So for today's post, I thought I would do something about the Pittsburgh Steelers. I could talk about the Steelers defense (it's good), or about Ben Roethlisberger (he's pretty good). I could talk about the Steelers 5 Super Bowl wins (that's good). But there was one thing that I needed to learn about the Steelers, one thing that has always baffled and perplexed me about one of the greatest franchises in NFL history: why the hell do they have their logo on only one side of their helmets?
They're the only team that doesn't have the logo on both sides (unless you count the Cleveland Browns who don't technically have a logo, and who, despite the name, wear orange helmets). So what gives?
The logo itself is a re-creation of the Steelmark logo originally created by U.S. Steel Corp. In 1962, the Steelers decided to take the players' numbers off the helmet and put the logo on. Back then, the Steelers rocked gold helmets. They weren't sure how the logo would look on the gold helmets, so the equipment manager was instructed to put the logo on only one side of the helmet (the right side). I don't quite understand how only putting the logo on one side would have been better than having it on both sides if they didn't like the look-what they would have saved fifty something stickers?-but I suppose that's neither here nor there.
The Steelers then finished that season with their best record. Then they made it to the playoffs (playoffs?!). Of course, this sudden winning streak was due to the logo. And in the true spirit of superstition, the Steelers kept the one-sided logo look. They did change the color of the helmet to black, but refused to put that second decal on it.
So if you're like me, and have wondered-What's the deal with the Steelers helmet?-but were never inclined to spend about three minutes of research on the internet to find out, there's your answer. Mystery solved.
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