Pittsburgh Football Shirt: Ugly Christmas Tee in Black and Gold, a Fan Gift for All Ages
Black and gold is the easiest set of city colours to wear and the hardest to make ugly. We managed it by putting a large deadpan bear in the middle of them.
Pittsburgh Fan is a knitted-look badge on a Christmas tee, for the December night when the party and the game collide and you refuse to pick one.
The bear has a black and gold striped pom-pom beanie, a matching scarf, a black sweater with a small gold reindeer on it and one raised foam finger. His expression has been described in the studio as fine.
Why it is a badge and not a logo
The design is a circular knitted-look crest in the city’s colours with the city name arched above it. There is no team mark on it, and that is deliberate: this is a supporter tee for people from a city, and we are not pretending to be anything else. No logo, no licence, no borrowed badge.
What that buys you is a design that reads festive first and partisan second. It works in a room full of people supporting somebody else. A replica jersey does not.
Gold on black is the oldest pairing in fair-isle knitting, and the crest is charted the same way our knitwear is, so the wordmark keeps its edge instead of bleeding into the dark ground.
The Ugly Rating: 4 out of 10
The lowest score in the fan range, and that is a compliment to the colours. Black and gold behaves itself in a way scarlet and royal blue never will, so this is the fan design you can wear to work on the day of the party.
The Chief Festivity Officer gave it a 4 and said the bear looks like somebody who has already seen the result, which he found unsettling.
What the cast made of it
Owl, Head of Knitwear
Approves of the gold, on the grounds that gold on black is the oldest trick in fair-isle and still the best one.
Deer, Head of Illuminations
Wanted the pom-pom to light up. This is now a pattern.
Cool Cat, Head of Morale
Says it is the only fan design he would wear to a bar where nobody is watching the game, which he means kindly.
Raccoon, Chief Operating Officer
Noted that black hides more at a buffet than any other colour we print, and considers that a feature.
Every form Pittsburgh Fan comes as
Six, all printed rather than knitted, so all of them order much later than the knit line.
The badge tee, $27.99
The knitted-look crest on a soft tee, XS to 5XL, one flat price at every size, in five colours: Pure White, Blue, Green, Mauve and Vintage White. The cheapest way into the range and the one that gets worn all season.
The kids tee, $24.99
The same crest on a youth tee, sizes S to XL. It is the one that gets a whole family into the same colours on game day, and it is the cheapest way to do it.
The toddler tee, $21.99
Sizes 2T to 5T, same crest again. Small enough that the badge takes up most of the front, which is the point.
The all-over-print sweatshirt, $79.99
The same black and gold taken across the whole garment rather than sitting in a crest, printed before the sweatshirt is sewn so the pattern runs over every seam. 2XS to 6XL, one flat price throughout.
The couples tee set, $49.99
Two badge tees, $49.99 together against $55.98 apart. Two people, one city. Order two different sizes, the set expects it.
The couples sweatshirt set, $144.99
Two all-over-print sweatshirts, $144.99 together against $159.98 apart. 2XS to 5XL on both halves, and two different sizes is the normal order. The full commitment version.
Wearing it to both events
This is the one that passes for a normal shirt until somebody looks directly at it. Dark jeans, plain boots, a jacket over the top for the walk to the bar. The gold picks up warm indoor light, so it reads better in a room than under a floodlight.
Both the tee and the sweatshirt run true to size in a relaxed unisex fit. Size up for a slouchier shape. Every size is the same price on every form, and it stays that way.
Group orders are common on the fan designs, because a row of people in the same city colours photographs better than a row of people in different ones. The corporate page handles anything over 25.
When can you get it?
Everything in this design is printed, so it orders much later than the knits.
Order by December 11 in the USA for delivery before Christmas, or December 16 with express at checkout. Internationally, November 26 standard and December 14 express.
Printed to order in three to seven business days, so nothing sells out. The knitted designs close much earlier, on November 15. Every date is on the shipping and cut-off page.
FAQ
Is this official team merchandise?
No. It is a supporter design in city colours with the city name on it. There is no team mark and no licence, and we are not implying one.
What are the colours?
Black and gold, worked into a knitted-look crest with a deadpan black bear superfan in the middle of it.
Is this the most wearable of the fan designs?
Yes. Black and gold is the quietest pairing in the range, which is why it scores a 4 instead of a 7.
Does the price change by size?
Never. $27.99 for the tee from XS to 5XL, $79.99 for the sweatshirt from 2XS to 6XL, one price the whole way up.
What colours does the tee come in?
Five: Pure White, Blue, Green, Mauve and Vintage White. The crest is the same on all of them.
How late can I order it?
December 11 standard in the USA, December 16 with express. November 26 standard internationally, December 14 express.
The Festive Folks’ Verdict
Buy Pittsburgh Fan if you want city colours you can wear to the office in the morning and to the party at night. It scores a 4, it starts at $27.99, and it is the most restrained thing in the fan range.
The Deer is still waiting on the pom-pom.
Official Steelers gear, and what we make instead
If you want the licensed logo, NFL Shop is the place, and it is worth knowing what they carry before you look. Their holiday range for the Steelers runs to about forty pieces and it is mostly decor, ornaments, blankets and gifts. Their apparel is ordinary team knitwear, sweaters and cardigans in team colours.
What they do not sell is an ugly Christmas sweater. Search their site for one and you get cardigans. That gap is the whole reason this design exists.
Steelers Christmas gifts and decor at NFL Shop · Steelers sweaters and knitwear
Those two links are affiliate links, so we earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you.
If you would rather wear the city colours than the licensed logo, these are ours, printed to order in the US at one flat price in every size:
Get it
Every form, made to order and shipped with tracking.
Christmas timing: Printed on demand and shipped fast: order by December 11 (standard US shipping) or December 16 (rush) to be under the tree in time. The full list is on our shipping times page.
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Or head straight to the full shop: every design, every form, one place.
