What It Means To Be a Pittsburgh Steelers Fan

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most popular franchises in all of professional sports. Everywhere that Pittsburgh plays you can be sure of one thing, there will be yellow towels waving.

Steeler Nation is a force to be reckoned with. They are everywhere. The most rabid fan-base in the sport.

The Steelers stand for tradition.

The franchise has been in the same family since 1933. The Rooney family is well-known amongst the Pittsburgh natives and their willingness to accept everyone brings a unique family atmosphere to the fan-base.

When the steel industry collapsed, it let a lot of people feeling unsatisfied and hurt. People had lost their jobs and morale around the city was down. The Steelers filled the emptiness inside of those people and it brought them joy.

It is not every day that we can find an outlet or a way to cope with our struggles, but the Steelers family brings comfort. We know that every Sunday we can go out and root on our team that will play their hearts out.

In the late-'70s and early-'80s the Steelers were the class of the NFL. This helped rebuild the Steel City and it kept the hopes of their citizens alive.

One of the most overlooked aspects of the Steelers is that they are a small-market team. The city population is around 350,000 people, yet you see the Black and Gold represented everywhere.

The Steelers are an attitude.

Tough. Blue-collar. Hard-working. They bring this to the field every week. The Steelers aren't a finesse team. They get in there and do the dirty work. Pittsburgh struggles for every yard.

That is part of the reason why the team is so popular in all areas of the United States. Americans know the struggle. They know you have to work hard.

The Steelers attitude transcends country lines. Even south of the border people are waving the terrible towels.

People can relate to the team. There aren't any diva players who put themselves before the team. It is one cohesive unit, and that is refreshing to see in modern sports.

The Steelers give back.

A symbol of Steeler Nation is the Terrible Towel. The Terrible Towel is the heartbeat of a Steelers fan. The passion runs through our veins all the way to our fingers and it escapes through the waving of the towel.

You have to be at a game in Heinz Field to appreciate the beauty of what happens when everyone gets together. Everywhere you look, there is just a sea of yellow.

It envelopes the stadium and chills run down your spine when you catch a glimpse of this magical sight.

Apart from giving an incredible experience to football fans at football games, the Terrible Towel does much more.

Proceeds from buying a towel go directly to the Allegheny Valley School in Coraopolis, PA. It is in institution that provides care for over 900 people with mental retardation and physical disabilities, including the founder of the Terrible Towel Myron Cope's son.

In total the Terrible Towel has raised over $2.5 million for the school.

The Steelers are a family.

After everything I've mentioned, I'm sure you've realized how close knit the entire Steelers' family is.

Steelers football encompasses an entire city and it spreads across the entire world.

The team means more than just football to a lot of us. It is an escape mechanism, a charity, an attitude, a heartbeat.

Steelers football is a way of life.