By Jacob Jensen
SteelerNation.com
If you've watched a Pittsburgh Steelers home game in the past couple of years, you might notice that there are a lot of empty seats. You might be thinking to yourself that wait, haven’t the Steelers sold out every game since 1972? The answer is yes. People buying the tickets isn’t the problem, it’s them actually going to the game.
In 2018, the Steelers were ranked 23rd overall in total attendance. That’s mostly due to the small stadium size, but another reason is that on average, only 92.8% of the seats were filled. That number is also in the lower third of the standings. Some of the reasons for this might be that fans rather watch the games on TV. One of the things that Steelers President, Art Rooney II complained is the amount of late games in Heinz Field. He believes that people don’t want to be up so late in the city on a Sunday or Monday night. That is a valid point, but it still irks me when I see seats not filled on game day.
Going to Heinz Field is an amazing experience. Being at a game live is something that TV can’t replicate. I’ve been to two Steelers games in my life and the experiences there have been far more exciting than the countless Minnesota Twins games I’ve been to.
I encourage everyone to make at least one visit to Heinz Field these next three years, and see quarterback Ben Roethlisberger live while you can. I think that we (as a fan base), need to show our support and fill those seats. Remember how packed Heinz Field was for the New England Patriots game last season? Imagine if we did that every game, and what kind of momentum boost that would give the players. Right now, the Steelers are in "win now" mode and with Big Ben being on a three-year contract, these next three years are going to be a roller coaster. There might be some dark days around the corner for the Steelers (remember how long it took to replace Terry Bradshaw), so go see a good team while you can.
Charles LeClaire - USA Today
Let's show our support this season and fill the seats. These men put their bodies on the line for the city, let's show them how much we appreciate it.
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!
#SteelerNation
