The Pittsburgh Steelers have a proud history. However, if you look deep enough into any franchise’s background, you’ll find some flaws.
For example, the Steelers were the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1933 to 1939 – the same name as the lousy local baseball team that plays in a nice park. Worse yet, they were the Phil-Pitt “Steagles” in 1943 and the Card-Pitt in 1944, when the lack of men due to World War II forced teams to merge temporarily.
The “Steagles” sounds like a bad riff on the “hide your beagle, Vick’s an Eagle” joke from 2018. Card-Pitt is a combination of the Chicago Cardinals and the Steelers. Sportswriters called them the “carpets.” Confusing matters, the Chicago Cardinals became the St. Louis Cardinals from 1960 until 1988, when they moved to Phoenix.
Imagine telling someone during the dawn of World War II that the NFL would grant the Steelers the rights to expand their “brand and activities” to Ireland in 2023. Imagine a man in a “Steagles” or “Car-Pitts” shirt as war broke out throughout Europe.
Still, there’s a reason the Minnesota Vikings will play the Steelers in Dublin this year. The Irish and Yinzers at Croke Park will show up in black and yellow. However, the Vikings hope there’s a tinge of purple after playing four games in London. If nothing else, spending so much time overseas is an opportunity to build their international fan base.
“Playing in Ireland’s first-ever NFL game is an opportunity to introduce new fans to the Minnesota Vikings and help the league continue to make the game of football more accessible globally,” Vikings owner and president Mark Wilf explained in a media release.
“To do so against a storied franchise like the Pittsburgh Steelers adds a unique challenge that makes this even more special. We are honored to be selected for this historic game and will be anxious to see what promises to be an electric game day environment in Croke Park.”
The Vikings are 4-0 in international games, including wins over Pittsburgh and the Cleveland Browns, their Week 5 opponent in London. Last year, they beat the New York Jets at Tottenham Stadium and will become the first team to play back-to-back games in different countries.
“UK fans have a history of showing up and embracing the Minnesota Vikings,” said Wilf, “creating what often feels like a homefield environment.”
Minnesota has worked to build a fan base internationally, but winning will be the ultimate draw. Since beating the Vikings in the 1974 Super Bowl, the Steelers have won six championships, most recently in 2008. They are also a model of consistency. Pittsburgh has had three coaches since 1969: Chuck Noll (1969 to 1991), Bill Cowher (1992 to 2006), and Mike Tomlin (2007 to present).
The Vikings must use the Steelers as a model to expand their international fanbase and shed any hint of brown from their past. Minnesota is one of the league’s winningest teams but lacks the championships to show for it.
Bud Grant coached the Vikings from 1967 to 1985 (minus the Les Steckel year) and took them to the Super Bowl four times. However, they’ve had mixed results with coaching since Grant retired and haven’t returned to the big game. For every Dennis Green, there’s a Mike Tice. For every Mike Zimmer, a Brad Childress.
The Vikings haven’t gone through coaches and quarterbacks like Cleveland, but they’ve cycled through quite a few. Zimmer coached from 2014 to 2021, but things got pretty tense at the end of his run. Meanwhile, people tepidly embraced Kirk Cousins, a .500 quarterback aside from that one 13-win season, they did because he offered stability under center.
Cleveland has Red Right 88, The Drive, and whatever people will call the decision to sign Deshaun Watson instead of extending Baker Mayfield. Minnesota has Gary Anderson’s missed kick, Blair Walsh’s missed kick, and Brett Favre throwing across his body. Still, the Vikings are more black-and-yellow than brown, even if the Twin Cities are still Believeland until someone brings a championship home.
However, with Kevin O’Connell at the helm and J.J. McCarthy entering a winning environment, this is the closest the Vikings have felt to contending since 2017. A Super Bowl in Minnesota sounds as far-fetched as an Irishman wearing a Steagles shirt. Still, the Vikings are pushing to change that notion, and they might as well do it in front of everybody.
