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January 28, 2009
Why I'm a fan
I'm a hard-core Pittsburgh Steelers fan, one of the many who ring this planet, even in space. I have felt this way as long as I can remember, starting from age 10 when I made my own Terrible Towel by ironing on letters to mom's yellow dish towel.
For the past 22 years, wherever I've lived, I have watched every Steelers game with other fans, primarily at fan bars. My Sundays revolve around football. I own a custom Steelers jersey, life-size Ben Rothlisberger and Hines Ward wall art, six Terrible Towels, Steelers stadium blanket... Crazily, there's more, but you get the idea.
But why am I fan? What are the psycho-social reasons why I affiliate myself with a profit-producing entertainment enterprise? I divide my fandom into four categories:
Values
It can be hard to explain why I love the Steelers -- a brand, obviously -- as much as I do, but the most obvious reason is how the team's values coincide with mine: hard work, being humble, playing as a team. The team has been family-owned and managed for generations, another attractive quality. The Rooney family provides consistent evidence that its operating philosophy is driven by its values, not conveniently ignoring them to win at any cost. For as long as I remember, the team has always recruited and hired players who share a similar value system. It cuts those who violate those values. I take it as a point of pride the team's value system doesn't include scantily-clad cheerleaders on the sidelines. Just a distraction anyway. Even though the team has lost plenty of games, committed its share of blundering calls, it never compromised values. Its values are the brand.That's worth believing in. Consistency + time = loyalty.
Rituals and icons
Great athletes rely on rituals to help maintain consistent performance. Repetition creates muscle memory. The same is true with a brand. Repeating rituals, especially with iconic tools, builds familiarity into psychic memory. I wear the same Steelers jersey and scarf every week. I sit in the same bar seat week to week. My friend Amy always neatly folds her towel the same way, after every wave. Part ritual, part superstition. The Terrible Towel is iconic of our fandom. I grew up near Pittsburgh but never attended a game as a kid so I had to have my own Terrible Towel to watch every game, Steelers hat fixed atop my head. I waved my towel in front of the TV with the 59,000 people who were waving theirs at every game. I have six official Towels now, including the 2005 Super Bowl Terrible Towel and one dating back to the 70's. I never watch a game without one. Radio commentator Myron Cope is our patron saint, having come up with the idea.
Shared emotional experience
Every city I've lived in since leaving Pennsylvania has had a Steelers fan bar, including Raleigh, Dallas, Chicago and now Austin. There's something about screaming HERE WE GO STEELERS, HERE WE GO along with other fans at a loud, raucous bar. High-fives after a great play. Seeing the same fans week after week. Becoming friends with them. Sharing in the emotional experience of a great win or devastating loss. It's one reason why Oprah is a powerful force in American culture: her audience regularly participates in emotional experiences. Football and Oprah -- about as polar opposites as they come to men and women -- are more similar than you'd think.
Decoration
I have always loved the Steelers but this year, in honor of their seventh Super Bowl appearance, I elevated my devotion. I got a Steeler logo as a tattoo. I've never been a tattoo-kinda-gal but it was the next logical, emotional step, if that makes sense. I would never tattoo any other symbol on my body, but I'm driven -- compelled -- to do it because of my identification with the brand's values, rituals, icons and shared emotional experience. The Steelers are a reflection of me, and I am a reflection of the Steelers.
UPDATE: Congrats to the Steelers on their 6th Super Bowl win. Read a terrific article from Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel about how the Steelers have been successful through the years.
Other blogs that reference Why I'm a fan:
We're sworn enemies as I'm a Browns fan, but I get you and this post. Heck, I wish I was a Steelers fan! Would be easier on me!
Wonderful post, though, my NFL allegiances are bizarre at best, I have always been impressed by the legions that make the Steelers so special. My allegiances notwithstanding (I grew up in college football with a father in the business, so I would cheer for whoever I knew playing on Sunday when I was younger (pure luck, but a total blast). My father would collect autographs for me, my first, and favorite to this day,, Terry.
I am often amazed at people that aren't a true fan of something (my biggest "fandom" lies around the Ferrari F1 team). By participating in a sport, or simply being a true fan, without the knowledge of what it is to purely pull for something with no rational reason other than you prefer it. There’s simply no way to convey that feeling to people who haven’t had it, and the second they do,, well, it’s really something isn’t it.
