Are Steeler fans spoiled?

Ed Bouchette has a light hearted article about the expectations of Steeler fans. It got me thinking about some of the points made.

I'm not sure spoiled is the correct term to use. Spoiled would insinuate the steeler organization has given us fans what ever we want and we just expect it, with out appreciation. I can speak for my self ...that couldn't be farther from the truth. Yes I do expect success but I also appreciate the past success. I like most steeler fans love the fact that the Steelers have found success in the past through hard work and a "will never give up" attitude that mirrors the personality of the city in which they play.

The steelers are among the top 3 franchises in the NFL since 1970. There is no denying that. Part of the reason they have been so good is IMO because the city and fans expect it. The owners expect it. the Players expect it. Were I think the opinion of steeler fans being spoiled is wrong, is in the fact that most steeler fans know football. Most fans know that we have the talent to be good..there for we expect good things. If the results don't reflect the talent on the team than there is disappointment and rightfully so. If we were ok with under achievement then we wouldn't be the Steelers...we would be the Bengals.

That article names off about a dozen other teams that have not sniffed a playoff or SB victory in the last 10 years. As if we should be so grateful we are not them and we are lucky to have the success we have. IMO those teams are horrible franchises and they get what they deserve. Bad ownership /management, greed, and poor expectations put those teams in the place they are in. I think most serious steeler fans are terrified that we could become one of those teams with complacency or low expectations. Not winning a playoff game in 5 years with our talent is different than the Bears not winning a playoff game in 5 years. We should have more wins under our belt with the talent we have. No denying the fact that we've fallen short a little bit in recent years. If we did NOT have the talent ...and we were rebuilding... I think Steeler fan would have a different set of expectations. We would just want to see improvement is all. Which IMO means we are not spoiled.

 

I let you know after we win the super bowl to extend our lead in league leading Lombardis and rubbing it into other teams fans faces.

 

Because the Steelers are a well run organization, I expect them to do well every year.

For the same reason I do not expect the Browns to do well.

Not spoiled, just expectations based on past history.

 

I've heard things like this many times & it always starts with, "We should be thankful blah blah blahbity blah." I think we're all very thankful. I appreciate (almost) every single guy that's ever done anything as a Pittsburgh Steeler. (There are a few guys I don't appreciate at all, one of them being Antwon Blake.) I'm sure yinz do too. I also appreciate the way the Steelers organization treats these players. Ike Taylor once said that the team is treated like family & I believe that helps the way these guys develop.
What do people expect from us? If we don't get to the playoffs or lose the first game, are we supposed to be ok with it because we've had success in the past? Because we've been to the playoffs so many times? Because we have 6 Lombardi's? If we lose tonight, are those things going to make the loss any easier to take? Not at all.
I don't think we're spoiled or greedy. We do expect our guys play to their fullest potential. Is that wrong? I don't think so. I don't understand fans of other teams who aren't surprised when their team don't have a winning season. They don't even get upset. Maybe that's one of the reasons their team sucks. They expect to lose. We expect to win.

 

We're not spoil....that word better suits the pat fans . They don't care how they win...just win and we will blindly support you.

 

Very much so

 

Spoiled is not the right word. More like passionate fan base.

 

Yep. As I've said before, a non-losing season is one in which we win the Super Bowl!

I did like what Tomlin told the media the other day. He said he'd only had one successful season since becoming the Steelers head coach!

 

In one word: Yes

 

Just a personal thing for me, but I don't like Bouchette and don't read the post gazette either. So I can't comment on his article exactly.

As for the spoiled fan base thing, I would say high expectations are the norm. You don't think Packer fans are in the same boat or maybe Denvers to an extent. I think most Steeler fans are very appreciative of the past accomplishments. Look at this forum as a small sample size. How many avatars, etc are from players of the 70s, 80s and 90s. Like I said, not a bouchette fan and won't read the article so not sure if that was his point.

 

Absolutely, you know, I was very happy for the Saints' fans in 2009/10 because they never won before that. Sometimes I'm impressed with fans of the Lions. I know my cousin used to be a big Dolphins fan. Loved Dan Marino. But after years of sucking and a serious head injury, he now roots for the Ravens. Some of those teams haven't even been close.

Are NE, Pitt, GB, Denver fans spoiled? I don't think so. They follow well run organizations. To the teams where losing is acceptable, they do it frequently.

Having said that, I'm ready for our playoff drought to end.

 

Well... I mean...yeah. The difference between some fans is that some have a sense of expectancy and some have a sense of entitlement. The ones with the sense of entitlement seem to come across as more "bratty" and "unappreciative" I guess. The ones with expectancy keep it in perspective that you "can't win 'em all" and stuff like that.