File This Under: Why Me, You, And Everyone You Know Should Be Cheering For the Steelers This Sunday
Nate Barlow broke down the SuperBowl for us in an easy-to-understand, intelligent, non-partisan way yesterday. However, seeing all the readers pledging themselves to the Cardinals, I feel I must speak up and take this conversation to a higher-level.
If you cheer for the Arizona Cardinals — the debateable “underdogs” — this Sunday, then you get the mere satisfaction of knowing that a team that hasn’t won any big championship (because they haven’t deserved to win any big championship) since 1947 has finally gotten rings. If you buy a prop for the Arizona game, that a portion of that profit goes to the already super-rich and super-greedy NFL.
However, if you buy a terrible towel, the majority of the profits goes to The Allegheny School, a network of campuses and group homes around Pennsylvania for adults with severe development disabilities. Mind you charitable donations always suffer during recessions, but during Super Bowl years, The Allegheny School make millions — even more if The Steelers actually win.
So I’m not trying to guilt-trip you or anything, but cheering against The Steelers is basically cheering against True Good. Just saying…
GO STEELERS!!!
Read the New York Times article on the wonderful legacy of the terrible towel here.
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It's all about the black and gold. Go Steelers!
It's all about the black and gold. Go Steelers!
It's one thing to root for a team in the Super Bowl, another to buy merchandise. Regardless of where the money goes, if you're buying props for whoever you're rooting for and that team isn't the one you follow the ENTIRE SEASON, you're a total bandwagoner.
Nate, that argument would make sense, except what happens during The Super Bowl years is that everybody gets special terrible towels with the Super Bowl year imprinted on them. So if you've got a person like me or Missy who have acquired their towels during a non-Super Bowl year, then we may then buy the special edition either before or after the Super Bowl. Imagine how much money The Allegheny School will make off The Steeler Nation, re-upping their towels.____ALSO, I don't think it's nice to judge other people's level of fandom. I know this is a big thing to do with sports people, but some people are bandwaggoners and others are true blue throughout the season. It takes all types to make an NFL — can't we all just get along? I mean no one gets mad that most of is weren't paying attention to swimming until Michael Phelps went for the gold. Are the people who jumped on that MERCH bandwagon in the wrong?____ALSO, I would say that rooting against The Steelers is bad, b/c your negative energy might cause them to lose, which would mean less terrible towels sold. Again, not a guilt trip, just pointing out that good people cheer for The Steelers. GO STEELERS!!!
There's nothing wrong with just getting into the sport for the big game. If that's your interest level, great. But most people who buy merchandise tend to be fans. There are exceptions (usually those with a personal connection to a city involved), but the casual person who just tunes in for the big one doesn't tend to spend money on such stuff; his or her interest subsides as quickly as the game is over. If they actually do start buying, it's often the beginning of genuine fandom, which is a great thing.
Check my message: the people I called bandwagoners are those who follow a franchise but then turn around and buy ANOTHER TEAM'S gear. No true fans turn his or her back in that manner. I am a Patriots fan; regardless of who I root for in this game, I'm not going to buy their merchandise.
So are you implying that good people don't cheer for the Cardinals? Rather contradicts you're why can't we all just get along question now, doesn't it? Is a diehard Arizona fan then a bad person for buying Cardinals merchandise and not a Terrible Towel? In the interest of full disclosure, shouldn't you put a disclaimer in about being from St. Louis and resenting the Cardinals for leaving that city?
It's one thing to root for a team in the Super Bowl, another to buy merchandise. Regardless of where the money goes, if you're buying props for whoever you're rooting for and that team isn't the one you follow the ENTIRE SEASON, you're a total bandwagoner.
Nate, that argument would make sense, except what happens during The Super Bowl years is that everybody gets special terrible towels with the Super Bowl year imprinted on them. So if you've got a person like me or Missy who have acquired their towels during a non-Super Bowl year, then we may then buy the special edition either before or after the Super Bowl. Imagine how much money The Allegheny School will make off The Steeler Nation, re-upping their towels.____ALSO, I don't think it's nice to judge other people's level of fandom. I know this is a big thing to do with sports people, but some people are bandwaggoners and others are true blue throughout the season. It takes all types to make an NFL — can't we all just get along? I mean no one gets mad that most of is weren't paying attention to swimming until Michael Phelps went for the gold. Are the people who jumped on that MERCH bandwagon in the wrong?____ALSO, I would say that rooting against The Steelers is bad, b/c your negative energy might cause them to lose, which would mean less terrible towels sold. Again, not a guilt trip, just pointing out that good people cheer for The Steelers. GO STEELERS!!!
