The Pittsburgh Steelers’ fan base was named the 10th “most hardcore” tailgaters in the NFL in a recent study by Crestline. The study was conducted by measuring what fans consider their “perfect tailgate” to be and then assigning scores to each fanbase. Steelers fans earned a score of 75.56 out of 100.
Pittsburgh’s score ranked ahead of any other AFC North team, Cleveland’s Muni Lot be damned. The New Orleans Saints’ fan base came in first with a whopping 93.41 score, which was 10.2 points ahead of the second-place Tennessee Titans. The Philadelphia Eagles’, Detroit Lions’ and Dallas Cowboys’ fan bases rounded out the top five. According to the study, nearly nine in 10 Eagles fans admitted having more fun at the tailgate than the game itself.
The Steelers finished just ahead of the Baltimore Ravens, who ranked 11th and were also named the fan base most likely to tailgate regardless of weather. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns’ fan base was voted the one most likely to cancel a tailgate if it’s too cold outside. If you’re gonna freeze inside the stadium watching below-average quarterback play for decades, you’d think Browns fans would want to get a few drinks in them freezing outside the stadium pregame. Apparently not.
While the Steelers’ fan base might not be elite when it comes to tailgating, No. 10 is a really solid mark. Pittsburgh also has one of the biggest fan bases in the entire NFL, and it’s a fan base that travels extremely well. So even if the tailgate may not be as rowdy as what goes on in parking lots down in New Orleans, you can count on Steelers fans to pack the stadium wherever the team may be playing.
Steelers fans will have the opportunity to tailgate at Acrisure Stadium for a Week One home opener for the first time since 2014 when the Steelers take on the San Francisco 49ers on Sept. 10. That eight-year gap between hosting Week One games is the fifth-longest since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, so Steelers fans should enjoy the opportunity, especially since it’s unlikely to reoccur in 2024.
