The Pittsburgh Steelers have been repeatedly blasted by fans, the media, former players, and even a former coach for their refusal to change. Even though a lot of those gripes are about the on-field product, the same can be said about ownership. In 2024, Pittsburgh's facilities were ranked 28th in the league. One year later, and the overall rating is the exact same. Once again, Owner Art Rooney II has proven that he is unwilling to spend the money and resources necessary to make improvements and make his players happier.
Steelers President, Art Rooney II roams the sidelines prior to a 2022 preseason matchup at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA.
While making an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, Mike Florio was asked about the results of the report card. He responded by questioning why Rooney wouldn't take the criticism to heart.
"I know [NFL owners] prefer to not have dirty laundry aired out, but the players are choosing to take advantage of a weapon that is at their disposal," said Florio. "There is a broader relationship between labor and management, and this is a great way for the players to make their voices heard, and it's a great way to shame teams into changing the way they do things -- and Art [Rooney II] might not like it, but if they want to change the rights that the players have to do this, then go to the bargaining table and come up with a mechanism to require the players to share that information directly with the league."
After receiving the 2024 report card, Rooney claimed that it was never meant to be constructive criticism; instead, it was just a way for the NFLPA to make a media appearance. Therefore, there was no validity to the claims that were being made against him. He took that stance, as opposed to making massive changes.
Michael Allio / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Pittsburgh Steelers Owner Art Rooney II has tried to carry on the family tradition of stability within the franchise.
Florio continued on and blasted Rooney for his unwillingness to make needed changes.
"You can either downplay it and ignore it, or you can take it to heart," explained Florio. "And the teams that took it heart, like the [Washington] Commanders, they improved their grades. I think it's good that the player's union does it, and I don't think it's a good idea for the teams that get bad grades to just ignore it and brush it off and not take it seriously, and not change their ways in response to the grades they get."
If Rooney discredited the poor grades before, it would be shocking to no one that he does it again. At the end of the day, he makes a profit on the team, and they still recruit talented players all the time. In his mind, there is likely no reason why he should change anything. They win games and make money; that's all that matters to most owners.
AP
Steelers' 2024 first round pick Troy Fautanu gets introduced as a Pittsburgh Steeler by Art Rooney II.
However, cracks are starting to form. Many insiders and outsiders are seeing through the facade of the Steelers' supposed "family and loyalty" priorities. Ownership is arguably more than happy about the state of the team, even though nobody else is. They're good enough to give fans hope, and that's all the effort that they really need to put in.
Steelers Fans Will Force Change If Needed
With all these cracks being shown, the fan base could go from angry to apathetic. Even if Steeler Nation is angry, they still go to games and buy the jerseys of their favorite players because they still care. If/when apathy sets in, those numbers will drop significantly. Why should they spend money on the team if they don't care about competing at a high level?
Fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates are already at this level, even though the fact that they are consistently a bad team helped accelerate that process. They are consistently in the bottom 5-10 teams in terms of attendance in the MLB. Paul Skenes may be a generational talent, but does the team care enough to make his games worthwhile? If the Rooney family isn't careful, fans will treat them like they do the Pirates.
