Tuesday, September 23, 2014
There’s nothing quite like an impromptu road trip to see the Pittsburgh Steelers play on the road.
Or was Sunday night’s 37-19 win over the Carolina Panthers labeled a home game on the schedule, because that’s what it felt like.
In the streets of Charlotte before the game, inside Bank of America Stadium even after the game and at the Charlotte airport Monday morning — there was black and gold everywhere.
“Here We Go Steelers, Here We Go!,” echoed through the stadium ramps and by the visitors tunnel down on the field, as Steelers fans gathered long after the final whistle.
To even the most basic football fan, that should not be surprising. “Steeler Nation” is nearly everywhere, and wherever it’s not, the most-faithful of fans travel long distances to wave their Terrible Towels in enemy territory.
It’s why Steelers fans are some of the best — or worst, depending on who you ask — in the NFL. It’s also why Sunday night in Charlotte was so amazing to see in person.
I had been to one other Steelers road game in Nashville two years ago. The Steelers lost 26-23 to the Tennessee Titans on a last-second field goal. While Carolina fans were much more outnumbered than I remember the Tennessee fans being, there was still a noticeable contingent.
Maybe the fact that both away games I’ve attended have been in southern cities known for their hospitality, but neither occasion led to any issues with the home team’s fans being unwelcoming to Pittsburgh fans. With what seems like weekly videos of fights breaking out inside stadiums, it’s nice to know there are still good people that attend football games.
In fact, I met two of them at halftime of Sunday night’s game. I was standing at a charging station — which, by the way, is one of the greatest concepts ever when your phone is at 1 percent and you have to meet friends after the game — when two Panthers fans walked up next to me to plug in as well.
We got to talking, and they were amazed at the number of Pittsburgh fans that made the trip. I told them that many probably live in Charlotte, or nearby, and this is the one time they get to see them play this year.
One of the ladies said she was from New York and converted to a Panthers fan when she moved to Charlotte. Then she wondered aloud why others don’t do the same thing.
That’s when I realized there are passionate fan bases and there are lifestyle fan bases.
Many NFL teams have passionate fan bases, but very few have lifestyle fan bases. Pittsburgh is one of them. When I studied abroad in Florence, Italy, I watched Super Bowl XLV at a Steelers bar. Rome has one of the best international Steelers bars.
I equate it to a college football fan base almost anywhere in the south, and places like Columbus, Ann Arbor and Happy Valley in the north. Just because you leave the towns when you leave the school doesn’t mean you stop being a fan.
Panthers fans weren’t the only ones commenting on the crowd, which felt like 50-50, but was probably more like 60-40 in favor of the home side.
The lede in Monday morning’s Charlotte Observer read: Midway through the fourth quarter Sunday night, the Terrible Towel-waving Pittsburgh fans out-numbered the remaining Carolina Panther fans waving their white flags at Bank of America Stadium. Surrender was in order.
One columnist wrote: Steelers fans turn stadium black and gold.
They weren’t kidding.
Kevin Connelly is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write him at kconnelly@vindy.com and follow him on Twitter, @Connelly_Vindy.