Billboard and commercial buyers can turn in their Terrible Towels

Social media behavior is spilling into real life

We’ve reached the point where we need a differentiation between “Steelers Nation” and Steelers “fans.”

Because many members of the tribe are no longer recognizable as fans of the black and gold, their rhetoric is no different, and in many cases, even harsher than what one would expect from a Browns or Ravens fan. Two instances this week prove that Pittsburgh has passed the tipping point. First, Romanow Law Group bought local airtime during the Super Bowl to air a (poorly-produced) commercial that only throws shade on head coach Mike Tomlin. Then, the producer of the “Terrible Tailgate” paid for a billboard on the Boulevard of the Allies calling for Art Rooney II to either trade Tomlin or sell the Steelers.

Fans don’t have to agree with every decision the team and coaches make. They don’t have to be satisfied with the Steelers’ performances on the field, both individually and collectively. But the social media era has taken big parts of this fan base beyond the pale, and it’s time for these fans to turn in their towels.

Unadulterated criticism has always been part of Pittsburgh’s M.O. Everyone from Terry Bradshaw to Ben Roethlisberger has been on the receiving end of boos and bashing. However, the era of the internet and social media has devolved the discourse to levels only seen by previously disgruntled fanbases like New York or Philadelphia. As recently as 2021, social media researchers found Steelers fans among the most negative. Only one of five posts was positive, giving Pittsburgh the fourth-lowest ranking. Yinzers don’t need to see data from the Matt Canada era to know that attitudes have not improved in the last four years.

No Steelers fan is celebrating the recent lack of playoff success. That bears repeating. No one is happy with the playoff losses over the past eight years. But the team is far from ‘sell the team’/’fire the hall of fame coach’ territory. People throw around words like ‘mediocre,’ but Pittsburgh has been a playoff team for seven of the past ten years. In this current Steelers ‘Dark Age,’ only Kansas City and Buffalo have more wins.

Meanwhile, before this season, Denver hadn’t made the playoffs since 2015. The Chargers qualified three times since 2009. Jacksonville has done it twice since 2007. The Raiders did it twice since 2002. Miami is 0-5 in the playoffs since 2001. The Jets haven’t participated in the post-season since 2010. Those are all better definitions of the word ‘mediocre.’

The biggest ammunition for those demanding changes at the top is Pittsburgh’s 0-5 record in their last five playoff appearances. However, these losses can be chalked up to player performances. Two turnovers and a failed fourth down against Jacksonville in 2018. Four interceptions and a botched snap from center against Cleveland in 2021. A red zone pick and a George Pickens fumble against Buffalo in 2024. Overpowered by Kansas City and Baltimore in 2023 and 2025. Ultimately, it’s caused Mike Tomlin to have a losing record in the playoffs. But Bill Cowher would also have a losing post-season record if not for a miracle Roethlisberger shoe-string tackle or a missed Mike Vanderjagt 46-yard field goal.

There’s something that the Rooneys understand that many fans don’t. Mike Tomlin is sticking around despite the playoff losses. It’s what he brings to the organization 24/7/365 that makes him a Hall of Fame coach. He single-handedly attracts the best players, as evidenced by the recent signings of Russell Wilson and Patrick Queen, plus the Justin Fields trade. He still motivates everyone from an undrafted rookie to a grizzled veteran. In December, former offensive tackle Willie Colon described how Tomlin saved his life. In 2023, then 49ers receiver Ray-Ray McCloud said “Besides my lord and savior, Coach T saved me.” Just earlier this month, Russell Wilson explained why he calls Tomlin the best coach of all time.

I often hear that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I tend to disagree on what exactly an opinion is. Saying “Polamalu is my favorite Steelers player” is an opinion. Saying, “Fire Tomlin!” is, at best, an uninformed opinion, in the same vein as saying your opinion is the Earth is flat. If you truly believe Rooney should sell the team or Tomlin should be fired, that’s fine, but those beliefs are uninformed or maybe more accurately, misinformed opinions. At this point, the Rooney way is the Tomlin way is the Steelers way. I celebrate this. You don’t have to. But if your entire online personality is to trash the Tomlin way, you belong in a different category than a “fan.”

Maybe we should remove the negative stigma from the term “fair-weather fan,” and embrace the label for those of us who are only happy when Pittsburgh wins championships. But if you’re spending good money on public displays of temper tantrums like billboards or Super Bowl spots, turn in your towel.