It may come as a ‘shock’ to some, but the national media failed to recognize Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Steelers again on Wednesday. This time, it came in the form of “Best Sports Cities in America” on First Take on ESPN which is hosted by Stephen A. Smith and Chris “Mad Dog” Russo.
Browns fans wear paper bags over their heads because their football team is so bad. Photo // USA Today
Smith has been known for his Steelers fandom and the great respect he has for the Steelers’ organization as a whole. Russo on the other hand, went out of his way to snub the City of Champions in favor of… Cleveland?
Don’t believe me? Take a look for yourself:
Perfection. pic.twitter.com/eZvkQm3ULx
— Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz (@LeBatardShow) June 15, 2022
I know what you’re probably thinking; Russo is considering Best Sports Cities, not selectively football, baseball, hockey, or otherwise. But with that said, football is a big driver in determining those cities’ success. Sure, baseball has been known as ‘America’s Pastime’ ever since it was created in 1876, but football is six years older and has had a much larger footprint in American sports for over five decades. In that time, football has grown into a game that takes over American weekends for almost six months out of each year, almost every American is a loyal follower in some capacity, and the best league (the NFL) attracts over 17 million viewers on average per game. With that being said, Pittsburgh should be considered one of the top, if not number one, sports cities in America.
Let’s go back for a moment to Russo’s reasoning as to why he thinks Cleveland is the best city:
“Without any question, it knows the kind of city it is. It’s gritty, doesn’t pretend it’s anything it isn’t, the Cavs (Cavaliers), they don’t have hockey, which bugs me, but still. The Cavs, the Guardians, and… the Browns!”
That reasoning to me is atrocious. To hang one’s hat on the Browns being one of the determining factors in what makes the “best” sports city is an insult to Pittsburgh.
Let’s take the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Penguins off the table for a moment...
The Steelers alone can debunk all of what Russo described. The numbers speak for themselves. Looking at the listed Cleveland teams, they hold a combined 12,096-11,945-14 (a 50.31% winning percentage) all-time record. Included in that record is 34 combined playoff appearances and three championships. Needless to say, you can’t find a Lombardi Trophy in Cleveland.
Now, let’s look at the Steelers.
The Steelers hold an all-time record of 652-563-22 (a 53.6% winning percentage). Included in that is 63 playoff appearances, a league-leading 36 playoff win count, and a league-leading six Super Bowl championships in that time. There’s no argument from Cleveland to be made based off that simple comparison; advantage, Pittsburgh.
Steelers' QB Ben Roethlisberger takes his final victory formation against the Browns at Heinz Field/ JSKO_PHOTO (twitter)
For those who are reading this in Cleveland, I’m sure you’re asking, “what about the Pirates?” So, let’s throw the Pirates and Penguins back in the mix to even it out.
For all the Pittsburgh teams combined, they hold an all-time record of 13,250-12,906-405 (a 50.65% winning percentage) with 117 playoff appearances and 16 championships. To put it in layman’s terms, Cleveland still falls short in that consideration as well.
There is no denying the Steelers play a critical part in proving Pittsburgh’s case to be considered as the City of Champions. Without the Steelers’ success, Pittsburgh would be nowhere in the sports world. One would argue that without the Steelers, the city of Pittsburgh would be like any other city looking for their first Super Bowl championship. The Steelers don’t make Pittsburgh the top football city in the AFC North division, the AFC conference, or in the entire NFL.
The Steelers single-handedly make Pittsburgh the greatest sports city in America.
From the six Lombardi Trophies lining the Steelers’ front office, to the 36 playoff wins, to an entire wing of the Football Hall of Fame being dedicated to the Steelers, that speaks more than, “…and the Browns!” Not to mention the likes of Bill Nunn, the Rooney Rule, and players like Mel Blount and Hines Ward who rewrote the NFL rule book, the Steelers made their mark on the sport of football.
Watching Smith’s reaction to Russo proclaim Cleveland being the “Number One Sports City in America” is a reflection of sports fans everywhere; let alone in Pittsburgh. Russo may have just needed his viewer count to go up for the month, but hoisting Cleveland above Pittsburgh isn’t the right way to do that. Russo may want to go back to the drawing board before making his argument again on national television.
Do you think Cleveland is a great sports city? How do you think they match up with the Steelers and Pittsburgh? Let us know in the comments below!
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