The Pittsburgh Steelers said goodbye to Ben Roethlisberger after the 2021 season ended in a blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Wild Card game. Roethlisberger had two memorable moments leading up to the playoff loss including a comeback road victory over the Baltimore Ravens to put the Steelers in the playoffs. His signature moment against the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football was his final farewell to the home crowd, which ended with cheers and tears for the end of an era.
Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger
Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger debuted to a growing audience until the recent live streams.
Roethlisberger has demonstrated no interest in coaching anyone but his son’s initial foray into youth football. He has resisted fan calls to take over the Steelers' offensive coordinator duties. The future Hall of Fame quarterback did not disappear from the public eye. He started the Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger podcast from the comfort of his basement with Spencer Te’o at the beginning of the 2022 season.
The show did solid numbers as a new podcast on YouTube, but it quickly became fodder for everyone from Pat McAfee to Robert Griffin III. Roethlisberger’s honest take on the state of the black and gold was both intelligent and controversial. The future Hall of Fame quarterback was unafraid to drop some scorchers in a sports landscape built on endless hot takes.
Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Explosive Response To "Bob Griffin"
The Steelers' all-time leading passer hinted on more than one occasion that he was forced into retirement because the Steelers did not want him back. He also indicated that he might have had the opportunity to return and play for Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers. Observations about Lamar Jackson's contract got him into hot water with clueless commentators. Roethlisberger also generated national news by confessing that he was rooting against his successor, Kenny Pickett, for some of his rookie season.
Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger
Steelers legendary quarterback recounts with shock and disgust critical blown call on fourth and one against Houston Texans.
The audience for Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger grew steadily during the 2022 season. The duo of Te’o and Roethlisberger broke 100,000 views for the first time in Episode 9 when they welcomed their third guest, Charlie Batch, to the podcast. James Harrison and Episode 15 held the record for most views at over 269,000 until the release of the most successful episode of the podcast to date. Episode 23, which saw Roethlisberger welcome Mike Tomlin, generated 466,000 plus views and currently holds the top spot on the podcast’s viewership on YouTube.
The last three episodes of the podcast, which have been streamed during games, have seen the viewership numbers crash. The Footbahlin live streams against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, and Green Bay Packers have all failed to equal Episode 39's 62,000 plus views, the last episode that did not occur during a Steelers game. The Packers live stream fell to just 25,000 views, the worst number the podcast has done since episode 22.
Episode 22 had nothing to do with the NFL and concentrated on Roethlisberger’s hunting hobby with Levi Morgan. Episode 42 during the Packers game is now the second fewest viewed podcast in the program's brief history. Roethlisberger’s livestream is more complicated to follow because the NFL’s streaming options are often out of sync with how much Steeler Nation watches. They are either slightly behind or ahead of the action, limiting the viewership of the stream.
Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger
Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger and Merril Hoge watch the Week 10 tilt with the Green Bay Packers.
It is not unique to Roethlisberger. ESPN’s Manningcast, which is simulcast during the Monday Night Football game, has been bleeding viewers. It is partially because people are not tuning out Joe Buck and Troy Aikman like they did the previous broadcast team. It is also partially because the live insight from Peyton Manning and Eli Manning has slipped into nonsensical interviews with very little focus on the game.
Roethlisberger, Te’o, and Merril Hoge, who have been part of two of the three live streams, have their moments, but not enough for fans to mute the game's live broadcast. The format works beautifully as a reaction program. Unless the NFL relents and allows them to show the video of what they are reacting to, which is highly unlikely to happen, the format should be scrapped. It is not the quarterback and his partner’s fault. They are trying to compete with the NFL instead of commenting on the NFL.
The Steelers' former quarterback was building a significant niche as an NFL commentator. It is doubtful that he started doing the podcast for anything but fun after earning nearly a quarter of a billion dollars during his NFL career. However, he is highly competitive, and based on the falling numbers for the live streams, he should reconsider the current live stream format.
AP
Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers held off the New York Jets on their way to the Super Bowl.
Roethlisberger's podcast was becoming appointment viewing for fans of the black and gold. His observations were being featured on national debate shows, but the podcast is retreating from relevance at this point. Roethlisberger has relevant and unique observations, but the live stream is not working. It is time to draw a play in the dirt and improvise. Roethlisberger was the best ever to play that kind of football at quarterback. Hopefully, it serves his podcast just as well.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Do you miss being able to concentrate on Roethlisberger's observations after the game has been played? Please comment below, or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq.
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