There's nothing wrong with just getting into the sport for the big game. If that's your interest level, great. But most people who buy merchandise tend to be fans. There are exceptions (usually those with a personal connection to a city involved), but the casual person who just tunes in for the big one doesn't tend to spend money on such stuff; his or her interest subsides as quickly as the game is over. If they actually do start buying, it's often the beginning of genuine fandom, which is a great thing.
Check my message: the people I called bandwagoners are those who follow a franchise but then turn around and buy ANOTHER TEAM'S gear. No true fans turn his or her back in that manner. I am a Patriots fan; regardless of who I root for in this game, I'm not going to buy their merchandise.
So are you implying that good people don't cheer for the Cardinals? Rather contradicts you're why can't we all just get along question now, doesn't it? Is a diehard Arizona fan then a bad person for buying Cardinals merchandise and not a Terrible Towel? In the interest of full disclosure, shouldn't you put a disclaimer in about being from St. Louis and resenting the Cardinals for leaving that city?
GOOOOOO STILLERS!!!! Any one have suggestions on a great place to watch the game? JP and i are psyched about the Superbowl, but don't want to be dorks watching it by our lonesome…so any good suggestions would be much obliged!
GOOOOOO STILLERS!!!! Any one have suggestions on a great place to watch the game? JP and i are psyched about the Superbowl, but don't want to be dorks watching it by our lonesome…so any good suggestions would be much obliged!
Nate, I have a feeling that this will be end up being my first guest blog for your site. My boss and her fiance got in a fight about this. He loves coming with her to USC games, but he refuses to wear their gear, b/c he went to UPenn, and he says that would be wrong. My feeling is that if you're going to a game, it's fun to buy merch and wave props around even if they're not for your beloved team. But we'll talk about this more when I blog for your site. Either way, buying a terrible towel supports a really good cause, so I think it doesn't count as betraying your home team.
As for the getting along issue, I guess I didn't make this clear, I'm willing to embrace and get along with Cardinal fans — even if they are bad, bad, horrible people. That's just how gracious I am.
Humbly I say … GO STEELERS!!!
Look forward to the article!
Nate, I have a feeling that this will be end up being my first guest blog for your site. My boss and her fiance got in a fight about this. He loves coming with her to USC games, but he refuses to wear their gear, b/c he went to UPenn, and he says that would be wrong. My feeling is that if you're going to a game, it's fun to buy merch and wave props around even if they're not for your beloved team. But we'll talk about this more when I blog for your site. Either way, buying a terrible towel supports a really good cause, so I think it doesn't count as betraying your home team.
As for the getting along issue, I guess I didn't make this clear, I'm willing to embrace and get along with Cardinal fans — even if they are bad, bad, horrible people. That's just how gracious I am.
Humbly I say … GO STEELERS!!!
Look forward to the article!
E, I am routing for the "Black & Gold" no matter what, hence why my husband and I are hosting a "Black & Gold" Super Bowl Party tomorrow right here in NJ (backyard of the Eagles and home of many of their fans). But this is pretty cool to know and I'll definitely pick up a terrible towel now!
Nate, sounds like you may be a Cardinal's fan or maybe Eagles. But that is okay……can't we all just get along!
Go Steelers!!!!!!!
I'm a Patriots fan, but I'm rooting for the Cardinals, despite my four years in Pittsburgh (during which time I did root for the Steelers as a second team–so anytime it would not effect the Patriots negatively, such as a head-to-head matchup). Even went to the '96 AFC Championship game against the Colts, in which of all Three Rivers Stadium held its collective breath as Indy narrowly missed the go-ahead touchdown on the last play of the game. Somehow I knew, even from the upperdeck and the play somewhat shielded from me that the ball had been missed, and I never stopped cheering.
E, I am routing for the "Black & Gold" no matter what, hence why my husband and I are hosting a "Black & Gold" Super Bowl Party tomorrow right here in NJ (backyard of the Eagles and home of many of their fans). But this is pretty cool to know and I'll definitely pick up a terrible towel now!
Nate, sounds like you may be a Cardinal's fan or maybe Eagles. But that is okay……can't we all just get along!
Go Steelers!!!!!!!
I'm a Patriots fan, but I'm rooting for the Cardinals, despite my four years in Pittsburgh (during which time I did root for the Steelers as a second team–so anytime it would not effect the Patriots negatively, such as a head-to-head matchup). Even went to the '96 AFC Championship game against the Colts, in which of all Three Rivers Stadium held its collective breath as Indy narrowly missed the go-ahead touchdown on the last play of the game. Somehow I knew, even from the upperdeck and the play somewhat shielded from me that the ball had been missed, and I never stopped cheering.