The Steelers have seen their home game attendance decline slightly in the past two seasonsGETTY IMAGES
Steelers President Art Rooney II said that he would "like the NFL to schedule his team for fewer night games" at Heinz Field, according to Ed Bouchette of the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE. Rooney acknowledges the "honor of playing on national television as the only NFL game in progress," but he believes doing so "may have lowered home attendance at times." The Steelers set their "all-time attendance record in 2015 when they averaged 64,731 fans over their eight home games," though it has "declined slightly from there the past two seasons." Rooney: "The thing that concerns to me about our attendance is more related to our schedule -- I would rather not have as many night games. Last year we had three home night games almost in a row. I just don’t think our fans want to do that anymore.” Bouchette noted those three games were the "three lowest attended games at Heinz Field last season except for the meaningless New Year’s Eve finale" against the winless Browns. Rooney "certainly understands that the most popular and most successful franchises are going to be shown in prime time most often." He said, "We want to be in prime time, we want to be the kind of team they put in prime time. I just think it’s a question of them spreading them out, which this year is a little better from that standpoint." The NFL this season "scheduled the Steelers again for the maximum of five prime time games, two at home and three away" (POST-GAZETTE.com, 8/1).
COST OF DOING BUSINESS: NBCSN's Chris Simms said he understands what Rooney is saying, as primetime games are "rough on your team." Simms: "The schedule changes, sleep gets affected." But NBCSN's Mike Florio said, "It's just part of the reality of being the Steelers. They could be the Browns and never be in primetime, or they could be the Steelers and be in high demand" ("PFT," NBCSN, 8/2).
