It’s not like Penguins fans or Steeler Nation needed any reminders of how passionate they are, but it still must be nice to see national outlets recognizing their dedication.
Both teams cracked Forbes’ 2020 ranking of the United States’ most passionate sports fans, with the Steelers coming in at No. 4 and the Penguins No. 9. Forbes’ Christina Settimi used quantifiable metrics such as team monetary value, average game attendance, social media reach, television ratings and merchandise sales to determine how each team was ranked.
The top six entrants on the list were all NFL teams, with the Green Bay Packers coming out on top followed sequentially by the New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks. The Penguins may not be one of the 10 most valuable teams in hockey according to Forbes’ December 2019 findings, but they apparently have the most passionate fans as they were the only NHL team in the top 10.
“The Steelers are the biggest show in town, with more locals identifying as fans of the black and yellow than for the city’s hockey and baseball franchises,” reads the blurb for the Steelers’ entry on this list. “Next stop: making the Terrible Towel the official state flag.”
According to Forbes’ research, the Steelers are valued at $2.8 billion, average 62,237 fans per home game and have a total “social media following” of 9.8 million. That’s more social media followers than the Saints and Packers and a higher net worth than New Orleans as well.
After the Seahawks at No. 6 came the NBA’s Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder. The MLB’s Boston Red Sox came in at No. 10. Pittsburgh and Boston were the only two cities with multiple teams on this ranking.
“The NHL’s only team in the top 20 can thank All-Star Sidney Crosby, whose jersey has been a hot item since his 2005 debut,” the Penguins blurb reads. “Two Stanley Cups in the last five years help, as do 12 sellout seasons at PPG Paints Arena.”
Forbes valued the Penguins at $665 million and calculated their average attendance as 18,537 fans and their social media following at 3.9 million.
Joshua Axelrod: jaxelrod@post-gazette.com and Twitter @jaxel222.
First Published: May 6, 2020, 8:00 p.m.