The city of Pittsburgh and Steelers fans everywhere love T.J. Watt. Watt’s a grinder and one of the best players in football, embodying the toughness of the city and the Steelers. Appearing as a guest on Ben Roethlisberger’s Footbahlin podcast, Watt expressed his love for the city.
“Pittsburgh is really a special place,” Watt said. “They love their sports people, love what they do for a living. They take a lot of pride in what they do. For people to spend their hard-earned money on our jerseys and to come out to the game and sit in the highest of rows at Acrisure Stadium just to root for us and see us play, and then be able to give back to when we do our charity events, this is a special place, man.”
There’s always been a special bond between the Steelers and the city of Pittsburgh. Known for being a gritty team that’s predominantly used a power run game and a strong defense to out will their opponents to victory, the Steel Curtain and the toughness of the Steelers became uniquely linked to the hard-working people of Pittsburgh.
And while it doesn’t seem like it, given they’ve been one of the most stable organizations in football for decades, the Steelers are a rags-to-riches story, going from one of the worst teams in the league to becoming a dynasty in the 1970s. Now, guys like Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Cameron Heyward and Kenny Pickett have aspirations of winning their first Super Bowl with the black and gold.
It’s been a long time since the Steelers have had postseason success, a bit too long if you ask me. But the city’s stuck behind the team, with Acrisure Stadium always being loud and Steelers fans across the nation filling up opposing team’s stadiums. It’s one of the best fanbases in football and one of the best cities in America, and it’s clear that guys like Watt appreciate the fanbase supporting the players on-and-off the field.
Hopefully, the Steelers can give Pittsburgh more to root for on the field in 2023. Getting back to the playoffs would be a nice start, and actually making a run would be even better. The Steelers don’t have a playoff win since January 2017, and that has to change. This could be the year for it.
