I always wondered where Erie stood in the world of football fandom. It’s equidistant between Buffalo and Cleveland, and Pittsburgh is just a bit farther away. The place seems to have a vibe that leans more towards Buffalo. However, you can get both the Buffalo News and Cleveland Plain Dealer on Erie newsstands. Being in the same state as the Steelers might have an influence, though.
So, do Erie residents cheer for the Bills, Browns, or Steelers, or are loyalties split?
When in doubt, Da Bears.
I can’t speak to Erie, but Central Pennsylvania has the same situation going. We’re technically in the Baltimore Ravens viewing area, because they’re geographically the closest NFL team to us, so we get those games on Sundays. However, we’re also roughly halfway between Philly and Pittsburgh, so there are a lot of fans of both teams. I know many people who root for a Pennsylvania team on principle because our tax dollars fund their stadiums. There are also a smattering of Redskins fans, and Lord alone knows why.
I’d imagine Erie is about the same.
Robin
Oops.
I read Eire. And the reply is that they’re not cheering a lot right now.
Well, as it happens I was born in Erie, PA and we were always Pittsburg fans. Then again, my dad and his family are from there so that also weighs in heavily.
Because we are everywhere and we are loyal. Hail to the Redskins! See, it’s contagious, like yawning. [/Central PA 'Skins Fan]
It’s nice to have the choice of what team(s) to watch though. Philly, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore games are almost always on one channel or another and there is even the occasional Redskins game. Short of NFL Sunday Ticket it’s not a bad deal.
I also was born in Erie, and I also recall a lot of Steelers fans. My family wasn’t into sports, though.
This was in the 70’s, so things may have changed since.
My guess: the Nittany Lions
early onset Alzheimer’s?
Carlisle, PA is the Redskins training camp site.
I went to college 40 miles south of Erie, and it was definitely Steeler territory.
The few people I knew from Erie were all big Steelers fans.
Used to be, see here.
Altoona (where I lived most of my life) is firmly within the Greater Stillers Hegemony, and Lancaster (where I live now) is firmly within the Wide-Area Iggles Network, but I don’t know a thing about Erie.
The Steelers seem to have a pretty far flung fan-base. I’ve spent some time in western Ohio (around Dayton, specifically) and found a surprisingly large number of Steelers fans. There was even a local radio station that carried the Steelers games (Myron Cope is quite the character). I’d be curious to know if this is a recent development with the absymal state of the Bengals since 1990 and Modell’s abandonment of Cleveland and the sorry state of the New Browns, or if that part of the state adopted Pittsburgh as “their team” long before Paul Brown set up shop in Cincinnati, or if it was only when the Steelers became dominate in the '70s that they acquired this following.
A handful of my western-Jersey coworkers have Terrible Towels in their cubicles as well…
True, I stand corrected. I was just answering why there were so many 'Skins fans in southcentral PA.
Some Erie residents were undoubtedly old Browns fans who followed the team to Baltimore and became Ravens fans.
It’s not just Erie. There are a lot of places with geographically divided loyalties. Off the top of my head.
Des Moines, Iowa (Chiefs and Vikings mostly, but also many Bears fans)
Shreveport, Louisiana (Cowboys vs. Saints)
Columbus, Ohio (Browns/Bengals)
And so it goes.
Central Connecticut. Interestingly, in my experience the Yankees vs Red Sox dividing line was farther east than the Patriots vs Giants/ Jets dividing line, while the Bruins vs Islanders/Rangers was even farther east (everybody seems to have agreed to never speak again of the departed ‘Forever .500’ Whalers). This experience was before any of the recent Boston championships, so I’m sure the bandwagon-jumpers have moved the lines slightly.
Nobody knows of any maps of these things?