Image and reputation seem to be everything sometimes, and it seems to start with one’s name.
Sometimes the name an NFL team chooses for itself isn’t too important, but that name can take on a much greater meaning over time when that team starts to accumulate lots of success.
Jason Kelce, the star center for the Philadelphia Eagles, recently said on Twitter that the Pittsburgh Steelers have “the greatest name in the NFL.”
As much as I love both of these names, to me there is one clear favorite, and I have endorsed this team the entire competition, and will continue to endorse the Pittsburgh Steelers as the greatest name in the NFL. Fandom aside, what it represents is just too good to deny.
The Steelers were founded in 1933 as the Pittsburgh Pirates by Art Rooney, even though the city’s MLB team had the same name, and by the start of the 1940s, they adopted their current moniker.
Their name and logo are believed to be a tribute to the steel industry, which was huge in Pennsylvania during the mid-20th century and helped create America’s robust middle class during that time.
Of course, the team has had tremendous success, winning four Super Bowls during the 1970s thanks to their Steel Curtain defense and adding two more world championships in this century behind quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
That success has led to them building arguably the NFL’s biggest and most loyal fanbase, even outside of Western Pennsylvania.
Those fans are known for waving yellow towels known as “Terrible Towels,” even when the team is playing on the road.
This season was a frustrating one at times for Pittsburgh due to poor play from quarterback Kenny Pickett, but they still managed to win 10 games to preserve head coach Mike Tomlin’s mark of never finishing with a losing record since taking over in 2007.
