I was at Sam’s Club the other Sunday and I ran in to four separate families I know. At one point, I ran into a good friend of mine who’s a New Englander and a Pats/Sox/Bruins die hard. While we were talking, another good friend of mine (and BTSC editor) approached to say hello. I introduced my two friends to one another and prefaced it with the disclaimer that my friend from the Northeast is quite possibly the only cool Pats fan I know. The jestful response I got from my black-and-gold-veined buddy was...”Wow. I didn’t know that existed.”
We had a laugh and eventually all went our separate ways in a race to get all the good samples.
I thought about that introduction and brief summit between Steelers Nation and my Pats Fan buddy (ironically named Pat). It left me to wonder which team’s fan base Steelers fans consider the most obnoxious.
So, for your consideration, here’s a list of certain NFL team supporters that are most irritating. These fan stables are so chafing, the burn from the Aqua Velva is as unpleasant as finding baby pictures of your spouse wearing a Browns onesie.
But before I begin, let me preface this with the fact that I approach opposing fans like I approach anybody. Just don’t be an a-hole to me and we will have the potential to be lifelong friends.
Philadelphia Eagles
A large majority of Steelers Nation fans don’t find their state-mate’s backers as annoying as they do despicable. If this was a poll on worst behavior, the Cheesesteak-heads would be favorites. They may get even more annoying now that the Lombardi resides in Eastern PA, but they were included mostly for the sole reason of highlighting below the depravity of those who sing, “Fly Eagles, Fly”.
- YouTube videos of vicious fights at Lincoln Financial Field are pretty much a Monday morning occurrence in the fall.
- The website Woot! once targeted Philly fans in a battery advertisement due to their penchant for chucking them at opposing teams.
- In both playoff games this year, fans were arrested for punching police horses in the face. Freaking horses!
- Booing and throwing snowballs at Santa Claus started in 1968. You know they’re gonna celebrate that golden moment this December.
- Family members of mine from Chicago went to an Eagles-Bears game in the 90s at the Vet. Their eight-year-old had the audacity to wear a Bears jacket. He was harassed the entire game.
- A fan set off a flare gun in Veterans Stadium in 1997.
- There was a jail and court was held in the bowels of both stadiums by the presiding judge Seamus P. McCaffrey. The jail was done away with a couple of years ago. But things were so bad, fans had to be incarcerated.
- Last year when a 99-year old Vikings fan named Millie was given tickets by the NFL to attend a Minnesota playoff game, fans in Philly held up an unedited sign that said, “F@#$ Millie”. Classy. Millie was offered tickets to go to the NFC Championship Game in the City of Brotherly Love. She declined.
Dallas Cowboys
Dallas fans are insufferable, especially the ones that emerged from that great run in the mid-90s. Fans of the Steelers and Cowboys will always clash because of the great battles for supremacy in the decade of the 70s. They’ve taken the moniker of “America’s Team” and the inquiry of “How ‘bout dem Cowboys” to a level of entitlement that exceeds most annoyance levels. If you want to rile up a Dallas fan, remind them that the Rooneys legitimately declined the title of “America’s Team” that they so loudly boast, thus they landed it by default.
Buffalo Bills
Again, these guys made the list for sheer entertainment reasons. The “Bills Mafia” make English soccer fans look like the upper crust of society. These are long-suffering fans that turn tailgates into drunken WWE events by bodyslamming each other, their wives and girlfriends onto tables. The city of Jacksonville banned the sale of folding tables to anybody with out-of-state IDs when they hosted Buffalo in the playoffs in January. They aren’t annoying as much as they are simply trashy. If a guy wants to get obliterated and jump off the top of an RV onto a burning table, fine with me. I’m not paying the deductible. But if a guy in LeSean McCoy merch comes to the door to date my daughter, he’d better run.
Baltimore Ravens
I live in Maryland and my annoyance for “Ratbird” backers runs pretty deep. I even considered banning purple from my house. The truth is this...Baltimore fans hate Steelers Nation with much more intensity than we hate them. It comes from a deep jealousy of Pittsburgh’s great tradition of winning and regret about merely being the bastard sons of Art Modell.
My contempt for Ravens Rooters has calmed recently, especially after the honorable way they, as a franchise and fan base, empathized with us during the Ryan Shazier injury. However, I’m still reluctant to take my family to a game at M&T Bank Stadium where some people habitually go out of their way to harass Steeler fans. My biggest problem with Ravens fans is the manner in which they retreat during a down year. They have no problem bragging about their dominance when they’re winning, but as soon as a losing season occurs...they’re gone. Also, they will never come to grips with the fact that they were once the Cleveland Browns.
New England Patriots
Patriot fans are absolutely arrogant, that’s why it was so sweet to watch them lose in the Super Bowl. The biggest reason Pittsburgh fans take exception with Pats fans is they never let us forget their head-to-head dominance during the Brady/Belichick era. Here are other reasons to find disfavor with the group of fans affectionately known as “Massholes”...
- The franchise has been around since 1960, but most fans believe that the history books start in 2001. A majority of fans couldn’t tell you who Raymond Berry, Steve Grogan or Stanley Morgan were. If they name-drop Scott Zolak, you know that you’re in the presence of a true Pats fan.
