Steelers finish second behind Cowboys in ESPN Favorite Team poll

Rivalries run deep and across many generations. The battle over the "America's Team" moniker hasn't boiled down since the 1970s, and appears to be alive and well now.

An ESPN Sports poll determined the Pittsburgh Steelers are the second-most popular team in the country, finishing behind their old rivals, the Dallas Cowboys.

The Steelers and Cowboys have met in three Super Bowls, with the Steelers winning two of them. The Steelers have the most Super Bowl championships in the NFL, and Dallas and San Francisco are tied for second with five each. Both Pittsburgh and Dallas have eight Super Bowl appearances, tying for the most in the NFL.

According to ESPN, The poll was administered over a 12-month period from March, 2013 to March, 2014. It tracks fan base sizes and fan base demographics for all major sports through a monthly telephone survey of 1,500 Americans ages 12 and older.

The Green Bay Packers finished third, and the Denver Broncos finished fifth, giving the NFL four of the top five spots. The New York Yankees finished fourth.