No matter how you slice it, the Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the biggest brands in the National Football League. They have a rich tradition with arguably the greatest slew of former players of any franchise. Their six Super Bowls are tied with the New England Patriots for most in NFL history. American sports are becoming more global, specifically football.
Steelers.com
The Steelers have arguably the largest fanbase in the NFL.
The NFL has hosted several international games over the years, as they try to grow the brand around the world. The games have been held in three different prime locations: Germany, Mexico, and London. The Steelers’ big brand holds true internationally, as a recent study showed. According to Gambling.com, the Steelers have the sixth-highest percentage (38.7%) of international fans across the NFL.
The San Francisco 49ers were at the top of the list, as 51.1% of their fanbase comes internationally. Interestingly enough, the Steelers have actually only played one game outside of the U.S. since 2013. That is the only time they have played an international game, as they lost to the Minnesota Vikings in London. It's the lone game that the Steelers have participated in the NFL's International Series.
The Steelers have played in Ireland before, which could be a possible future destination. In addition to Mexico, the Steelers have built a large following in Ireland as well. The Vikings actually had the second-highest percentage at 44.5%, as they are tied with the Patriots. More specifically, the black and gold have seemed to build a particularly large following in Mexico.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers fans celebrate during the Christmas Eve game vs. Las Vegas Raiders in the 2022 regular season.
In fact, 9.2% of the Steelers fanbase resides in Mexico. Only the Dallas Cowboys had a higher percentage (9.8%) of their fanbase reside in Mexico. Gambling.com used HypeAuditor to analyze the social media following of every team in the NFL. From this, they gathered the number of international fans for each NFL fanbase. At some point, it seems likely that the NFL will expand and add a few more teams.
Will Steelers have an international game soon?
A recent report suggested that the NFL may add a European-only division in the near-future. While it would make travel and overall logistics difficult, it would continue to expand the league’s brand. It’s clear that they have a following big enough to make things happen. Football continues to be the king of American sports, and they could make that an even larger gap with the international following.
The NBA's international following has seemingly always overtaken the NFL's, but that gap has closed significantly. The interaction between the Steelers and the Mexican culture was on full display back in 2021. After the Monday Night Football victory over the Chicago Bears, then-rookie running back Najee Harris’ interview went viral. Harris tried his best to speak some Spanish in the interview, which gained him some fans in the meantime.
-544x306.jpg "Steelers Najee Harris")
Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (@JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Steelers running back Najee Harris (#22) takes a handoff from Kenny Pickett (#8) against the New York Jets in Pittsburgh, PA.
Fast forward to the 2022 NFL Draft, and the Steelers actually did their draft pick announcement from Mexico. Guess who they sent there to make the pick? Yep, Najee Harris. Now, they just need to add an international game to the schedule in the next few years.
When do you think the Steelers will play their next international game? Do you think the black and gold have the biggest fanbase in the world? Will the NFL eventually expand and add a team (or two) from outside the United States? Share your opinions and thoughts on this in the comment section below, yinz!
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