Neutral site championship games have suddenly become a hot-button issue in the NFL this month.
But on January 26, Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney II made it clear he’s not in favor of the idea.
“I hate it,” Rooney said when asked about the possibility of neutral site championship games during his annual offseason meeting with the media via 93.7 The Fan. “I don’t like that at all. My sense is that if you put that up for a vote, it wouldn’t pass today, but who knows.”
Art Rooney about neutral site Championship game: “I hate it.”
I asked Steelers president Art Rooney II about his thoughts on neutral sites for the Conference Championship Games: “I hate it.” Said he doesn’t feel there would be enough votes to get that to pass.
Rooney spoke much more positively about the Steelers playing more games in the NFL International series. The last time the Steelers had a regular season game outside of the United States was in 2013.
Rooney Speaks Out Against Neutral Site Championship Games
Snarky Steelers fans on Twitter remarked that the topic of neutral site championship games is irrelevant for Rooney to talk about since it’s been more than a decade since Pittsburgh had the chance to host the AFC Championship.
But based on the entire history of the AFC Championship Game, which dates back to 1970, it’s not at all surprising Rooney would be against the idea of having the contest at a neutral site.
The Steelers lead the NFL with 16 AFC Championship Game appearances and have hosted the game a record 11 times. The New England Patriots and Denver Broncos are the only other franchises who have hosted the game more than five times.
The Rooney family might know better than anyone how important home-field advantage is in a championship setting. Six of the eight times the Steelers earned a Super Bowl berth, they won the AFC Championship at home.
On the road, the Steelers are 2-3 in the AFC Championship.
Rooney is also a smart business man. While neutral site championship games could result in a bigger bottom line for the league, it would devalue the regular season.
Without home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, there would be no incentive to win the No. 1 seed, which would hurt the importance of countless matchups throughout the regular season.
The topic of neutral site championship games arose when the NFL proposed the idea for a potential a Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills playoff matchup. The Chiefs and Bills were both competing for home-field advantage late in the regular season, but the Bills played one fewer game than the Chiefs because of a Week 17 cancellation.
But the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Bills in the AFC Divisional round, ruining the NFL’s chances of having the 2023 AFC Championship be a test for future playoff games at neutral sites.
Steelers to Be More Involved in NFL International Series?
Yet again, the NFL did not include the Steelers when announcing teams who would host an international series game during 2023. The teams who will play “a home game” in an international city next season are the Patriots, Bills, Chiefs, Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Including those planned matchups, the Steelers are one of only nine teams who have made just one appearance in the NFL International Series, which started in 2007. The Steelers also own the longest drought in the series, having not played in a different country since Week 4 of the 2013 season.
The Jaguars lead all NFL teams in international appearances. They will played their 10th game in London during 2023.
The Steelers will not have a home game overseas in 2023, but Rooney did not rule out the possibility of playing a future “home game” in another country.
“We’d like to play at home for sure and are reluctant to give up a home game,” Rooney said. “But the other side of the coin is, we’re fortunate to have fans in other countries and would like to play in front of them once in a while. So I expect in the near future, we’ll be in another International game.”
He also reportedly spoke “glowingly” about the possibility of playing in Mexico.
Art Rooney said there is nothing in the lease with the stadium that says they have to play 10 homes games. Said they won’t play abroad this year. Talked glowingly of Mexico
The NFL does not have a game planned for Mexico in 2023, but the Bills, Titans and Jaguars will “host” contests in London, and the Chiefs and Patriots will do the same in Germany.
The Steelers will play the Jaguars, Patriots and Titans next fall, but all of those games are Steelers home contests.
Therefore, the Steelers are not in contention to have a road game in another country in 2023. But based on what Rooney said to the media, especially his enthusiasm for Mexico, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Steelers back in the NFL International series soon.
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Steelers’ Art Rooney II Breaks Silence on Neutral Site Championship Games