After a hard-fought battle, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost in the championship matchup this past Sunday. No, I don’t mean the Super Bowl; I’m obviously referring to the New Heights podcast’s “Best NFL Team Name Bracket Finals.”
The New Heights podcast, hosted by NFL-playing brothers Travis and Jason Kelce, blew up this past year, becoming the No. 1 most listened to sports podcast on Spotify in 2023. The success of their respective teams (Chiefs and Eagles) certainly helped, along with the beginning of a certain celebrity couple that broke the Internet this past year. The podcast is known for its fun, lighthearted tone, insider analysis from the players, and spectacular fan engagement through numerous competitions such as this “Best NFL team name bracket.”
In the final round of the bracket, the Steelers faced off against the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings received 60.6 percent of fan votes on X, as opposed to the Steelers 39.4 percent, perhaps finally getting a modicum of revenge for Super Bowl IX when the Steelers beat the Vikings, 16-6.
I’d say that the Steelers were certainly the favorite as their iconic name traces its origin back to 1940 when Art Rooney switched the name from the Pirates to the Steelers to honor Pittsburgh’s booming steel industry. Over time, the Steelers name became synonymous with the city itself: gritty, hard-working, and loyal players and fans. During the Steelers dynasty in the 1970s, the legendary nickname of the “Steel Curtain” was born, to label the dominant defensive line of Mean Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Ernie Holmes, and Dwight White. “Steeler football” carries a certain weight in the NFL, commonly referenced by players, coaches, and media when describing the Steelers’ tough, defensive, smashmouth identity. The name embodies everything that Pittsburgh is about, and its legacy has lasted for generations of Steelers teams and fans, from the Terry Bradshaw days through the Ben Roethlisberger era.
On their path to the finals, the Steelers bested the Texans in the first round, followed by their division-rival Ravens, then the Titans, and finally the Bills in the semifinals. The Vikings beat the Eagles in the semifinals — the latter likely only made it that far because of Jason Kelce’s association with the team — to get to the finals. The Minnesota Vikings established their name in 1960 based on the Scandinavian culture common throughout their home state as thousands of Norwegian and Swedish immigrants moved to Minnesota in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The Steelers were robbed of this championship, but I’m sure the fans are happy enough with our six Super Bowl rings compared to the Vikings’ zero.
