Shana Tova From NFL Teams: 2025 / 5786

Welcome to the fourth annual post where I scour social media to see which NFL teams share Happy Rosh Hashanah messages. And by scour, I mean that I check NFL teams' Instagram and Twitter pages. I don't search Facebook, TikTok, Bluesky, MySpace, or Friendster or visit individual team websites or drive by NFL facilities to see if they have signs posted outside buildings. I only have so much time! And with that, here are screenshots from NFL teams:

Although I didn't search Facebook, the Eagles' post somehow popped up on my feed. 

And then this appeared in my feed:

Including the Eagles (but not Sunderland in the Premier League), that's 10 separate NFL teams. While I'm disappointed that the Steelers didn't include a message this year or in any of the years that I started tracking NFL posts, this is a significant improvement from 2024 when only 4 teams posted messages.

Happy New Year to those who are celebrating.

Shana Tova From NFL Teams Part II

Welcome to my second annual post where I see what National Football League teams use their social media accounts (specifically Twitter) to share a Shana Tova, or Happy New Year, messages for Rosh Hashanah. Last year, 4 NFL teams (the Lions, Jets, Ravens, and Buccaneers) posted a message. With Rosh Hashanah being on a Sunday, I gave the teams a little bit of a pass since the teams' social media departments were probably busy with games. This year, Rosh Hashanah started on Friday evening. Plenty of opportunities for teams to post a message on Friday or Saturday. Let's see the results:

9 this year which is a nice improvement from last year. I really like Chicago having a bear getting honey from a beehive. Well done! I also want to give partial credit to the Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills. I mean, if you're celebrating Rosh Hashanah without Bojangles or a wing-eating contest, you're doing it wrong!

L'Shana Tova to those who are celebrating!

Shana Tova From National Football League Teams

Happy New Year! Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, began on Sunday night with many Jews around the world attending services or celebrating with friends and/or family on Monday. Inspired by @soccer_rabbi’s search for new year’s greetings by soccer/football clubs in the US and England, I was curious to see which NFL teams posted Rosh Hashanah messages on their social media pages. Here are the results:

That’s it. Of the 32 NFL teams, only 4 posted any type of Rosh Hashanah message on Twitter. While team sites were extremely busy posting information before, during, and after games on Sunday and then post-game interviews, pictures, etc. on Monday, I expected more than four. (At least one for the thumb!) Rosh Hashanah is a really big deal for Jews, significantly more important than Hanukkah which often gets lumped together with Christmas in America. I’m now a little curious how many teams post some type of Hanukkah message in December. My guess is that it will be more than 4.

Suspect Minnesota Vikings Fans

There are so many topics that I could write about. The 2020 Presidential election would be at the top of this list. The Pittsburgh Steelers are 7-0. Kennywood announced on Tuesday that the amusement park was retiring the Kangaroo, Paratrooper, Bayern Kurve, and Volcano (formerly Enterprise) rides, a quite convenient time for this since everyone was voting or following election coverage. Instead, I'm writing about this NFL Shop commercial.

Specifically, these Minnesota Vikings fans.

I feel like there's a backstory here. Who are these people? They look kind of tough and hard. They have definitely seen some things in their lives, things that most people don't want to know about or think about. They might be running the crime family featured in season 2 of the FX show, Fargo. Sure, they hide in plain sight with their Vikings glasses and cheese board, but they have done some things. Some bad things.

Done With The NFL

Imagine being so passionate about something that you created and operated a website about this topic for 23 years. 23! I mean, what websites can you think of from around 1997 that are still active today? Anyway, you spent countless hours establishing content, searching for videos, and moderating a message board for like-minded fans. Welcome to McMillen and Wife's Pittsburgh Steelers website! I only recently discovered this gem with nearly 50 years of videos and descriptions of Steelers games. It really is a fun place to explore, particularly if you want to watch complete Steelers games from the last few decades. The site also includes pictures of McMillen and his wife and various family members wearing Steelers gear. Basically, it's safe to assume that McMillen and wife are passionate Steelers fans. Well, until Monday. 

Did McMillen decide that he finally had enough of non-guaranteed contracts for players? NFL players have the shortest careers of any of the big four American sports leagues in part because of the high injury rates including head injuries. Was McMillen fed up with NFL players getting arrested (and sometimes suspended) for domestic violence, yet still being allowed to play again? You know, I'll let McMillen explain for himself.

Yes, it's the over-politicization of football which is why McMillen is done and not coming back. I'm sure that McMillen is tired of Presidents and former Presidents attending Super Bowls and even conducting the coin toss to start these games. Maybe he doesn't like Super Bowl-winning teams visiting the White House. Perhaps he's tired of military members and veterans being honored during every game. You know, it's possible that McMillen is absolutely distraught about the NFL and the Steelers raising awareness and funds for cancer, autism, veterans, and other causes. That's too political for McMillen. I mean cancer is terrible. I don't want to think about cancer when all I want to see is if the Steelers can beat the Browns. He probably also hated seeing Ryan Shazier on TV during Steelers games at various points over the last few years. He's fortunate to walk again. Why get reminded about that when all that you wanted was a reprieve from the realities of life?

