I hear of no "Steelers bar" on the moon, but it seems there is one, or five, everywhere else.

These are the places, in every region of the country and beyond, from Shanghai to Peru, where all ages don Steelers apparel, paint their faces and cheer while watching Steelers games. I discovered this after I wrote a "Steelers Nation" Saturday Diary three weeks ago about the doings in a sports bar on Hilton Head Island, S.C.

That piece prompted 116 e-mails from outposts far and wide and ships at sea, where Steelers fans gather. But this isn't just a locally bred bunch. Some Steelers fans grew up in, say, England.

Adam Sheardown, of Scunthorpe, England, explained: "As a Steeler fan and outsider to the U.S.A., it's always pleasing to learn about the Steelers culture wherever it is. I feel proud to be part of the Scunthorpe, England Steeler Nation contingent. We are another steel town, and even had teams named the Scunthorpe Steelers (basketball and American football); and for decades the steelworks have been a major employer here. People are proud to be part of a blue-collar town, and for that reason Pittsburgh has become a mecca to the limited NFL followers here."

Ambridge native Jerry Spinelli sees Steelers games in Patches bar, San Diego. "The oddest bar I found was in Temecula, Calif. -- Steeler fans, but most of the guys there, unlike me, had never been east of San Bernadino."

Steelers President Arthur J. Rooney II said in an interview that during the off-season this year, "We found there are over 600 bars that call themselves Steelers bars, at least on Sundays -- at least one in all 50 states. The farthest one was in Honolulu," but outside the United States, it's harder for fans to find televised games.

A traveling friend found a bar near the Los Angeles airport, Mr. Rooney said. "In one corner of the place he saw Steelers fans and walked up and tried to talk to them, but they all spoke Spanish. Mexico is a big Steelers nation, so to speak, and we recently put a Spanish language element to our Web site because so many Steelers fans speak Spanish."

Thomas Ploskina, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., wrote: "I've watched the Steelers as far south as Peru and Costa Rica with other Steeler fans." Two e-mailers watched games with Steelers fans on cruise ships, and the 3,000-member Pittsburgh Steelers Fan Club of Baltimore views games at the Purple Goose.

Marine Lt. Col. David Antonik noted: "Steelers fans on active duty are always on the hunt for ways to get our [Steelers] fix, even if a sports bar is not available. While deployed with Joint Task Force Katrina in New Orleans, I talked some California National Guard communicators into 'piping' in the Steelers vs. Patriots game over the data network."

North Versailles native Tim O'Brien, of Peachtree City, Ga., said: "I lived in Shanghai awhile back. There was a bar in town, Malone's, owned by an Australian who had tapes mailed in of various sporting events and would play them two or three days after the game. He would play the Steelers six or seven times a year, and it was always packed. He tried to get them every week -- it was his best draw."

Pittsburgh-bred Richard Walters, of Encino, Calif., wrote: "On Sunday I go to a bar called Harper's over in Chatsworth. At least 100 people pack into the bar dressed in black and gold watching the Steelers. Many are women and children. On occasion, little girls are dressed in their own Steeler cheerleading outfits. Terrible towels are abundant. Some people are black, some are white, a few are Asians, most appear to be Latinos.

"After a vicious Steeler hit, someone yells, 'Who got your back?' The crowd yells, 'WE GOT YOUR BACK.' And 'Who rocks?' 'WE ROCK.' I think these people might be identifying with a hard-hitting 'blue-collar' team."

Since many of us grew up playing sports, I'd say we are really rooting for ourselves. The Steelers represent us; if we could, we'd be Steelers now. Maybe we're just delaying maturation or avoiding serious business -- curing cancer, ending hunger. But after a hard week of putting out newspapers or nursing the sick, it's fine to let loose and root for our team.

While we now have more a white-collar town than blue-, Steelers fans still love guys who play try-and-stop-us, running offense and here-we-come, blitzing defense. If one player typifies Steelers intensity -- well, let John Hartline, of Detroit, tell it: "Lambert was the best linebacker that ever played the game."

Matt Logan, head of the 700-member SteelersInHoboken club, said, "There are so many [Steelers fans], I truly believe that if we all banded together, we could get Jack Lambert voted in as president of the United States."

It was said Lambert was so mean, he didn't even like himself. But the flip side, typified now by hard-nosed receiver Hines Ward, was: Jack got the job done, four Super Bowls and all. Tough as steel, unafraid of dirty work.

Mr. Rooney said demand for Steelers away-game tickets "is phenomenal." Asked why so many non-native Pittsburghers love the Steelers, he added: "It's hard to explain. I think probably one thing is that people have seen just how much fun Steelers fans are having and want to get in on it." Of the blue-collar image, he said, "I think they do appreciate how hard we play every week."

Pittsburghers tend to work hard and play hard, but Mr. Hartline, who saw a Heinz Field Steelers game, likes their soft side: "The people around me took me in like one of their own. They fed me, looked after my well-being.

"I have two Steelers jerseys, both authentic -- home and away. I wear them around Detroit with pride. People look and comment with the same respect they typically would reserve for the University of Michigan.

"To live right [in Pittsburgh], you are truly blessed. Don't take it for granted that you house what is truly a 'national' treasure."