Pittsburgh Steelers: 3 Reasons the Steelers Get Overlooked

On any given day around any give water cooler the question is asked "Who do you think is going to win the Super Bowl this year?".  The popular answers this year seem to be the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles. 

Other answers are likely to include the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets or Atlanta Falcons.

In my experience, it is very rare for a non-Pittsburgh Steelers fan to mention them in teams likely to win the big game.  Why is that?  In the next few slides I'll address three reasons why I believe this takes place.

Reason 1: The Flash Factor

Few teams are as stable as the Pittsburgh Steelers.  With three head coaches since 1969 and only 16 in the franchises entire existence, this team has been a model of consistency. 

They don't make splashy free-agency moves, they build through the draft and they win with defense.  Mike Tomlin doesn't have the outgoing personality as Rex Ryan.  The team as a whole focuses week-by-week on the season at hand. 

They represent a hard-nosed city and the team reflects that.  Blue collar, ground-and-pound or any number of other description similar to these apply.  This lack of pizazz keeps them out of the limelight.  To put it bluntly, this team is boring.

Reason 2: The Fantasy Football Factor

Fantasy football is a wonderful thing.  WONDERFUL!  It's because of fantasy football that all NFL games interest me.  How is player X off team X doing this week?

The NFL is a star-driven league and we are a star-driven culture.  We love the larger than life lives of celebrities and the larger than life talent of certain NFL players.

According to Yahoo Sports, the Steelers have three of the top 50 players for this year's fantasy football drafts.  Rashard Mendenhall at number five, Mike Wallace at number 28 and Ben Roethlisberger at number 47.  Not bad, right?

Really it's not, but considering that we have the same number of players in the top 50 as the Houston Texans and the Dallas Cowboys, I wonder if the Steelers get lost in the shuffle.  Could it be that people look at individual stats and accomplishments more than the overall team's strength?

Reason 3: The Hatred Factor

Usually you either love the Pittsburgh Steelers or you hate them. There doesn't appear to be any middle ground.

According to projo.com, in a poll taken by ESPN in 2009, the Steelers were voted the third-most hated NFL team. On the flip side, a Harris Poll in 2006 had the Steelers as the most popular team.

Just from personal experience, I know I would never, EVER predict a Super Bowl appearance for either the Dallas Cowboys or New England Patriots. They are the two NFL teams I despise. I have often said that if either of those teams were playing Satan and his team of demons in a game of football, I would root for the devil himself.

A lot of people have that same hatred for the Steelers. Is it because of their success? Is it because they were born into a family that instilled the hatred in them? Who knows? It's probably due to a plethora of reasons.

Conclusion

Being overlooked nationally is nothing new for the Steelers.  One has to wonder if they actually prefer it that way.

They will fly under the radar as long as possible.  As mentioned in an earlier slide, this team shys away from the spotlight.  The prefer hard-nosed football to glitz and glam.  Their coach is stoic rather than one who seeks attention.

One has to wonder if they prefer it that way?  One should know they love it that way!

Thanks for reading.  As always, comments and criticisms are welcome.  God bless!