It's not any of these things though, is it? It's about players trying to have a voice and creating awareness and change. I mentioned a few years ago that one of my fantasy football leagues ended because, as a veteran, one of the members didn't like the protest by some players against the flag. However, as we've seen even more clearly over the last few months, it's not really about the flag. Imagine being so upset about the Steelers holding a banner that says Steelers Against Racism that you can't watch the NFL anymore. Too political. 

Is McMillen so distraught about the Steelers having stickers on their helmets in memory of Antwon Rose II, that he refuses to watch TJ Watt, Bud Dupree, and the Steelers' pass rush? I don't want to get into the Rose case too much, because I'll admit that I don't know as much about it as I should. However, our country was founded with a judicial system and the right to a fair trial. Even if someone is presumed guilty of a crime, even a heinous crime, that doesn't give the police the authority to shoot an unarmed suspect.

I'm sure that McMillen has his reasons for not wanting to watch the Steelers or the NFL anymore. It could be a variety of all of this. Maybe it's as simple as realizing that he spent too much time on football and wants to enjoy quiet by doing jigsaw puzzles of scenic landscapes instead. That's not political and definitely provides a reprieve from the realities of life. In that case, good for him. 

Assuming that McMillen isn't watching the NFL anymore because of what he views as politics, he's not alone. If you're on Twitter and Facebook, you'll see plenty of posts criticizing the players. Apparently, as Mike Pence showed us, peaceful protests are fine and encouraged as long as they don't interrupt sporting events or are political.

Look, I'm not going to pretend that I understand what many players are going through. As a white male, I don't have the same fear and experiences that others have. Maybe you believe that the media is blowing things out of proportion. That it's just a few bad apples. I know that nothing I'm going to write here is going to change your mind. However, read what retired Pittsburgh Steeler Ramon Foster wrote just after the death of George Floyd. Listen to the incredible actor Giancarlo Esposito in the 30:00 to 37:00 mark of this interview. So when the Steelers hold up a banner or when NBA, MLB, and even NHL games are postponed in protest, it's hard to think that it's just isolated incidents. It's players saying enough is enough, and that change is needed in this country.

So if players standing arm-in-arm before kick-off, staying in the locker room during the national anthem, or even kneeling during the anthem is so political that you can't watch Patrick Mahomes throw touchdown passes, celebrate a Steelers win, or even feel awful for Steelers offensive lineman Zach Banner needing surgery and ending his season because it adds to your stress, keep working on those jigsaw puzzles.

The End of a Fantasy Football League?

I've been in several (okay, many) fantasy football leagues over the years, but there's one I've been in for nearly a decade that may not return in 2018. Although he's not the Commissioner, there's one individual who is pretty much the main person since he's the only one that knows everyone in the league. The league wouldn't have started without him. I also like and respect this person very much.

Back in November, he posted this on the league message board:

As a Vietnam Vet, [I have] lost all interest in the NFL until Roger Goodell and the NFL learn and start complying with American Flag protocol. I regret that this will be my last year in Fantasy unless such protocol is enforced. This has nothing to do with my standings but standing up for my beliefs. I am only participating this year so as not to affect the outcome of this years competition.

There were only a few comments, some in support and others sharing thoughts about freedom of speech, the Constitution, and the reason why NFL players kneeled which had nothing to do about disrespecting the flag and the military.

On Wednesday, NFL owners "unanimously approved a new national anthem policy that requires players to stand if they are on the field during the performance but gives them the option to remain in the locker room if they prefer." I'm trying not to get political here, but the NFL set this policy clearly because of political pressure and it doesn't hurt that the league receives millions of dollars each year from the Department of Defense for all of the pre-game flag displays and activities.

President Trump doubled-down on Thursday agreeing with the policy but then said "You have to stand proudly for the national anthem or you shouldn't be playing, you shouldn't be there. Maybe you shouldn't be in the country."

That's not how this country works. Again, I don't want to be too political here, but this tweet from former NFL QB Sage Rosenfels is perfect.

I hope the NFL decides to completely stop all concession stand sales during the anthem as well. We wouldn’t want people buying a $10 beer and an $8 hot dog during our sacred anthem.
All TV camera crews must stop filming and direct attention at the flag too.
Just seems fair.

— Sage Rosenfels (@SageRosenfels18) May 23, 2018

Now, I'm curious to see if the policy is enough to get the fantasy football league back for another season.

Photo by Getty Images

NFL Fans Map

Sean Taylor at Facebook took the approximate 35 million users who have "Liked" a National Football League team's fan page, and put it into this awesome map.

Taking this from a Steelers fan perspective, this map is particularly interesting. As expected, Steelers fans dominate Western and Central Pennsylvania, all of West Virginia and significant parts of Ohio. Perhaps not as expected is that the Steelers appear to be the most popular team in Hawaii, large parts of North Carolina and South Carolina, and areas of Alaska, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Nebraska, New York, Kentucky, North Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama and Florida. Since I love maps, I really can look at this map for hours.

