Saying the Pittsburgh Steelers have some of the most passionate fans in the United States would be selling the fans short. One of the biggest fan bases in the world, former players have often chimed in talking about how awesome it is to play for the Steelers. Today, current Steeler T.J. Watt echoed that sentiment, praising the raucous fan base.
In the lead up to the Super Bowl, Watt met with Adam Schein Mad Dog Radio (subscription required) and talked about how awesome the Pittsburgh fans are.
“I mean, you could have a 40-year-old woman in the grocery store telling you how to run the ball,” Watt said. “I mean, like an outside zone run or that we’re blitzing too much. I mean, they’re educated fans, you know, everybody bleeds black and yellow in the city of Pittsburgh and they truly love the team, but they also understand that we are people at the end of the day too. So it’s all respectful.”
Watt mentions that Steelers fans will tell the team who to run which fits right in line with how opinionated fans of the team are. Just go on Twitter and you’ll see five different arguments about different aspects of the team.
While this could be annoying at times, it seems Watt loves it. The flip side could be a fanbase that is unconcerned about what is going on with the team. This isn’t a problem for the Steelers fanbase which usually has expectations that are simply unrealistic, but that is better than a fanbase that is just happy to watch whatever product is put on the field.
Watt isn’t the only player who has mentioned how awesome it is to the play in the Black and Gold. Earlier this year former Steelers offensive lineman Willie Colon compared being a Steelers fan to being part of a religion.
With a fanbase like that it is no wonder why many players want to be a Steelers and play in the city. While the fans will be harsh on players and coaches at times, players also know if they perform they’ll be showered with unconditional love.
Being a Steeler isn’t easy. The expectations placed on Steelers players are higher than players on any other franchise. But, the reason for that is the passion the fans have. And from what most players say, Pittsburgh is one of the best places to play.
