Steelers fans in Mexico show their support

Steelers Nation in Mexico showed their love for the black and gold at the team’s Siempre Steelers Watch Party, presented by Ticketmaster, on Sunday in Mexico City.

Close to 4,000 people packed the Pepsi Center to watch the Steelers take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday Night Football. It is the second straight year that the team has held the event.

Steelers legends Levon Kirkland, Greg Lloyd, Maurkice Pouncey, Kordell Stewart and LaMarr Woodley were on hand and part of the exciting event, signing autographs and joining the large crowd in cheering on the Steelers.

“Actually seeing everybody coming here, the excitement of the fans, the excitement they had seeing all of us players was amazing,” said Woodley. “You could really feel the excitement from them. It was mind blowing to me. You would have thought we were at the stadium. There were cheers, they were yelling ‘defense’, they were chanting ‘defense’ and Renegade was playing. It gave off the experience of being at a game in Pittsburgh.”

There were large screens throughout the Pepsi Center where fans could gather to watch all of the action and cheer the Steelers on the victory, as well as family-friendly activities, including inflatables, facepainting and balloon giveaways. Fans could also shop for Steelers merchandise and enjoy an evening with other members of Steelers Nation.

“I can’t say enough about the fans here, the amount of energy they give us every time we come here,” said Pouncey, who was in Mexico previously doing Steelers youth football camps. “I know the Pittsburgh Steelers love connecting with our fans in Mexico and it’s an honor and a joy to be here with these big-time fans. They love the Steelers, truly.”

Before the game kicked off, Mexican TV personality and host for the night Esteben Macias was joined on stage by the Steelers legends for a Q & A. In addition, the Steelers Spanish audio broadcast team of Alvaro Martin and Arturo Carlos were on hand, providing live Spanish game commentary that was distributed throughout the arena. Fans in attendance received an additional bonus as Mexico-native, Super Bowl winning kicker and well-known broadcaster Raul Allegre joined the audio team for the special evening.

The event was featured in the game broadcast in both the United States and in Mexico.

“To be able to come and share this experience with the Mexican fans is special,” said Lloyd. “A lot of people don’t realize the fan base here is enormous. To be able to come over, spend the time, watch the game with them – it was just an amazing experience.

“All the guys here, we are honored because we got chosen. Everybody here, we bleed black and gold. We wear it, we’re proud of it. And we still, everywhere we go, we always consider what we used to do. I am proud I got chosen to come here to represent Pittsburgh.”