No team is as beloved to the city of Pittsburgh as the Pittsburgh Steelers, and one item that’™s become synonymous with the Steelers is the Terrible Towel, a basic yellow towel that fans twirl in support of their favorite football team. It began as a gimmick to (hopefully) lure in sponsors for the radio show of longtime Steelers broadcaster Myron Cope, and has blossomed to become one of the most recognizable fan items in today’™s sports landscape.
Smart Doesn’t Always Mean Complicated
The genius of the Terrible Towel is in its simplicity, something that Cope stressed when he and the KDKA brain trust were batting ideas around looking for that gimmick prior to the 1975 NFL playoffs. Cope wanted to make sure that the item would be something fairly common that the average fan would already own, or be able to easily procure. They settled on a yellow hand towel, which would be twirled in big moments in support of the team. Cope spread the word on his radio show, and the fans bought into the idea of the Terrible Towel, a buy-in that only solidified more when the Steelers went on to win the Super Bowl.
Within three years, the Official Terrible Towel was born – essentially the same yellow hand towel fans had been using but with a new “Terrible Towel” logo. The official version was necessitated because the popularity of the towel idea had led to grumbling from department stores, who were stuck with yellow bath towels while all of the hand towels were being gobbled up.
If You’ve Ever Doubted the Efficacy of Rally Towels…
The Terrible Towel was the first custom rally towel and has spawned many imitators, but no other fans take pride in their towels like Steeler fans do. There are Steeler fans spread out everywhere, which means that there are Terrible Towels everywhere. Fans swaddle their children in the hospital with Terrible Towels. They take their towels on vacations and experiences so that they can take a piece of the team with them wherever they go. The Terrible Towel has made it to regions as far as the South Pole and an American Astronaut even took his towel with him when he visited the International Space Station.
Timing is Everything
The invention of the towel was a perfect example of someone coming up with the right idea at the right time. It was the right idea because of how easy it was to implement for a potential big reward. In fact, since fans were bringing their own towels initially, it was also free to implement. It was the right time because it happened to coincide with the Pittsburgh Steelers’ rise as the premier NFL franchise of the 1970s.
Myron Cope was actually fearful that the Steelers’ first game with the Terrible Towel would be a loss. This bad omen could have potentially ended the towel’s rise to fame before it even began. However, because of the tenacity of the players, and perhaps even crowd’s energetic support, Steelers fans were able to twirl their towels in celebration. That season’s Super Bowl victory springboarded the Terrible Towel from a promotional gimmick to one of the most beloved and widespread sports items ever created.