Only if they make you pay for it. There is no constitutional right to 8 home games per year. Nor is there a moral right, nor do the Rooneys "owe" it to the fans.
What is best for the team is ultimately best for us fans. I respect the Rooney's business acumen enough to trust their judgment on whether it is a good business decision.
They could EASILY reimburse whta amounted to the cost of 1 game to the season ticket holders, and I'm sure they would.
I personally don't see the problem here. You could easily gather 100.000 Steelers fans in Europe who would be more than willing to travel to London or Dublin to watch them play. It would not be any different than having the Steelers play at home other than a few possessive guys who have the interpretation that football is a game which solely belongs in The USA; a statement which quite honestly belongs to the NFL ano 1980. The world has changed since then. It is not like the Europeans throw a fit every time Manchester United or Barcelona play a match over there... Both of those teams have season-ticket holders, they have as many fans as the Steelers and tickets are roughly the same. Sure, they play a more games per year which I acknowledge, however the premise is the same nonetheless.
However much you think you know about football, rest assured that Skip Bayless knows more!
I don't think any of us, at least I don't, have a problem with expanding the love of the game. I'm all for the more fans enjoying the greatest sport on earth, the better. I just don't like having one less home game to go too when there's only 8 already. If it were a preseason game, by all means knock yourself out.
JensK knows better than probably anyone on here about the SteelerNation across the pond, and the NFL fans in general. I can't imagine there would be an empty seat in any stadium.
Rooney doesn't owe the fans anything technically, it's his team he can do what he wants. I'd personally rather see the regular season games stay here but it's not like we can do anything about it..lol
I do not have much to add as JensK nailed it. Divide the season ticket total by 8 and subtract that number from the total. I suspect the Rooney clan can figure that out.
Face it. It is not the money that bothers you because it is pretty obvious that the Steelers are not going to charge people for a game they have no chance of attending. If they did, I and a million other fans would be walking arm and arm with you to protest at the Steelers offices.
What bothers you (and millions of other Americans) is a misguided belief that a sports team is "ours" and that ownership "owes" us something more than an attempt at a good product on the field for our loyalty. It is hogwash. Just as Ford does not owe it to you to put a factory in SW PA because you are a loyal Ford driver, the Steelers do not owe you 8 home games for being a season ticket holder as long as you are not required to pay for it.
I love the Steelers as much as anyone here. However, I have also come to the adult realization that the NFL is a business and the Rooneys will (and should) do what is best for their business.
BRC,
Thanks for your honest assessment. If I lived close enough to SW PA to have season tickets, I would be disappointed too that I was losing an opportunity to see a game. It's a bummer. I get that and appreciate that perspective far more than the silly, "I am getting screwed out of money" argument. Some here are painting this as a type of injustice to the fans. It is not. If we truly love the team, we will swallow hard and let the Rooneys do what is best for it. A chance to sell the Steelers (and NFL) to an entire nation is good for the Steelers and ultimately us. We only have to look next door to those swinging sticks all summer to see the result of 20+ years of a stagnant fan base and ownership.
PS I can almost guarantee that the Rooneys are not going to give up a particularly important game (playing the Ravens, Pats, etc.). Losing a home game against the Rams, for example, should not be too large of an inconvenience, IMO.
Season tickets are never going to drop in price. They regularly raise those prices just like they raise the single game tickets each year. The only way we've ever see a decrease in prices would be if the fans united and just said, hey we aren't going to pay this and just not show up.
The Bengals fans have gone through that, hell they were giving tickets away as recently as last year. The Browns are terrible every year and their fans are sick of it too. For teams like the Steelers who always do well, there's no hope for cheaper prices no matter how many games they give away to foreign soil.
I don't mind it because it will be on tv and i'm smack dab in pats/jets/giants land but i don't think i should count as a Steelers home game it should be against a sub par attendance team like jax
Starkey reports in his column today that the Steelers have assured the fans that they will not give up a home game to play in Ireland...
It made for a good radio topic, anyway: Would you be OK with your beloved Steelers relinquishing a regular-season home game in order to play one in Ireland?
The collective response was the most resounding “No!” heard in these parts since HBO asked Bill Cowher if he’d like his team featured on “Hard Knocks.”
As it turns out, you needn’t worry. Here is the email I received from Steelers headquarters: “We will not give up a home game to play in Ireland.”
That’s fairly clear.
Full article at the Trib
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