According to the 2007 Turnkey Team Brand Index, the Steelers ranked first among 122 team brands in the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB in home-market strength.
"The Steelers are the model brand for a team," Turnkey's president and chief executive, Len Perna, said in a statement. "Down through their history, ownership, players, coaches, stadium and style match the hard-nosed work ethic of their city."
The survery asked fans in each market twenty questions - 14 to assess popularity, and 6 to measure loyalty. The study has obvious shortcomings: smallish sample size, the study's not conducted over many years when teams are likely to endure both winning and losing seasons, etc.
In this instance, I'm not sure it would matter. The Steelers are a remarkably strong brand in Pittsburgh, partly because of what I'd guess to be a lack of competition for sports entertainment dollars, and also because of the consistency in which the Rooneys have run the organization.
Go Steelers!