Steel City Blitz
“Forged in Steel” has been the tagline used by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the lead up to today’s unveiling of the team’s new throwbacks. While the effort is very much appreciated, there really isn’t much that’s ‘new’ about the throwbacks. For a franchise that dates back to 1933, the number of uniforms the Steelers have worn is actually quite small compared to many other teams around the NFL. Make no mistake about it however, this isn’t as much about honoring the heritage as it is about selling merchandise.
I suppose I should be grateful that at least we aren’t the LA Chargers who now seem to have as many uniform combinations as the University of Oregon. OK, maybe not quite that many, but they’re getting there. One of the great things – in my opinion anyway – has been that the Steelers have largely stuck to their traditions. We still don’t have any indication of past glory inside Acrisure Stadium other than the six flags that fly in the South end of the end zone. We don’t have our retired jerseys hung like tapestries throughout the stadium either. To me, that’s the beauty of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In order to keep up with the Joneses’ however, the Steelers have had to participate when it came to ‘color rush’ uniforms which are admittedly pretty awesome. They’ve also had to stay in the game by having throwback uniforms as well. Like some others, I was hopeful that this version would finally be the ‘Batman Jerseys’ notable from the 1960’s. Instead, we’ve been given a slightly different version of the throwback from the 1990’s.
My assumption is that younger fans will love this. In comparing the newer with the older, it’s a much cleaner and overall better look than what Barry Foster and company wore long ago. I’m always a fan of the gold helmet too which this incorporates but then there’s the tan pants. Similar to those worn with the famous ‘Bumblebee’ jerseys, these pants are as inspiring as a plain cheese pizza. Black would have been much more appealing in my opinion.
The other thing about these uniforms that I struggle to grasp is the timing of them in relation to the schedule. The Steelers are scheduled to wear these in a primetime game in which they host the Green Bay Packers. In other words, both teams will be wearing gold/yellow helmets and will be wearing lighter colored jerseys and pants. This entire plan doesn’t make a lot of sense to me but I won’t be the one trying to pick out my receivers either.
Alternative uniforms, throwbacks and the like are part of today’s culture. I don’t bemoan this at all. It creates excitement for the fans, especially the younger ones. What I don’t like is the notion that this is really anything other than a cash grab. It’s about moving as much ‘merch’ as possible and today, that’s the name of the game. Winning? That’s secondary.
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