Steelers fanatics
Supporters come from far and wide to cheer their team on
Pittsburgh Steelers fans dappled Denver with yellow this weekend, while Denver Broncos supporters did their best to paint the town orange.
The teams will face off in Sunday afternoon’s AFC divisional playoff game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, drawing Steelers fans out of the woodwork.
“I think they are going to win,” said Rene Diaz, a Steelers fan who made the trip to Denver from Mexico. “But other people said, ‘Are you nuts?’ ”
Diaz stepped off a plane Friday sporting a bright yellow Steelers hat, and into a sea of orange-clad Broncos fans. He said some of them glanced at him skeptically, but for the most part, their encounters were amicable.
The double takes are nothing new for Steelers fans who live in Broncos Country, but interactions between the fan groups are rarely unfriendly, said Arvada resident and Pittsburgh transplant Shawneen Burkes.
“They aren’t rivals,” Burkes said. “People really don’t give a hoot. On occasion, people will look at me and say, ‘Oh, Steelers? Really?’ But for the most part, everyone’s super nice.”
Although Burkes said she won’t be at the game, she plans to sport her Steelers gear and wave a Terrible Towel from her home, along with her husband and brother.
Other local Steelers enthusiasts will take their support to the stadium.
Mike Gaughan is planning on driving in from Boulder to cheer on Pittsburgh. The Atlanta native said he’ll attend the game with fellow Steelers fans. But, he noted, he’s in the minority among his friends in Colorado.
“Denver fans are great — until we win,” Gaughan said.
For Denver resident and Broncos fan Steve Jipping, this sense of camaraderie is what the game is all about.
“It’s football,” Jipping said. “I always think (the Broncos) are going to win. I think they’re going to go all the way.”
Although several of the Steelers’ players have been sidelined by injuries, their fans certainly haven’t.
At Lakewood’s Steelers-themed bar, The Rusty Bucket, local fanatics have
“I think they are going to win. But other people said, ‘Are you nuts?’ ” Rene Diaz, Steelers fan from Mexico
been known to bellow out fight songs and wave their Terrible Towels during games, said Ron Rosso, owner of The Rusty Bucket.
Rosso, who is from Pittsburgh, expects fans to rally at the bar Sunday to cheer on their team and enjoy some classic Pittsburghthemed dishes, like pierogies and chipped ham.
“It’s madness,” Rosso said. “Our locals participate, and it’s a really fun day.”
It’s also good for business.
When the Steelers fought off the Cincinnati Bengals on Jan. 9, Rosso said, profits at his popular game-day destination doubled. He said they might even triple Sunday.
“Our Steelers days during the week are good,” Rosso said. “For a playoff game like last week, I expect the same or more so.”
Football fans still hoping to score tickets for Sunday’s game can expect to pay at least $125, according to a search of secondarymarket websites Saturday evening.
Jayson Byrd, who flew to Denver from Houston to support Pittsburgh, said he paid $389 for his seats, and he purchased them before the Steelers had secured a bid to the playoff.
But, as other Steelers fans wave their Terrible Towels during the game, Byrd said he’ll be too captivated by the plays to participate in any rowdy fanfare — even though he has 50 towels of his own and a room in his house dedicated to his collection of Steelers stuff.
“It’s going to be a rough game,” he said. “I think it’ll be close.”