Posted: January 31, 2009, 5 a.m. EST
A California-based pet insurance company has revealed that the dedication of Pittsburgh Steelers fans to their football team also carries over to their family pets. The same could not be said for Arizona Cardinals fans, according to a recent survey by Veterinary Pet Insurance.
"True dedication is not measured in ticket sales, or Terrible Towels. True dedication is the fan with a cat named Roethlisberger, or a Poodle named Polamalu," according to a news release from VPI. The provider of medical insurance for pets analyzed its database of more than 467,000 insured pets to find which Super Bowl XLIII competitor has inspired the most fans to name pets in honor of the team or its players.
While the exact inspiration for any pet name may be impossible to determine, the Steeler Nation made a more pronounced impact on pet names in 2008. The Steelers beat the Cardinals overall, 159-76.
The breakdown of names includes seven categories, such as team, quarterback, receiver, and current and former stars. In the name game — "Cardinal" or "Cardinals" and "Steeler" or "Steelers" — Steelers pet owners won 19-1.
The Cardinals won in the former stars category, with 35 pets named "Tillman" or "Marcel" versus the Steelers' 32 pets named "Bettis" or "Bradshaw."