Data Says Steelers Fans Take Losses Harder Than Any NFL Fanbase

A new study by two Emory University professors reveals that Steelers fans are crushed by losing.

Photo by Dave DiCello

This should come as no surprise to anyone who has been on social media during a Steelers meltdown (#FireEveryone), but new data has finally proven what we’ve long suspected: Steelers fans take losses harder than any other NFL fan base. Emory University professors Michael Lewis and Manish Tripathi collected millions of Twitter messages during the 2012 NFL season and analyzed the text for positive or negative emotions in the days following a game.

Guess which team topped the list for the league's most negative fans?

After a loss, Steelers fans were positive about the team in a whopping 33 percent of tweets. The closest competition came from the perpetually miserable fans of the Detroit Lions, who tweeted positively about the team 37 percent of the time.

Not only are Steelers fans inconsolable after losses, they are also the second-most unstable fans in the NFL, with emotions swinging wildly depending on wins or losses. “Fire Tomlin! Tomlin is a genius! Fire Tomlin again!”

Unbelievably, the Dallas Cowboys turned out to have the NFL’s most emotionally stable fans. Or another way you could read that data: the Cowboys have the most justifiably apathetic fans in the NFL. 8-8, forever!

For more on the study, head to the Post-Gazette or Emory’s Sports Marketing blog.

What’s going on this weekend?

• Check out the Conservatory Dance Co. as it combines Shakespeare’s tragic love story and Sergei Prokofiev’s breathtaking score for the three-act “Romeo and Juliet” at Point Park’s Pittsburgh Playhouse. — through Sunday; times vary

• Cross off items on your holiday shopping list by visiting Wendell August Forge during the artist signing with Linda Barnicott; known for her works featuring various Pittsburgh scenes, Barnicott will be autographing holiday ornaments. — Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

• Tickets are still available for 85 Broads Pittsburgh’s martini-making competition. Taste cocktails, weigh in on your favorites — and help raise funds for a charity while you’re at it. — Friday, 6-8:30 p.m.

• Johnstown Symphony Orchestra wants to put you in the holiday spirit — if you weren’t already — at its next “Great Music for a Great City” concert. — Saturday, 7:30 p.m.