The official nickname for the Pittsburgh Steelers fan base in the National Football League is Steeler Nation. In the team’s 1978 highlights film, NFL Films narrator John Facenda originated the phrase.
The term “Steelers Country” is frequently applied to the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, region where the fan base originated or to places where the Steelers have a sizable following.
Since the 1970s, the Pittsburgh Steelers have had a sizable fan base and have surpassed the Pittsburgh Pirates as the city’s most well-liked sports team.
The Steelers have a 9.8 million-strong social media following and an average attendance of 62,237, per the rankings. The fourth-ranked NFL fandom, which the Steelers’ ardent supporters may find offensive, is what most surprises us about the rankings.
Although the fervor of Pittsburgh’s sports supporters has never been in doubt, it never hurts to gain some national attention. According to Forbes, Steelers supporters are fourth-most passionate in the nation.
Forbes combined local television ratings, attendance, sales of goods, secondary ticket demand, social media reach, and hometown audience reach to create the rankings.
Western Pennsylvanians have supported the Steelers since 1933. The 1933 NFL season saw the Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles begin to play after Pennsylvania loosened its blue laws to permit sporting events in the state on Sundays.