Saturday, February 22, 2025, 9:51AM |  26°
MENU
Advertisement
Penguins fans watching outside PPG Paints Arena react to a goal during the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs.
1
MORE

Penguins and Steelers fans among country's most passionate, according to Forbes

Michael M. Santiago/Post-Gazette

Penguins and Steelers fans among country's most passionate, according to Forbes

Pittsburgh takes two spots in top-10 list published Wednesday

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.

Advertisement

“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.”

Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt hugs his brother, Derek, after playing host to the Chargers in 2018 at Heinz Field.
Brian Batko
'I could never ask or wish for that': Steelers bring tight-knit Watt clan even closer

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.”

Advertisement

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.

RELATED
Steelers cornerback Joe Haden intercepts Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019, at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
PODCAST: Steelers schedule breakdown, record prediction
Penguins fans celebrate a home win against Columbus in November 2018.
Mike DeFabo
Penguins offering refund options for season-ticket holders
A view of the ballpark at PNC Park stadium on the North Shore on April 5, 2021.
Adam Bittner
Forbes: Pirates and Steelers gain value, while Penguins show only modest decline amid pandemic
Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert speaks at the NFL combine in 2016.
Brian Batko
Steelers GM Kevin Colbert was disappointed with one aspect of the 2020 draft
When it's safe, why not restart the NHL season with MLB-style wild-card games?
Joe Starkey
Joe Starkey: If the NHL returns, it should start with a baseball-style blast
Lamar Jackson, left, and Baker Mayfield have both won the Heisman Trophy.
Ray Fittipaldo
Steelers have Heisman hurdles to clear in Baltimore, Cleveland and Cincinnati
New England Patriots fans hold placards during an NFL football Super Bowl send-off rally for the team, Sunday, Jan. 27, 2019, in Foxborough, Mass.
Ron Cook
Ron Cook: NFL isn't the model for parity that it's made out to be
Pat Narduzzi talks to Jeff Capel on the South Side in March 2018.
John McGonigal
Pitt coaches, pro sports teams donate $800,000 to Center for Vaccine Research
Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin missed much of the 2019-20 season due to an ankle injury.
Mike DeFabo
Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin cherishing time at home, knowing it might soon end
SHOW COMMENTS (0)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
Preston Coleman, 52, was beaten and strangled inside an Aliquippa VFW on Jan. 5, 2025, in what police described as a vicious, unprovoked attack.
1
news
Bartender working at Aliquippa VFW during beating that left man unconscious facing charges
The University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning
2
business
Amid funding uncertainty, Pitt pauses doctoral admissions
Mayor Ed Gainey during  a press conference at the Downtown Public Safety Center on Thursday. He angrily criticized what he believes negative media coverage of his work as mayor.
3
opinion
Brandon McGinley: ‘The wheels are coming off’ the Gainey administration
On the UPMC Mercy Pavilion's rooftop terrace, the Rehabilitation Garden provides a safe environment where patients can practice navigating training ramps, steps and diverse surfaces like gravel, turf and concrete. The garden includes fragrant herbs and other pleasant sensory stimuli.
4
business
East Liberty-based artificial intelligence firm raises $250 million, deploys AI platform in 100 healthcare systems
Longtime KDKA-TV host Jon Burnett on May 22, 2019.
5
a&e
Jon Burnett, long a KDKA-TV staple, leaves legacy of ‘putting good out into the world’
Penguins fans watching outside PPG Paints Arena react to a goal during the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs.  (Michael M. Santiago/Post-Gazette)
Michael M. Santiago/Post-Gazette
Advertisement
LATEST sports
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story