For Pittsburgh Steelers fans, gameday is about so much more than rolling up to the Acrisure Stadium, or settling down in front of the TV, to enjoy a competitive game of football. No, for Pittsburgh natives, gameday is a near-sacred event, and is one steeped in ancient history, tradition, superstition, and gameday rituals.
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Whereas sports fans in general are very superstitious, Steelers fans take things to a whole other level. There are so many traditions and rituals carried on gameday that it would be impossible for us to list each one. Whether you’re tailgating and grilling up some juicy ribs in the parking lot, or are sinking a few brewskis and winning a few bucks with strategic sports betting, it’s easy to see why gamedays for Steelers fans are so eagerly anticipated.
Looking to get involved yourself, place a few bets before the big game, or simply learn more about Steelers fan’s quirks and rituals? Here is your ultimate Pittsburgh Steelers gameday playbook.
Steelers Fan Rituals and Traditions
Some of the best things about being a Steelers fan, other than the camaraderie, are the numerous gameday fan rituals and traditions that have been passed down generations.
Whether you’re waving the ‘Terrible Towel’, are leading chants and cheers, or doing something as seemingly simple as wearing your favourite lucky Steelers black and gold jersey, it’s easy to get involved and keep these rituals and traditions alive.
A few popular Steelers fan rituals and traditions include:
Gameday Sports Betting
A hugely popular Steelers fan ritual is sports betting.
Across the States, and beyond in fact, betting on the NFL has become big business. Whether this is a fun little office pool, or spread betting, gameday is a fantastic opportunity for Steelers fans to add an additional element of excitement to the match, and potentially win themselves some money at the same time.
If you’re thinking of a cheeky wager or two, a few popular types of sports bet ideal for the NFL include:
Moneyline Bets
If you’re relatively new to sports betting, or if you just want to keep everything nice and simple, moneyline bets are perfect.
Moneyline bets are the simplest wagers in sports betting. You simply bet on which team you think will be the outright winner. It doesn’t really get any simpler than that and these types of bets are the most popular on big bookmakers like Betfree, bet365, BetMGM etc. As a Pittsburgh fan, you will of course back your beloved Steelers. Right?
Point Spread Bets
With point spread betting, you are essentially betting on the point margin between the two teams. Basically, if you’re backing the Steelers to win, you’d need to wager how many points you believe the Steelers will win by.
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A solo Steelers fans gets captured having a moment of anger about his favorite team.
Over/Under Totals
Over/under bets, or over/under totals, are sports bets in which you’ll wager the combined total number of points accumulated during a game.
Prop Bets
Finally, we have prop, or proposition bets.
Prop bets are a bit more involved as you’ll bet on the game, but not solely on the final score or the winners. Prop bets are typically based upon individual players.
If for example, you expected Jaylen Warren to go one better than last season, you’d wager that he would score 9 touchdowns.
The Terrible Towel
Perhaps the most iconic Steelers fan ritual is the waving of the Terrible Towel. Originally created in 1975 by broadcaster Myron Cope, the Terrible Towel is simply a gold or yellow Steelers towel that serves as an NFL sign of pride, unity, and passion.
The idea came about in 1975, during a playoff game against the Baltimore Colts. The Steelers were lackluster and the atmosphere in the stadium was dull as dishwater. Cope began swinging his towel and chanting in an effort to get the fans involved and improve the atmosphere. It most certainly worked.
Today, Steelers fans create a sea of gold thanks to their towels, and use them to hype up the crowd and celebrate big plays and sporting achievements.
The Renegade Anthem
The song ‘Renegade’ by Styx is the team’s unofficial anthem. It is usually played during the 4th quarter of a match and is combined with the twirling of the Terrible Towel. The idea here is again to get everybody pumped, and to intimate Steelers opponents and opposing fans.
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Pittsburgh Steelers fans wave their Terrible Towels aggressively as Styx famous song, Renegade plays during a home game at then-Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA.
Merchandise and Lucky Clothing
During matchday, it’s also not uncommon to see Steelers fans wearing their lucky Steelers jerseys, hats, scarves, and other pieces of merchandise, usually in the team’s iconic black and gold colors.
Even those watching from home may wear their lucky Steelers jersey, or setup a ‘homegate’ adorned with Steelers merch and colors, to show their support from home. Fans can even send videos of their homegate setups into the Steelers themselves, who may feature them on their official social media channels.
Tailgating
For Steelers fans, tailgating is almost as eagerly anticipated as the game itself.
Tailgating, in case you were wondering, is a hugely popular pre-game tradition in which fans will gather in the parking lots of stadiums, hours before a sporting event, show, or performance begins, and party, socialize, grill some delicious food, and enjoy a few drinks to get in the mood for the big event.
It gets its name from the fact that the tailgates of trucks and pickups are often lowered and used as tables to hold BBQs, grills, food platters, beer kegs, and plenty more besides.
Hours before a Steelers game begins, fans gather in the parking lot of the Acrisure, lower their tailgates, crack open a few drinks, and enjoy some delicious food. Common tailgating dishes enjoyed on gameday include smoked sausage and pepper sandwiches, Pittsburgh Kielbasa sausage and pierogies, smash burgers, tater tots, loaded fries, and black and gold chili dogs served with beef chili with black beans, corn and mustard.