Facebook also went a step further. As Barry Petchesky of Deadspin writes, "If you're a fan of one team, who are your friends most likely to be fans of? Here are the top five most common allegiances for Facebook friends of fans of each team. Once again, geography rules—except for the large numbers of Cowboys, Steelers, and Patriots fans on everybody's list."

I hate to admit it, but based on this information, it appears that the Cowboys truly are the most popular team (at least according to people on Facebook) in the United States.

h/t Deadspin


Update: I really can't stop looking at this map. Maybe it's because I am part of the Steelers diaspora, but I am fascinated by teams that have little to no support in places outside of its own vicinity. (I'm looking at you Jacksonville, San Diego, Tampa Bay, and yes, even Baltimore and Philadelphia.)

NFL Supports Breast Cancer Awareness for 31 Days Only

If you watched any football games over the past month, you probably noticed players wearing pink wristbands, gloves, hats, chin straps, and shoe laces while carrying pink towels. For all we know, the players even wore pink underwear. The reason for all of the pink was the NFL's campaign to promote October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This is the NFL’s press release describing the league’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month activities. The NFL is such a caring and supportive corporation!

Now that it is November, the NFL doesn’t want you to think about breast cancer awareness. According to Ed Bouchette of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "players also have been warned they are subject to fines if they continue to wear the pink (shoes, towels, gloves, etc) they sported during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October." So if you see Hines Ward dancing with a pink towel after making a big play against the Ravens this Sunday, you can expect Hines to receive a significant fine.



Of course, don't mind the NFL while it sells items on their website to help fight breast cancer.

Steelers Win! Buy Gear!

By now, I'm sure that you know that the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 24-0 on Sunday. The Steelers clearly won because of the refs just like last time. You've probably already read about the game in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, One For the Other Thumb, PSAMP, Behind the Steel Curtain, ESPN or dozens of other places, so I'm not going to provide a recap here. Instead, I want to share this e-mail that I received from NFLShop.com only minutes after the game ended.



So we're now celebrating a week two victory by buying Steelers gear? Am I going to receive an e-mail like this after every Steelers victory? I'm not sure that I want to buy a Steelers hoodie covered by that guy's dandruff. (You may have to zoom in on the picture to see it.) Besides, the guy in the picture freaks me out.

Seriously, stop staring at me, dude!

Which One Doesn't Belong?*

I received an e-mail from the NFL encouraging me to vote for the 2010 Pro Bowl. The e-mail featured this picture:



In looking at the three players featured, two are MVP candidates; two are leading undefeated teams; and one is a member of a 5-5 team. One of these guys is not like the others!

Maybe I'm being unfair to poor Ray Lewis. He is tied for 8th in the NFL in tackles with 83 and has 2 sacks (tied for 96th along with Detroit's Larry Foote and Pittsburgh's Aaron Smith who has been out for several weeks), 5 passes defended and 2 forced fumbles.

I guess we should be happy that the NFL is promoting a player on a mediocre team. However, perhaps the Jets' David Harris (88 tackles; 3.5 sacks; 1 INT; 1 forced fumble) San Francisco's Patrick Willis (96 tackles; 2.5 sacks; 2 interceptions) or Kirk Morrison of the Raiders (84 tackles) weren’t exciting enough and don't yell and do silly dances prior to games. Heaven forbid the NFL should highlight Denver's Elvis Dumervil (12 sacks); Minnesota's Jared Allen (10.5 sacks) or even the 2008 Defensive MVP James Harrison (10 sacks; 4 forced fumbles) over Ray-Ray.

You can vote for Ray Lewis or anyone else at NFL.com.

* Let's call this an extension of Trivia Tuesday!

Still Not Happy With the NFL

I originally shared by displeasure with the NFL changing the start time of Steelers-Bengals game in April. Five months later, I'm still upset. There has to be a really good reason for me to miss a Steelers game. Generally, this is limited to a natural disaster or the rare work obligation. I'm attending a wedding that starts at the exact same time as next week's Chargers-Steelers game, but I'm trying to figure out ways to watch the game, even though I'm not sure if they have any televisions where the ceremony and reception take place.* At a minimum, I'll catch part of the game or frequently call family/friends for updates.

Yom Kippur qualifies as a reason why I would miss a game. With the game at 1:00, I could easily see it and then attend services and begin my day of atonement. Since services start at 6:30, the NFL's decision to move the game to 4:15 means I won't see it. A 4:15 start at a West Coast opponent makes sense; a 4:15 start at Cincinnati, a city in the Eastern time zone, doesn't make sense. HOMER ANGRY!



* I'm not sure if the bride or groom read my blog, but I think (hope?) they understand that the Steelers game is almost as important as the wedding. I'm being careful with my words here, since if they do not agree, it could get a little awkward next weekend.