- The over use of the phase “You hate us, cause you ain’t us” and “Do your job” is grating, especially in that accent.
- The constant over-justification of cheating. It’s okay with them. When they do get caught red-handed, they cry persecution and break out the aforementioned phrase. Seriously though, the best possible person to marry is a Patriots fan...they don’t care if you cheat.
- The G.O.A.T., I swear some of these people have a crucifix fashioned to their wall with a Tom Brady McFarlane on it instead of Jesus.
- The fire alarm incident before the AFC Championship game. Enough said.
Maybe I am jealous. No....Well, maybe.
Cincinnati Bengals
I’m showing my hand here. This is my choice for most vomit-inducing of fan bases. I can’t stand most Cincinnati fans I come across. They abhor Steelers fans and act as if their team of thugs are persecuted choir boys and accuse Pittsburgh of the very thuggery their players commit. For the most part, they lack football knowledge and more so lack tact. They were unsympathetic after the Shazier injury and largely blamed it on his “dirty” style of play. I’m sure there are good Bengals fans, but I’ve yet to meet one. I loved the images of them filing out in droves early in the fourth during a Steelers visit in 2014. Oh and “Who Dey?”....What does that even mean?
Oakland Raiders
A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, Obi-Wan Kenobi described the Mos Eisley Spaceport by saying, “You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy”. Obviously, Old Ben never attended a Raiders game. “Black Hole” dwellers are a terrifying bunch. They put a Steelers fan in a coma in 1990. “What was his transgression?”, you ask. He was wearing Steelers garb. You can get stabbed in the parking lot at a Raiders game by a guy dressed like a reject from a Mad Max movie. Opposing players do not let their families go to games there. My cousin married a Raiders fan and I actually got along with him real well. But I was mortified when he showed me two scars on his head, “This one is from the Broncos Game in ‘87, this is the Seahawks fight in ‘89”. It was bad in Oakland, bad in Los Angeles and the culture probably will move with them to Vegas — quite the wholesome locale.
Seattle Seahawks
Nationally, “the 12th Man” is getting negative notoriety for being an unruly fanbase. Steelers Nation has little problem with them, but the annoyance lies in their inability to accept the loss in SB XL. I realize that there were some questionable calls, but the Steelers still won that game by a sizable enough margin. I remember when a diner in Seattle got in trouble for spitting on a Steelers fan’s cheeseburger before serving it to them. Wow! All I can say is wow.
Cleveland Browns
Neither I, nor Steelers Nation really have a huge problem with “the Dawg Pound.” Any trash they talk merely stems from years of frustration which comes from being another city’s bitch year after year. Actually Pittsburgh fans mourned for them when Art Modell moved the team in 1995. But know this, when they finally reemerge..the hate will be great.
Pittsburgh Steelers
To quote Michael Jackson, “I’m talking to the man in the mirror”. Truthfully we aren’t the worst, but in no way are we not above this list. I was at a Ravens game tailgating in full Steelers garb and was sure to be very respectful of my hosts. Then this drunken boob in a Steelers jersey stumbled by and started yelling at all the fans. My friend, a Ravens fan, looked at me and tried to bet me five bucks that the next thing that “drunky” would say would be something about six rings. I’m glad I didn’t get a chance to take that bet. It happened almost immediately.
As a writer for BTSC, I’ve encountered some terrible behavior in the comments section. I know every team has rude and misguided fans, but we could be above that. We are also a bit spoiled as well, but that is bound to happen when you follow one of the greatest franchises in the history of sports.
Back in January 2005, I sat alone in complete devastation as the seconds drained from the clock in the AFC Championship Game. My friend left the stadium and staggered back to the hotel, but I chose to stay. I was not wanting to encounter possible anger from drunken fans after that bad loss. As I sat alone in the stands after the game, I felt like I just might be the last Steelers fan in the stadium. Joe Namath was on hand to present the Lamar Hunt trophy to New England. I walked up closer to the railing in Section 125 to get a better look. Standing among a small throng of Pats fans, I decided that I just couldn’t handle it and turned to leave. I was sporting a Joey Porter jersey, and was surprised when a guy in a Ty Law jersey didn’t see me and ran smack into me. Something told me a confrontation was imminent. But he turned and apologized profusely. Without cracking a smile, I extended my hand to him and wished him luck in the Super Bowl. “You’re kidding me? You’re the nicest Steelers fan I’ve met this trip. Will you take a picture with me?”, he asked with a shocked expression. I agreed, but told him that I refused to smile. We posed, shook hands and I left the stadium with my head held a little higher. The reason I’m recounting this incident is simple. All fans root for their teams for the same reason that I root for the Steelers. We’ve got the same sporting hopes, dreams and pride. But we’re all just people wearing different laundry. I know I negatively portrayed certain fan bases in this piece, but there are good people repping these teams too. Unfortunately, though, the bad ones give fan love a bad name. Let’s start making it better by extending a hand too.
Poll
What NFL team’s fans do you find the most annoying?
This poll is closed
-
14%
Bengals
-
0%
Bills
-
1%
Browns
-
15%
Cowboys
-
9%
Eagles
-
39%
Patriots
-
6%
Raiders
-
6%
Ravens
-
2%
Seahawks
-
4%
Steelers