Ravens fans are all to familiar with the bandwagon invasion of black and yellow (I refuse to say gold — this is gold, this is yellow) that occurs during Steelers week. Broncos fans are about the endure their own version of the obnoxious stadium takeover and are trying to do everything in their power to keep home crowd in the home team’s colors.
Dr. Ron Cypher, a Steelers fan that travels around the country waiving his towel and obstructing the views of the home town fans, told CBS Pittsburgh that he wasn’t allowed to buy tickets to the Broncos game. “I got online to get tickets for the playoff game, and I got through the entire checkout process until the end and it said because of my zip code, I would not be allowed to buy tickets from the Denver Broncos,” he said.
Poor guy.
For Broncos head coach John Fox, this limitations are only the begininning of his Keep Denver Beautiful campaign. “We’ve got unique fans here; I would encourage all of them to keep their seats so to speak and not sell any of them to Pittsburgh fans,” Fox said.
I would too, but it never seems to work. They live in every city.
For the out of towner Dr. Cypher… dude’s got connections.
“I called them and they purchased a ticket for us. I was able to get the ticket that way, so we kind of did an end run that way.”
/sigh
“It’s amazing. When you go to a stadium and see thousands and thousands of black and gold towels going; it’s just an amazing feeling and we’ve been to every away game,” he said.
“Amazing” wouldn’t be the adjective I’d use.
The Steelers do have a nationwide fanbase. They were so successful during the 70’s, that when Pittsburgh the city went into decline, a lot of the younger fans moved to different parts of the country and took their love of the Steelers with them. Their Pitsburg based fans do travel well on top of it – so they are always a road presence, and yes, they are some of the most boorish fans in away stadiums. Further, as much as they tout how they can be a presence at an away stadium – they do NOT like you coming to Heinz field. I have been to quite a few NFL stadiums and have never received treatment the way I have in Pittsburgh. I am a cordial visiting guest. I don’t drink, I cheer for my team and not against the visiting team and do not smack talk. Last year I simply parked my car on the North Side near the stadium – and as soon as I exited the garage wearing my Ravens jackets was greeted with a slew of profanity and racial slurs. I can take booing and ribbing – that’s all in good fun, but this was downright scary. I went to Bettis 36 for lunch before the game and was pelted with fries and food while I tried to eat. The stadium was a nightmare as I again endured racial taunts, one fan spitting his Skoal tobacco juice on my feet and being intentionally shoved and jostled as I stood in line for the restroom. When Flacco through the winning last second TD pass to TJ Houshmanzadeh in the closing seconds I chhered out of excitement and was greeted with a string of profanity and racial slurs and I simply bolted out of Heinz as quickly and as quietly as I could. I know this is not indicative of all Steeler fans — but this was such classless and scary behavior that I would not recommend anyone make a road visit to Heinz Field. As I said, they pride themselves on traveling well, but are not welcoming of visiting fans in their own City.
The “writer” of this piece is an a$$ hat of the highest degree.
Oh I think the writer could do a lot worse. He was a little snarky and sarcastic with regards to the story, but overall it was pretty straight-up. He didn’t do anything too blatant or offensive, you know, like call himself a SteelersKiller. Keep it in perspective.
I’ve been much more mean in the past.
And the first commenter wishes you to believe he was just an innocent victim of all this hostility. Highly unlikely.
Fail!
I attend many Steeler games… and HP is correct. I have witnessed incidents that can be embarrassing. I watched a cleveland fan get urinated on through his car window simply for yelling Go Browns. Again, it’s not all steeler fans. Most are the best fans in the country. To be fair, I’ve seen Cleveland fans treat visitors the same way. I’ve never been to Baltimore so I cannot say how they treat visiting fans… but nothing in HP’s story surprises me in the least.
Hey RavensKiller,
Is that your screen name when you play MW3 with your middle school buds? Awesome, man!
Or is that your historical name when you think back to years gone by when your “Stillers” were young and in their prime and could beat the Ravens. Hoss, the score this year is Ravens 2, Stillers Zip. If you make it to the next round, either NE or Baltimore I’ll be waiting to hand your team their ass and Big Ben can hobble home, take old decrepit Hines Ward with him as well as Nut Job Harrison and his bipolar disorder.
Your day has past, RavensKiller. Keep bragging about all your past accomplishments, because it’ll be years until you’re competitive again.
And by the way, your colors are black and yellow, as the writer said. The Saints are black and gold.
Ravenskiller – Did the police ever fire tear gas into your trailer?
How are those conjugal visits going Muchacho? Girlfriend bringing you “smokes” to trade with the other inmates?
Wasn’t that you I saw the other day on I95 picking up trash while chained to 3 of your boyfriends?
First of all, to ban any fans from any stadium-it’s just unsportsmanlike. I don’t live in Pittsburgh, but I live close. To say that steeler fans are the only ones that treat visitors unfairly it’s a joke. I have a polamalu sticker, a friggin sticker, on my car and on my way thru cleveland someone threw a drink at it and at Cedar Point in sandusky, oh. someone window chalked my car that pittsburgh sucks, go cincy and cleveland. You people lump us into this category of “obnoxious fans” which us completely unfair because I never window chalked anyone eles car “die rat birds” if they had a baltimore sticker on it, even though I think ray lewis needs a punch in the balls. Being a steeler fan anywhere but pittsburgh sucks because you have no idea what s**t talkin is til u put on a pittsburgh jersey. So denver needs to suck it up. I was born into a steeler fan family and my kids are all being raised the same way. And yes since 1933 the official colors are black and gold-u want to make a valid argument then do some homework first! Steeler girl forever, win or lose!
