The Pittsburgh Steelers represent the last of a fading art form in professional sports. Unlike the mid-range jumper in the NBA however, there’s still a great argument you can make that every team should be operating the way Pittsburgh does.
It’s the age of “What have you done for me lately?”. And it goes beyond just sports. Don’t like the first episode of a TV show? There are hundreds more on Netflix you can try. Didn’t fall in love at first sight on a first date? Well, there’s always Tinder and Hinge with seemingly endless options for you to swipe away on.
But Pittsburgh has kept it old school. They aren’t scared to watch a second episode of the TV show, even if the first one didn’t wow them. Cameron Heyward, who has been with the team since 2011, vouches for the effectiveness of the continuity within the organization and shared his thoughts with Jim Rome on The Jim Rome Show earlier this week.
“I think it comes down to relationships,” Heyward said. “It’s gotta trickle down from the top all the way to the bottom. It starts with the Rooneys of the world. Mr. Rooney does an amazing job and that family has been so important to Pittsburgh, and also to the NFL. There’s just this consistency there. It’s not like you have to expect something different the next day. I think a lot of times when you look at these teams, they’ll bring in a coach and fire them the year after and it’s hard for a player to connect to what the coach is saying because the message is always changing year in and year out.”
I highly doubt that all 32 NFL teams would have kept Mike Tomlin employed for this long. And there would at least be an argument for that. If you aren’t winning a Super Bowl, is there a point? How long do you put up with the lack of playoff success?
But then you look at it from the other side of the coin. There are so many teams that cycle through coaches every two or three years and would trade anything just to be 10-7. Doesn’t that sound terrible? Having no culture, and no identity must feel like you are running on a treadmill.
Think of how few teams in the league have brands now. Styles of play, that they maintain year after year. So often, the teams are built around the players, instead of the players being acquired to fit the team’s philosophy. Pittsburgh, for better or worse, has resisted the trend. I think it’s what makes the team so attractive to play for, even when they aren’t a “true” contender. It means something to be a Steeler specifically, rather than just an NFL player. It matters to the team, the city, and the players. Truly refreshing to see in this era.