The standard is the standard: In Pittsburgh, Steelers football trumps politic
66,000 fans, 15,000 terrible towels, 5-10 MAGA hats
Before the Steelers kick off Monday night football against the Giants, I wanted to share a recap from last weekend's game.
Last Sunday, President Trump attended the Steelers Sunday Night Football game. Did it make a difference to Pittsburgh voters? To Steeler voters? On Sunday afternoon. I was checking the internet and eager to see what would happen. The top story about Donald Trump was his day job at McDonalds, so the pending game appearance wasn’t making the headlines.
A few weeks ago, I heard something on the radio or a podcast that I was listening to some podcast about how it would take an act of war or a natural disaster to bring the country together. (I’ve tried to find the podcast, but I just can’t remember exactly what I was listening to. I do know exactly where I was driving when I heard this statement.)
That statement stayed with me. I thought there has to be a way other than war or natural disaster to bring people together. On October 6, it was a sunny, unseasonably warm Sunday morning. The Strip District is often described as “Pittsburgh Neighborhood.” It is a mix of old and new businesses, and it is one of those places where you can find both tourists and locals. As I sat outside waiting for my eggs to arrive, I watched all of the visitors, all dressed in black and gold, walk down the street. And I felt hopeful. While this is likely not a national solution, I can say that Pittsburgh sports teams are one of those things that bring people with different views together. Being a Steelers fan is a shared identity in Pittsburgh. In before pandemic times, when people wore suits to work on a daily basis, you could often see businessmen and janitors talking about the Steelers.
You don’t door-knock during a Steelers game
In 2004, I worked as the manager of volunteers on the presidential campaign. My boss was a political consultant who only visited Pittsburgh every 4 years to run the presidential campaigns. He was very clear, we send volunteers out to door knock every day, but not during Steelers games. You don’t interrupt anyone when the game is on. I can hear him saying, “you will loose votes if you door knock during the Steelers game.”
Last week, when I heard that President Trump was planning to attend the Steelers game last night, I was concerned. First for the fans, would having the President at Heinz Field create a security nightmare? If fans showed up in campaign hats and t-shirts, would that start fights? Part of the magic of Pittsburgh sports is that all of the Pittsburgh teams have the colors Black & Gold and if you are going to a game, it is an unspoken rule. (I know this to be true because I accidentally wore my red winter coat to a hockey game. #pittsburghfail.) How would Trump’s staff explain the terrible towel to the former President? “Mr. President, this is a Pittsburgh thing and you should expect most of the fans to be carrying what looks like a bathroom hand towel.”
And I waited, I thought certainly, someone would write about this. Pro or con. Someone might say something about Trump attending the Steeler game. I couldn’t find anything.
And then I was gifted tickets to Sunday’s game. Getting tickets to a Steeler game is not an easy thing. The Steelers almost always sell out. There are no extra tickets or empty seats. Season ticket holders hold on to their seat licenses for generations. So when you are offered tickets to a game, you say yes. Especially tickets to a game when it is not freezing cold, raining or snowing.
Everyone should attend a Steelers game at least once
It has been at least 5 years since I’ve attended a Steelers game. When I tell someone I am from Pittsburgh and they ask me if I am a Steelers fan. My answer is, of course, I if you are born in Pittsburgh, you have to be a Steelers fan. Then I say I am a fan of the fans. Even if you don’t like sports, even if you don’t like football, there is something magical about the Steeler Nation.
I don’t know how to describe the experience of being in the stadium with 60,000 other people who are all dressed in black and gold. My guess is that at least 1 out of every 4 people had a terrible towel with them.
Extra security? Nope.
Before the game, we went a little earlier than I normally would head over to the stadium. We were not sure if there would be extra security. We entered the stadium by the FedEx great hall and it was business as usual. Not a secret service agent in sight.
I did talk to a friend who was sitting in a box on the same side of the stadium as President Trump. My friend reported that they did have to go through Secret Service to get to their seats.
A sea of black and gold, and a handful of red hats
As kick-off approached and the stadium filled up, it was clear that almost every fan chose to wear their black and gold gear over any candidate gear. I saw maybe five people in total wearing red “Make America Great Hats.”
An epic Pittsburgh halftime celebration
I thought maybe we would see more of President Trump at half-time. Not at all. During half-time, the Steelers honored the 50th anniversary of Super Bowl IX. The players who played on the winning team and their family members lined up on the end zone. It was an all-star lineup of Pittsburgh Steelers greats.
While former players Antonio Brown and Leveon Bell support Donald Trump, Joe Green, Jerome Bettis and the family of Franco Harris have endorsed Kamala Harris. You can read more about the former Steeler endorsements here.
A brief history of Steelers ownership & politics
So one of the other interesting things about Trump attending the game last week is that the Rooney family, who owns the Steelers team, has a close connection with President Obama. In 2008, Dan Rooney endorsed Barack Obama in his campaign for President. Dan Rooney was nominated by President Obama and served as the US Ambassador to Ireland from 2009 to 2012.
Dan Rooney was also the inspiration for the Rooney Rule. First adopted by the NFL in 2002, it has been adopted outside of the NFL. From the NFL website:
Through hiring best practices, the Rooney Rule aims to increase the number of minorities hired in head coach, general manager, and executive positions. This diversity enriches the game and creates a more effective, quality organization from top to bottom.
The Rooney Rule has come under criticism in recent years.
What about the woman who ran onto the field?
Oh yeah. That happened. It was strange.
In the third quarter, a woman ran onto the field holding a sign. She started at the end zone, and I’ll give her credit: she ran quite a few yards before she was stopped at the 45-yard line. No one could tell what her sign said. So it wasn’t clear if she was supporting Trump or protesting Trump.
After the game, we were walking away from the stadium and the woman was walking, well, getting a piggyback ride from someone. She was clearly drunk and asked the group she was with to take her to the nearest bar.
She has since been identified as Claudia Rose, a MAGA influencer. (KDKA, Newsweek) Her Instagram account links to her profile on the Playboy app.
The whole thing was just kind of sad and didn’t make much of a statement.
Black & Gold trumps red or blue.
My fears that bringing politics into the stadium would fracture the Steeler Nation were utterly unfounded. Pittsburghers are loyal to and united around the home team. I have been waiting to see if any local writers would cover the whole ordeal.
Trump did make the Late Show with Steven Colbert for misspelling the team name in his email. A week later, the Trump website still has not been updated.
A few things to look for in Monday Night Football
Apparently, Claudia Rose is coming back to Pittsburgh for a tailgate with MAGAMemecoin and Steven Steele. Via Twitter/x.com.
Both campaigns will be running ads during Monday Night Football. Via Pennsylvania Capital Star.
- , author of is in Pittsburgh this evening as the featured speaker of the Pittsburgh Arts & Lectures series.
Two more things!
Go Steelers!
Tuesday, October 29 @ 5pm is the deadline to request a mail-in ballot in Pennsylvania.
And Doug Emhoff was at pitt today; sad anniversary of Tree of Life.