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PITTSBURGH -- It is rare to find a film today that captures the essence of a region, its people and the ties that bind them with a purity that excludes any outside influences. Yet that is exactly what NFL Films has done with "The Football Town," a unique production that brings to life the storied history of western Pennsylvania's tradition of football, faith, grit and community.
It hits the mark beyond the story of football and manufacturing greatness and captures a region that celebrates its rootedness in community. And it shows how that community has humbly shaped the nation, thanks to its location, the hardiness of its people, and its love of a game that has both inspired them and held them together when everything around them was crumbling.
The film was made for the leadup to the 2026 NFL Draft here in Pittsburgh, as part of a partnership with VisitPITTSBURGH, the Pittsburgh Steelers and U.S. Steel. The picture opens with a sweeping shot of a river navigating the rolling Appalachian Mountains containing it.
As the camera follows the curving flow of a river heading toward parts yet unknown, the rugged landscape serves as a symbolic element of the narration about to begin. You immediately understand that the river represents the flow of life, the bonds of community, and the possibilities the places ahead hold.
"There's something in the water," narrator Pat McAfee says. "That's what people say about western Pennsylvania. It's a metaphor, but it's true here. The rivers are the source of life. They were here before, man. They brought man here and they will outlast man in his grand designs."
From that moment, the viewer embarks on a journey. McAfee, a Pittsburgh native, delivers the story pitch-perfect. His gravelly voice retains the region's Appalachian twang he grew up with, and he gives it the respect it deserves.
It isn't dramatized. It's real and authentic and sets in motion that this film is going to hit you in the gut.
"This isn't just any football town," the former NFL punter who played under the Friday night lights here as a kid, says. "It's the football town."
The film isn't just about football, although that's the main star. It isn't just about steelmaking, although that serves as a riveting costar. Instead it is about place. It celebrates the rootedness that has shaped this region, and through that prism it captures the heart of the country.
McAfee's narration makes the viewer want to be part of what he was part of -- even if their team isn't the Pittsburgh Steelers, and even if no one in their family ever toiled in a steel mill. This right here is America at its finest.
He even gives a pretty good history lesson, reminding us how much a young George Washington shaped his nation as a surveyor and young military officer.