PITTSBURGH — Sunday’s Steelers game was supposed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the franchise’s first Super Bowl championship team.
But it’s 2024 and everything, including football, is influenced by politics.
Former President Donald Trump, Republican presidential candidate and former owner of the now-defunct USFL’s New Jersey Generals, accepted an invitation from a private suite owner after a weekend campaign campaign in Pennsylvania. I watched the match.
NBC’s game broadcast showed President Trump in his suite just before the end of the first quarter.
Doc Harris, the son of late Steelers running back Franco Harris, who was the MVP of Super Bowl IX, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris (no relation) on Sunday. He said his father would have been excited to meet Harris and seemed unfazed by Trump’s plans to attend the game.
“I don’t think it’s that big of a deal for Trump to show up at Acresure Stadium,” Harris told the Capital Star on Sunday. “The Cleveland Browns come once a year, so we’re used to having losers there and we’re not afraid of it.”
Harris said regardless of who attends Sunday night’s game, the team’s legacy from Super Bowl IX remains intact.
“Super Bowl IX really changed Pittsburgh. It created a city of champions, so people could once again proudly say, ‘Hey, I’m from Pittsburgh.’ “There were some tough years after that,” Harris said. “So it doesn’t matter who comes to support us.”
On Sunday afternoon, the Steelers’ accomplices gathered outside Acresure Stadium, announcing that the plane was “Trump and Jets fans: two from New York,” using Pittsburgh’s derogatory term for the former president and the visiting team. They circled the sky holding banners that read “Jagov”.
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Most tailgators weren’t too keen on talking politics with reporters on a beautiful October day. Excuses range from “My boss doesn’t know I’m taking time off for this game,” to “I’m at work and can’t talk about it,” to “I’m not interested in politics.”
And people who are willing to share their thoughts, regardless of who they plan to vote for next month, didn’t seem too excited about the presidential candidate showing up at the game.
“If I had known three or two days in advance that[Trump]was going to be here, I wouldn’t have come,” David Crann, 74, of Dillonvale, Ohio, told the Capital Star. He said he was a supporter of Kamala Harris and was disappointed by Trump’s appearance, but acknowledged it was a smart move by the candidate to appeal to voters. “I don’t even want to be near him, he always puts people down. He has no respect for anyone but himself.”
Former Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, who was outside Acresure Stadium helping with voter registration on Sunday, also attended the Trump rally in La Trobe on Saturday. Klan said he was not surprised that the former Steeler supported Trump.
“Antonio Brown hasn’t been right since he got hit by a middle linebacker in Cincinnati. He hasn’t been his true self since then,” he said. “He threw furniture off a balcony in Miami.”
Dave Stebic of Trafford is a Trump supporter and Steelers fan who tailgates before a game against the New York Jets at Acresure Stadium in Pittsburgh on October 20, 2024. (Photo provided) : Capital Star’s Abigail Hakas)
Dave Stevic, 62, of Trafford, described himself as a Trump supporter.
“We bought tickets for that game, and I came here to get everyone excited during the game,” Stevic said. “I don’t hate him being here, but I think it might be a distraction.”
As for Brown, Stevik said the former Steeler would be booed if he showed up to the game.
But he said he understands why candidates are spending so much time in the Keystone State. “Pennsylvania may decide the election,” he said. “But it’s all politics and business. But once you’re in the field, there’s no business and no politics.”
“At least we can agree on the cupcakes.”
A group of about 50 to 60 Kamala Harris supporters joined the tailgate to hand out cupcakes in honor of her 60th birthday.
The Tailgate for Kamala event is a collaboration between the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, Allegheny County Young Democrats, Pitt College Democrats, and Cake for Kamala, an initiative of the pro-Harris private business organization Founders for Kamala. This was made possible through a partnership between owners. Harris turned 60 on Sunday.
Around 6 p.m., “Tailgate for Harris” joined the crowd of Steelers fans decked out in black and gold (some wearing “Make America Great Again” hats). , eating food from the grill and throwing a football. Harris supporters found a section of the parking lot and set up a table with hundreds of cupcakes, along with sodas, water and other snacks. The crowd united college Democrats and older Democrats willing to support Ms. Harris.
“It literally all came together on Friday to do this,” said PA Democratic Party Executive Director Mitch Cates. “Please take action quickly.”
He referred to Franco Harris fondly, recalling him as a vocal and strong supporter of the Democratic Party, including President Joe Biden and Harris’ ticket.
“We have worked together for years and every election cycle after election cycle,” Cates said. “It’s strange that he’s not here today, even though he’s with us in spirit. This is definitely Harris country, in our opinion.”
Pitt Demos spokesperson Pat Francis said more University of Pittsburgh students have participated in elections since Harris became a candidate.
“This event was designed to show that Pittsburgh is not Trump country,” Francis said.
Austin Wise, political affairs director for the University of Pennsylvania Democratic Party, cited a similar incident at a Pitt Panthers college football game. He cited first-time homebuyer subsidies, legalization of recreational marijuana and middle-class tax cuts as popular Harris 2024 policies among the young Democrats running around him. He also said more young people seem to be interested in unionizing.
Mr. Wise mingled with other young Democrats at a tailgate.
“We’re talking about winning,” Wise said. “Win, win, win. We have our eyes on that prize. College students in particular are putting more energy into winning this election than ever before.”
Henry Cohen, co-president of the Pitt College Democratic Party, hands out cupcakes to celebrate Vice President Kamala Harris’ 60th birthday outside Acresure Stadium in Pittsburgh on October 20, 2024. Former President Donald Trump watches a game as the owner’s guest in a private suite on October 20, 2024 (Photo by Matt Petras of the Capital Star)
Several groups of college students took boxes of cupcakes to various tailgate parties and handed them out to anyone who was interested. One team provided cupcakes to a nearby group performing a synchronized dance to Chapel Lawn’s “Hot to Go!”
Another group, led by Pitt Democratic Party co-chair Henry Cohen and Carnegie Mellon Democratic Party president Avalon Sueiro, handed out an estimated 50 to 60 cupcakes. Many declined, but some were happy to accept the free treats. After giving someone a cupcake, the two explain that the cupcake is to celebrate Harris’ birthday, and if someone says they’re going to vote for her, Cohen says she’ll vote on November 5th. I urged him to do so. “We may not agree on everything,” Cohen told them, “but at least we can agree on cupcakes.”
Cohen said one Trump supporter accepted a cupcake and offered him a hot dog in return. One woman asked why the two decided to give away cupcakes for free, and after Mr. Cohen’s rant, he replied, “Do you have any vanilla?” She gladly accepted one.
“At the end of the day, everyone loves cupcakes, and it’s good to find something you can find common ground with, especially in a time as divisive as this,” Sueiro said.
Cohen contrasted Trump, who watches the game from a private luxury suite, with Harris supporters like himself who work there.
“We’re here and we’re going out and actually doing things and actually talking to people,” Cohen said.
Doc Harris said he supported Kamala Harris because she was more in line with his family’s idea of what a presidential candidate should be. She said she plans to persuade other men to support her candidacy. Recent polls suggest a large gender gap, with women favoring Harris and men favoring Trump.
“Our job on this team is to say, come on, join the team, because on a team, everyone has a role, everyone has a responsibility, but everyone comes together. ” he said. “And if everyone steps forward, the team wins.”
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