My additional advice, to anyone that’s never been a true fan, is, if you don’t feel that you are a true fan, go make friends with someone who is and participate in their fandom, (I get it, some people just aren’t that into things,, I don’t get it,, but I’m sure it’s the case). Anyway, make sure you’ve really seen it up close, you will be astounded by it’s power. Then imagine if your business had true fans. Imagine if it had Steelers fans. Imagine if people across the country, and circling the planet, every Sunday in the fall, and for 3-4 hours did nothing but hope you do the most wonderful things. Then spend the rest of your week speaking nothing of it during your down time. Do you think you’d be profitable? I’m going to go with YES.
Love this post, Jackie!
Another reason to love the Terrible Towel: some of the proceeds benefit the Allegheny Valley School, which the Post-Gazette described in Myron Cope's obit as "a private, non-profit agency that cares for children and adults with intellectual developmental disabilities. The agency operates more than 120 facilities and programs for more than 900 children and adults in nine counties across Pennsylvania. Cope's son has been a resident of the school since 1982."
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08059/861098-66.stm
IT takes a unique mind and a brilliant one to connect marketing with football, but executed well. It must be tough when the whole world is viewed through the marketing lens, even the brand management by the Rooneys. Actually, who am I kiding? That is the BEST way to do it.
As a Redskins fan, we used to have that type of feeling (druing Gibbs I), but Dan Snyder has tried to leverage that brand into profits in the short-term. So much so that I tell people I don't even care if my kids (who are football fans) become 'skins fans.
20 years ago, that was unthinkable.
Maybe there's a "Lifetime Value of the Fan" calculator out there. The Rooney's have figured that out.
Good luck on Sunday!je
"The Steelers are a reflection of me, and I am a reflection of the Steelers. "
The tattoo marks the point where this moves from innocent fan to dangerous fetish. If you love the Steelers so much why don't you just marry them?
Know of any Steelers Bars in Oklahoma? And do I need to know the secret codeword to get in?
jeez, imagine what Cowboys fans tell themselves about their team's "values." Yikes.
A sports team logo tattoo? That IS hard-core fandom. Though I'm a hockey person myself, the encircled stars look better than a Penguins tattoo would. Congrats on your team making it to the Superbowl!
Jackie have you seen this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkTflRQzCZg
They should give these kids some tix to the superbowl. Awesome. Go Steelers!
Great post Jackie. I'm a latecomer to sports fandom having started regularly attending Harlequins rugby matches here in the UK. (Note to US readers - Premiership Rugby is NFL with less padding and less razzamatazz, plus we pass the ball backwards). I haven't gone as far as the tattoo but for the first time in 50+ years my wardrobe includes sports tops in a team's colours.
Your post and the comments have all made excellent points about the customer as fan but employees arguably need to be even bigger fans. With companies going through hard times at present, loyalty will be tested in all kinds of ways - analogous to your team having a run of bad games.
Coincidentally on the subject of cheerleaders - which we do seem to have imported, unfortunately - Harlequins are hosting cheerleaders from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Saturday in celebration of the Superbowl... http://www.union.quins.co.uk/news/9172.php
George -- That video is awesome. Never thought of a violin in an adaptation of Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker," but it works.
Been a Steeler fan all my life and love living in Pittsburgh the last 10 years. Have to laugh at some comments, they don't understand the Steeler pride. You are the second woman but about the 50th person I know to have the Steeler logo tattoo, pretty sweet ink you got!
After we made it to the Super Bowl they announced that the Monday after the game all Pittsburgh schools would be on a 2 hour delay since they knew most families would be up late watching the game.
Great post Jackie! I really admire your enthusisam I have to say.
There is something about the Steelers (I think that the Packers and Cowboys also fall into this category), in that they manage to ignite fan loyalty and engagement even when they are losing. In effect, as a brand they have become "loss-proof".
I think the strongest team brands are able to make that values connection with their home city as the Steelers have with you. In a sense, the Steelers are a reflection of the no nonsense, blue collar spirit of Pittsburgh. The owners have realized this and over the years have drafted talent and hired coaches that reflect the ethos of the city.
Not enouggh franchise brands have relized the sheer importance of managing their brand so fastidiously like the Steelers have. As a result, most franchises' popularity comes and goes with its on-field success. But the brand strength of the Steelers is performance aganostic!
Now let's all hope the Vikes can get a decent quarterback for 2009!!!
I would add the values of Chuck Noll to this list. I think he did one commercial in all his years and 4 Super Bowl wins and that was for a friend. When it was time to move on - he did so and has lived a full life outside of football. Thanks for a great post from a fan since the 60's living now in Philadelphia.
