The Pittsburgh Steelers provide numerous options for fans to stay updated and connected with their beloved team. Taking in games, either in-person at the stadium, from the comfort of your home, or even traveling to a game in say Las Vegas, is just one aspect of being a devoted fan. Attending training camp is a unique experience for any fan and it offers a different environment to interact with the team. On Tuesday, the Steelers began offering free training camp tickets, and currently, they rank third in terms of the number of sessions open to the general public of 24 teams that have shared schedules.
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Steelers safety Damontae Kazee stretches during the 2022 training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Steelers' AFC North foe, the Baltimore Ravens, and the Kansas City Chiefs are both hosting fans for 18 open practices, according to respective team websites. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is hosting 16 practices in Latrobe that will all be free of charge to anyone with a mobile ticket, starting on July 27. Elsewhere around the division, the Cleveland Browns have 11 open sessions on their schedule and the Cincinnati Bengals will open up their doors to the general public on 10 occasions, with an additional four sessions available to season ticket holders and waitlisted members.
The Chiefs, the Detroit Lions, the Los Angeles Chargers, and the Miami Dolphins, like the Bengals, have some practices only available to select groups of people. The Minnesota Vikings have scheduled 12 open practices, but are charging $5 for anyone over the age of 17. The Philadelphia Eagles have just one practice scheduled open to the public and it's $10, but goes to the Eagles Autism Foundation.
Fans of the Houston Texans will only have three chances to see their team in training camp and it's not a shock to see that Bill Belichick's New England Patriots are keeping exposure low with just two public practices scheduled so far.
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin Lobbies For Fan-Friendly Schedule
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Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin on the sidelines during the pregame of the team's 2022 matchup with the New York Jets.
According to Bob Labriola, in a recent column on the team's official website, Head Coach Mike Tomlin pushed to have the league accommodate his schedule for training camp in part to help fans hoping to catch a weekend practice. Tomlin's request to have Mondays be the players' day off, according to Labriola, allows fans wanting to come to Latrobe the "advantage of two entire weekends of scheduled practices before the start of the preseason game schedule."
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Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Connor Heyward (#83) catches a pass during the 2022 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Labriola defended that the team has done an excellent job in providing fans with plenty of access to the offseason program, even if the rules seem rather strange, in response to a question about the league's confusing policy regarding what can be reported from the Organized Team Activities portion. Whether through traditional media outlets, or the team's page, there's been plenty of content from the football in shorts portion, which Labriola said isn't a common thing around the league. Many teams, he said, do not allow media at all for a large portion of the offseason.
He trumpeted the effort of the organization, from the team president to the head coach, to go above and beyond the rules to put fans first. Whether that means freer access to information about the team or more chances to see the team live, like in training camp. He said the team has kept admission and parking free at training camp for decades in contrast to others in the league that don't.
Winning Lombardi Trophies may be the ultimate goal of the organization every year, but it's always good to see that the franchise hasn't forgotten about one of the other pillars of what's made it so successful. That's the fans. Offering as much access to players as possible allows fans to develop connections, become more invested, and the Steelers understand that. There will always be a certain hold on information in pro sports to hold a competitive advantage, but giving behind-the-scenes access to fans is something here to stay.
Do you think the Steelers give enough access to fans? Where could they improve? Comment below!
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