The Pittsburgh Steelers have been in the NFL since 1933. They have been responsible for a lot of iconic moments in NFL history. James Harrison returned an interception 99 yards in Super Bowl XLIII. Lynn Swann's acrobatic aerial display won him a Super Bowl X MVP. In the process, it likely cost the game's true MVP, LC Greenwood, and his unofficial four sacks of Roger Staubach, the Hall of Fame. Not to mention the most iconic play in NFL history, the Immaculate Reception.
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Steelers James Harrison completes 100-yard TD return in Super Bowl XLIII
The history of modern football cannot be written without Pittsburgh. The Steelers have hosted 11 AFC Championship games since 1972. They have appeared in a total of 16 AFC Championship games. The city has never hosted an NFL championship. In the first 33 years of the NFL, when the NFL alternated the winners of the Eastern and Western Division champions as hosts, the Steelers just were not good enough to play in the game. As the Super Bowl Era progressed, the Steelers have never been tapped to host the NFL's biggest game.
According to an article on CBS Sports by John Breech released on Sunday, Roger Goodell is seriously considering awarding a Super Bowl to London. The information was first reported on ESPN.com by Adam Schefter. That is not London, Ohio, or London, Arkansas. That would be the slightly more famous London, England, where they are considering awarding a de facto American national holiday. Pittsburgh should consider spilling some tea into the Monongahela, Allegheny and Ohio Rivers in protest.
"It is not impossible, and it is something that has been discussed before," Goodell said via ESPN.com. "I think that is not out of the question. At the end of the day, I think right now our formula will stay the same about playing in cities that have franchises."
The NFL has been flirting with Europe for a few years now. With all due respect to the record crowds that the defunct World Football League produced, the European audience doesn’t get American Football. However, the rugby enthusiasts could help design a defensive scheme to stop the Philadelphia Eagles tush push. Philly fans might prefer a different moniker, but outside of the World War II Steagles, do Pittsburgh fans care what Philadelphia fans like?
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Steelers Acrisure Stadium
Goodell, as usual, is being disingenuous about awarding Super Bowls to cities with NFL franchises. 15 NFL cities have hosted at least one of the 57 Super Bowls. Miami, New Orleans, and Los Angeles have hosted 29 of the 57 games. The NFL once again is talking the talk, but Goodell and his cronies have no intention of walking the walk.
"I think being able to play it in one of our cities, it's at a huge economic boost to those cities," Goodell said. "Our fans live in those cities also. I think that is important. Not that we do not have great fans [in London], we do. So, as the international series develops, maybe that is a possibility as we play more games here."
The NFL and Goodell only want to allow some NFL cities to host the Super Bowl. New York was awarded a cold-weather Super Bowl XLVIII. The Seattle Seahawks destroyed the Denver Broncos 43-8. It wasn't the first Super Bowl blowout, and it was not even the biggest point differential, but according to Nate Davis of USA Today, it was the worst Super Bowl of all time.
Steelers Greats Ben Roethlisberger and Jerome Bettis Believe New England Patriots Cheated And They Brought Receipts
The NFL has previously allowed what they considered a small city to host the Super Bowl. Jacksonville was awarded the game the Steelers should have been in during Ben Roethlisberger's rookie year. The alleged Spygate scandal kept him and Bill Cowher from the big game in what should have been an all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl. Many fans enjoyed the hospitality of Jacksonville, but the media hated it. It's a perceived mistake the NFL won't let happen again.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers went 15-1 during the 2004 season only to lose to the Patriots. New England has been accused of cheating during that game by many players.
Goodell and his band of NFL executives have no intention of allowing Pittsburgh, the only original NFL City that has never hosted an NFL Championship game or the Super Bowl, to get anywhere near hosting. Pittsburgh has been labeled incapable of hosting the game because of the available hotel rooms and the amenities to accommodate the elite crowd that can afford Super Bowl tickets. Jacksonville got around the stipulations with a unique pitch by Wayne Weaver that used cruise ships as substitutes for hotel rooms.
Pittsburgh is not alone in being excluded from Super Bowl hosting consideration. Minneapolis and Detroit have hosted multiple Super Bowls in their domes. The Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, and the Steelers are among the NFL royalty in the 21st century. The cities they play in have better chances of winning the Powerball and buying Super Bowl tickets for their fans to attend than they do of hosting the game.
The cold weather arguments don't hold water after the New York/New Jersey open-air Super Bowl. The city was touted as the big attraction for awarding the game to the giant metropolitan area. The fact that the NFL is headquartered in New York City had absolutely nothing to do with it. Just ask them, and they will tell you.
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Steelers owners Dan Rooney and Art Rooney II accept a Lombardi Trophy from Roger Goodell.
Dan Rooney would hold the NFL's feet to the fire for pretending to allow Pittsburgh or any other small NFL city to be a serious contender to host the NFL showcase. If someone can pry Art Rooney II away from the Matt Canada crisis, they should remind him that his Dad would be scorching Goodell behind closed doors for this charade.
Goodell's soft denial is nothing more than a trial balloon meant to gauge the outrage of fans in American cities about moving the game to Europe. One of the biggest businesses in America, the NFL, is looking to export the significant economic boost that any host city gets from the Super Bowl out of the country. It's the same old song from a corporate giant. Sadly, they don't care if football fans in Pittsburgh want to sing along.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Do you believe the NFL is prioritizing a London Super Bowl over cities like Pittsburgh, with an all too transparent trial balloon? Please comment below or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq.
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