, and Pittsburgh also ranked fourth for accessibility of NFL stadiums.
This isn’t much different from last year’s results, as in 2019 Pittsburgh also posted a commanding first-place finish in the site’s methodology—though the margin was even slightly greater a year ago than it was this year.
Considering the relative popularity of our own website, I think we can qualify the argument that the Steelers do indeed have some of the most engaged fans in the NFL. They are certainly passionate, even if a large portion of that passion is directed toward lobbing criticisms at their favorite team—out of love, of course.
The city placed first in fan engagement and fourth in stadium accessibility last year as well, but where the difference lies is in team performance. The Steelers, of course, had an 8-8 season in 2019, and missed the postseason for a second year in a row.
If they are able to come back and make a strong run in 2020, then Pittsburgh may have an even greater runaway victory in the site’s next study to determine the best football city in America. And the fans will be ready to back that assessment up.
