The NFL Draft is 60 days away, but its first local event will arrive much sooner on the screen of the Kamin Science Center’s Rangos Giant Cinema.
“The Football Town,” a celebration of Pittsburgh’s gridiron genealogy, premieres Saturday to science center visitors.
“This is our first real activation headed up to the NFL Draft,” VisitPITTSBURGH Vice President of Sports Events Jim Britt told members of local media during Monday’s preview. “We believe that football is just a pure part of the culture of Western Pennsylvania.”
Sponsored by U.S. Steel and produced by NFL Films, “The Football Town” follows the sport through Friday night high school matchups and Saturday morning Pop Warner games to on-field action at Acrisure Stadium. ESPN analyst and Plum native Pat McAfee narrates “The Football Town.” It’s NFL Films’ first immersive-format documentary, according to NFL Films coordinating producer Neil Zender.
“The making of this film was quite challenging,” said Zender, noting that the film required a specialized camera and Dolby Atmos sound mix to make the most of the Rangos cinema’s 71-by-40-foot screen.
Most of it was shot over a single weekend by seven camera crews. The film is loosely framed as a Friday-Saturday-Sunday progression from youth football to college and the pros, spending roughly equal time with each.
Zender also said McAfee, known for his colorful onscreen personality, put his own touches on the film, including adding local dialect to the narration.
“This is everything that Pat wanted to say about Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania,” Zender said.
“The Football Town” is less of a historical deep dive and more of a soup-to-nuts overview of the region’s football history. There are ample references to the local steel industry and Pittsburgh’s “grit” and blue-collar credentials. There are also reminders that, beyond the Steelers’ success, Pittsburgh has produced coaches and players ranging from more recent stars such as James Harrison, shown encouraging his son at a North Allegheny game, to Pop Warner himself. Dan Rooney, Steelers vice president of strategy, noted that even the draft itself has roots in the Steel City.
“Western Pa. has much to celebrate, from the ties to the very origins of the draft, which can be traced back to a 1935 NFL owners meeting over at the Fort Pitt Hotel, to building a dynasty through the draft under coach Chuck Noll,” Rooney said. He pointed out that the region has produced “more than 750 NFL players, including over 20 Hall of Famers, along with legendary coaches and scouts.”
For lifelong Pittsburghers, “The Football Town” is unlikely to break new ground.
Much of Steelers Nation already knows Pittsburgh’s football bona fides by heart. Fans with complaints about area programs or local boosters tired of references to Pittsburgh as a blue-collar steel town could fairly fault “The Football Town” for a rosy view of the city and the sport.
But the strength of “The Football Town” isn’t its reverence for local history so much the cinematography. Close-ups of the action become monumental looks at football’s violence and passion. Soaring drone and helicopter shots sweep from youth fields and local churches into Acrisure Stadium and along the three rivers. At heart, the film is a visual ode to the region and its role in America’s game.
McAfee’s passion for the game and Greater Pittsburgh is evident throughout the film.
Unlike on his show, he doesn’t take center stage for much of “The Football Town.” Rather, his voice serves to amplify what other subjects such as Bill Cowher and Jerome Bettis, cheering parents, Heinz History Center tour guides, local clergy and even the film’s title seek to make clear: Pittsburgh isn’t a football town; it’s the football town. It’s a message most fans from Aliquippa to Oakland should have an easy time getting behind.
“We knew the story deserved to be told in a deeper, more expansive way,” Rooney said. “The release of ‘The Football Town’ marks the beginning of our celebration and sets the tone for everything to come as we build towards the draft.”
“The Football Town” debuts Saturday at the Kamin Science Center’s Rangos Giant Cinema. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased on the science center website.The film runs through the NFL Draft in April.