simply comparing any northern / northeast football town to one in the sunbelt will produce almost identical generalizations.
People in the east dont fully get the "new town" dynamic. Again -- half the people in this town didnt live here 15 years ago --- in a metro area of more than 3 million.
In western PA -- 95%+ of the population grew up there ( and likely with parents who grew up there, etc, etc, etc). Should it really shock anybody that there is a healthy fan base for a team that has had far, far more winning seasons than losing over the last 30 years?
As for calling the town "indifferent" to the team, there is certainly some truth to that when looking at the population as a whole -- but doesnt mean that there hasnt been a committed core of real fans. When the team finally got a stadium where you didnt risk heat stroke attending a game, the fans sold out a building for three years -- coming off of 5-11, 6-10 and 8-8 seasons.
I am also willing to bet that you could charactarize the Pittsburg area today as "indifferent" to the Pirates based on attendance, etc.
That's a very, very small part of the story...
Throughout the 70's, the city of Pittsburgh and the surrounding area took it's identity from the team. This was during a very bad stretch for the area. The steel mills started shutting down, economic conditions were harsh. Think Detroit, today; but at least we had a team that was winning. The Steelers became almost a religion throughout the area. Through the 80's and 90's the area went through a "brain drain". The younger generation was moving out in droves for education and to find jobs. They took that fanatacism with them, however. I don't know the reason why, but that area instilled a deep sense of community, and great feelings of nostalgia for that area for many, many of it's transplants. Not just for the teams, but most other aspects of the city as well. Kennywood Park, the various neighborhoods, the colleges, etc... There are very few people more loyal to their original hometown than people from Pittsburgh.
As they spread, the fanatacism was passed on from their parents to their children. Now you have a younger generation that wasn't born and raised in the area, but still feel a sense of loyalty. That's why, throughout the US, you can find "Steeler Bars" in almost every city. Many season ticket holders drive hours to get to their games. I'm currently on the waiting list. I've probably got another 12 years to go before I can get my seat licenses. I live five hours away, but I will be driving to those games. If you want to see something incredible sometime, check out the rest stops on the Pennsylvania Turnpike 2-3 hours outside of Pittsburgh on game day. Each rest stop will be packed with hundreds of people in their gear on their way to or back from Heinz Field. Ask yourself honestly, if you see the same things on the way to a game in any other city? Look at how many Steeler fans you have in your own area, even if you're down in Phoenix, there's probably quite a few.
Pittsburgh is a very small city, without a whole lot of economic resources. Oh, it's recovering well right now, but it's not anywhere near to being a major market. Yet every year it's right up there in merchandise sales with any other team in the league. There is something about being a Steeler fan. I know it's probably annoying as hell to fans of other teams, and it's not fair for Banks to try to contrast the two cities like he does. No other city has as rabid fans except maybe Green Bay and Oakland (hmmm, two other small cities, well, Oakland's not that small). How would the comparison have worked with say Tampa Bay, Seattle, Houston, KC, etc..? In fact, they did the same thing back in XXL with Seattle.
Don't worry about it. You guys have a great fanbase that's growing, and will only get more rowdy and raucous with time!
Although, I will admit, the near blackout for the wildcard round did have me scratching my head.
