Steelers' Art Rooney II Strongly Rejects Idea For Big Change: "Not In My Lifetime"

The Pittsburgh Steelers may not be fans of change, but after the blockbuster news of Mike Tomlin's departure, they had no choice but to accept some level of that. Now, it's up to new Head Coach Mike McCarthy to make his necessary alterations to help fix this team and make it a true threat again. The past is nice and all, but to truly thrive at the NFL level, franchises have to continue to adapt and look toward the future. Fans will see just how well Pittsburgh will do that with the new regime. 

While making an appearance on Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Show, Team Owner Art Rooney II announced that he would stay stubborn about one particular tradition: keeping the stadium outdoors. However, this is likely a stance that many in Steeler Nation may agree with.

"Not in my lifetime, let’s put it that way,” Rooney said regarding the potential for a dome stadium. "Football is an outdoor sport as far as I’m concerned, and I think most Pittsburghers would agree. There’s nothing better than going out and seeing the game with the snow flying and it’s a lot of fun on those kinds of days."

This question came up due to the idea of Pittsburgh hosting a Super Bowl being presented to him. He admitted that it would be fun, but it would almost certainly never happen. Michael David Smith of NBC Sports also reported that the infrastructure of the city is not exactly built for that kind of event, so having a dome may not be too helpful in bringing the big game to Western Pennsylvania.

"Pittsburgh also doesn’t have enough hotel rooms for a Super Bowl, which would mean getting the game would require having thousands of attendees stay in cruise ships on the Three Rivers, similar to what Jacksonville did with cruise ships in the St. Johns River when it hosted Super Bowl XXXIX," Smith wrote. "That’s not impossible, but Rooney knows it’s unlikely."

With that out of the question, the idea of having a dome versus open air stadium has no merit in the eyes of Rooney. Acrisure Stadium is definitely a unique one in a few ways, and the experience there is like no other. If a roof were to be put on a new field, it would be very hard to have as great of an experience as it currently does. The open air and current structure of the building does way more than what meets the eye.

The big home-field advantage that the Steelers have comes from the kicking game. The structure of the stadium can create crosswinds, which severely effects field goals, especially from long distances. Only one man has mastered the rough conditions at Acrisure Stadium, and that's Chris Boswell. For any other kicker, the record for longest field goal is only 54 yards, compared to 59 for Boswell. 

Steelers Are Trying To Fix 1 Big Issue With Supposed Advantage

Usually, the terrible weather conditions would favor the home team, as they are used to it. In this case, Pittsburgh has been terrible in recent years when dealing with precipitation, even against teams that rarely have to deal with it like the Dallas Cowboys or the Arizona Cardinals. There may be a cult following around the NFL with snow games, but that may die off quickly in Pittsburgh if the Steelers keep losing in them. 

Once the Steelers get back to being prepared for bad weather, they will have even more of a home-field advantage, especially in the last half of the season and the postseason. To survive in the AFC, you have to be able to handle the cold and the precipitation. If not, you will be stuck in the middle to lower tiers of the conference, unable to make any true noise.

What do you think about Rooney refusing to ever have a dome for the Steelers' stadium? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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