At mgw, the saints are not black and gold, clearly you need your eyes checked because thats the ugliest shade of bronze I ever laid eyes on. Again, do your homework buddy and when your team wins as many superbowls, we’ll talk
BlackNYella,
You’re livin’ in the past, man, ala George Costanza
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esJl7MZoVww
In the game tomorrow there is no certainty on who will win. As long as both teams play their hardest, it will be worth watching. Sure, I’d hate to see Pittsburgh travel so far to be disappointed, but it has to happen eventually, right?
Have any of u ever been to a game in Philly? Nothing compares to the rudeness of their fans. And I was at a ravens steelers game once where a bunch of ravens fans threw a steelers fan down a full flight of stairs after we won the division on Holmes’ controversial TD And I’ve had my steelers jersey pulled on and I’ve been shoved and cursed at at ravens games – and I’m a girl – it can happen anywhere – but Philly is by far the worst in the US. Grow a pair and deal with it, or don’t go to away games at all.
YOU RAVENS FANS, TALK ABOUT SORE LOSERS!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7uUjeI1JPY
Big Al,
Did you really dig up a “sore loser” video example from 4 years ago?
Wow. Anything to try to prove your flimsy argument, I guess.
Big Hiney M’Deustch you rooser. Raven kicked Steerer butt twice this year adn Chow see Steerer fans get mad. Chow wipe he rear end with pee yerrow scary napkin that fairy Steerer fans wave. Chow want know, why Steerers pick puke yerrow napkin as they rarry sign? Go back Big Hiney M’Deutsch to give handjob out at meth crinic so you can get money for you fix. Crackhead rooser.
FIRST OF ALL CHOW, I AM NOT A STEELER FAN. I AM A PATRIOT FAN. IF IN FACT THE RAVENS BEAT HOUSTON NEXT WEEK, AND THE PATRIOTS BEAT EITHER DENVER OR PITTSBURGH, IT MEANS THAT THE RAVENS WILL COME TO NEW ENGLAND IN 2 WEEKS FOR THE AFC CHAMPIONSHIP. EVERY TIME WE BEAT YOU, YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT THE OFFICIATING. YOU KNOW IT WAS A FLUKE 2 YEARS AGO, WHEN YOU WON HERE. NOT GONNA HAPPEN THIS TIME. IS YOUR GRAMMAR THAT BAD, OR ARE YOU TRYING TO BE FUNNY?
Big Al,
Our lousy baseball team ended your team’s “chicken, beer, and porn fest” and now our football team will come up north and knock you out of the Super Bowl next.
Baltimore 2
Boston (New England) 0
BigAlMeinutsich – So now your a Patriots fan and you say we complain about officiating when playing the Patriots? Are you that stupid? Tom Brady is the biggest whiner/baby in the NFL. Hell, they even made rules because of Brady, aptly naming them the “Brady Rule”. And your going to say Ravens fans are sore losers? Get the hell out of here. Brady whines so much when things don’t go his way or his team loses. Other teams know you can’t touch the fragile Brady when you play him cause the refs will toss a flag if you just breath on that little bastard.
You’ve taken too many blows to the head Little Al…
I should clarify my initial post above around racil slurs. I’m not black. My parents are from India. I was born in Silver Spring and grew up in Columbia. When I made reference to the racial slurs that were tossed at me inside and outside of Heinz Field — the were all slurs that you would hear towards middle-eastern people: “raghead,” “camel jockey” and my the ever popular “sand n—er.” As I said, I am a good guest. I am Hindu and don’t drink alcohol, and I compose myself in a way so as not to provoke the ire of the home fans. We all know the beligerent Steeler fans that show up at The Bank, waving their yellow towels and smack talking everyone in their general vicinity. I don’t do any of that. I am well aware there are drunken idiots at any sporting event. I have been to away games in other cities (Miami, Nashville, Charlotte). I enjoy visiting other NFL stadiums/cities (Lambeau is high on my list the next time the Ravens play there) – however I was never treated as badly as I was in Pittsburgh.
I should also note that there were a couple of Steeler fans that did come to my defense and apologized for other fans behavior. I was standing on the concourse when one guy strode right up to me, leaned his head down and dropped a wad of tobacco spit on my shoes. A few Steeler fans who were standing in a nearby concession line did call the guy out as he continued on his way with a shrug and a smile.
RavensKiller,
Don’t worry, you can take out your frustration on MW3. Go get’em tough guy!!!
“I was born into a Steeler Family”. Ha Ha! You mean you are a BANDWAGON fan. If you are not from Pittsburgh, don’t have a relative that plays on or works for the team, or have never even been to a Pittsburgh (being generous on that one), then you are a BANDWAGON fan. Quick reality check: Do you also root for the Pittsburg Pirates. In case you didn’t know that’s their baseball team. Never heard of them?? Oh yeah, that is because they don’t win… and fans like you are front-runners. So keep indoctrinating your kids and buy them Steeler presents so they can endure the same redicule that you are experiencing now. You are doing them a disservice, so you might as well call the “family meeting”, tell them the truth, and turn in your “true fan” card. Maybe they can break the cycle and choose to stop living the lie… oh yeah. Go Pirates (Pittsburgh’s baseball team remember…) Nevermind.