How to Properly Wave a Steelers Terrible Towel

It’s one of the most recognized fan emblems in all of sports. The Terrible Towel, associated with the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, has been around since the 1970s, and is still used today. True fans of the team are identified with their ownership of a Terrible Towel, and with proper instruction, anyone can be taught how to wave it properly.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• An official Terrible Towel or yellow towel
• Overhead space

1. Confirm that you have the appropriate colored towel. The Steelers have a darker tint of yellow in their official colors, so try to match your towel as close to that color as possible.
2. Pay attention to the length of the towel. It shouldn’t be any longer than an average dish towel (about 16 inches long and six inches wide). The towel needs to be close to these size perimeters in order to wave it properly.
3. Carry it in your pocket, or have it in your hand. You will react with the crowd at the appropriate times to begin waving. Generally, the best times will be when the Steelers have just scored, forced a turnover, or the offense has just broken the huddle and are getting ready to begin the play.
4. Raise the towel over your head with one arm and begin waving it counter-clockwise at a steady, consistent pace. You should be able to make approximately 2 1/2 rotations per second.
5. Continue the rotations over your head for about 15 seconds, or, based on your judgment, until the excitement of the play dies down or the anticipation ends. The proper etiquette at that point is to return the towel to your pocket (about halfway in) or continue to grip it until the opportunity to wave it comes again.

Tips & Warnings

• Carry the towel as a show of loyalty to the Steelers, because the towel is akin to a membership card into the team’s unofficial fan club.
• Towels can make for nice home entertainment stand additions or wall decorations in the off-season.
• Be careful of waving it in the face of or in the immediate vicinity of opposing fans. While the towel carries a great deal of pride for the fan base of the Steelers, many fans view them as obnoxious. It’s a pretty easy item to grab and unpleasant altercations could be the result if yours gets nabbed because you didn’t pay attention.