I can’t think of any other throwback jerseys in the league that receive such wildly varying opinions than the 1934 Steelers (then Pittsburgh Pirates) jerseys, colloquially known as the “Bumblebee” jerseys. Some people think they are the ugliest combination of patterns and colors to ever grace the gridiron while others with more refined taste find them aesthetically pleasing. I guess I just gave up which side of the debate I fall on. That’s right, I think the Steelers should bring back the bumblebee throwbacks.
In its infinite wisdom, the NFL has expanded the throwback jersey allowance to four games per season for each team. This cracks the door for a return of my favorite jersey. I don’t just want to see subtle throwbacks like block numbers or a yellow helmet, though they should each have their place in the four-game allowance each year. I want to see the distinct look of the horizontal black and gold stripes and gold (beige?) pants.
The Steelers unleashed these unique throwbacks in 2012 with reactions akin to Newton’s third law. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Never has a statement been more true than people’s feelings about the bumblebee jerseys.
For every person that loved them, there was another who loathed the look. The Steelers wore them six total times from 2012 to 2016, including two games in the debut season.
They were voted among the 10 ugliest jerseys of all time in 2020, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I ran a highly scientific poll on X over the last couple days with a totally large enough sample size and two-thirds of the people want the bumblebee jerseys back. To be fair, some of those people just wanted to watch the world burn.
They are the most god awful uniforms! So yes of course bring them back!
— Mike5678 (@Mike5678765) April 1, 2025
Those of you who voted no, have you forgotten how magical those jerseys were for the Steelers’ performance on the field?
In six games, the Steelers are 4-2, including a 51-34 blowout of the Indianapolis Colts in which Ben Roethlisberger passed for a career high 522 yards and six touchdowns.
Here is a cutup of Roethlisberger’s best plays from that historic game via Daniel Valente on X.
An All-22 look at Ben Roethlisberger’s historic day vs the Colts (2014):
🔶 Completed 40/49 Passes
🔶 522 Passing Yards
🔶 6 TDs
🔶 0 INTs
🔶 150.6 Passer Rating
Ben was on 🔥 pic.twitter.com/36Q2FD9TGC
— Daniel Valente (@StatsGuyDaniel) July 21, 2020
Back in July on one of his initial episodes of The Christian Kuntz Podcast, Kuntz voiced his displeasure with the bumblebees and said he hopes they don’t make a return.
Meanwhile Baltimore Ravens CB Marlon Humphrey admitted they are the “hardest throwback” of all time on X. Coming from a Raven, you know that’s difficult to say unless he really likes them.
If we being honest. Don’t judge me please…. But the Steelers jail uniforms the hardest throwback of all time. Close second Denver Broncos.
— marlonhumphrey.eth (@marlon_humphrey) April 1, 2025
Back in 2016, team president Art Rooney II unfortunately made it seem like they were done with the bumblebee jerseys for good.
“This will be the last time we wear them,” Rooney said via CBS News Pittsburgh. “This throwback has been a success from a lot of different standpoints. Even though some people didn’t like it, the majority of our fans did like it and a lot of them bought the jersey.”
To this day, the favorite jersey that I own is my Troy Polamalu throwback. I never get more compliments than when I am wearing it out in the wild on game day.
This is my plea. Please, please, please bring back the Steelers bumblebee jerseys.
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