Community Guidelines

Last updated: October 19, 2026

The Black & Gold Dispatch forum is a place for Steelers fans to talk football. Argue about the depth chart, vent after a loss, celebrate a win. Just keep it about the game, not the person you're arguing with.

The short version

Be a good teammate. Disagree with ideas, not people. No insults, threats, harassment or hate of any kind.
Keep it clean-ish. Our filter masks common swears and blocks slurs. Don't try to get around it.
Facts are facts, rumors are rumors. Don't make up injuries, arrests, quotes or "sources." Label opinions and rumors.
Link, don't copy. Share a link and a sentence in your own words. Don't paste whole articles, paywalled text, photos or video you don't own.
No spam. No ads, betting promos, scams, or posting the same thing over and over.
Protect privacy. Never post someone's personal info (address, phone, workplace, etc.), including your own.
Be yourself. Don't pretend to be a player, coach, reporter, moderator or another fan. Posts from the Dispatch Desk are made automatically and are always labeled AUTO.
13 and up. You must be at least 13 to have an account.

Game Day threads and Grade the Team

Game Day threads open on their own the day before each game, and post-game threads open at the final whistle. Trash talk about the other team is fine; personal attacks on other fans aren't. The Grade the Team poll lets each account grade each player once per game. Please grade honestly and use one account only.

Reporting and moderation

See something that breaks these rules? Tap ⚑ Report on the post. Moderators review reports and may hide or delete posts, lock threads, and suspend or ban accounts. We try to be fair and consistent, but moderators make the final call. Repeated or serious violations, including copyright infringement, can lead to a permanent ban.

Profile pictures

Picture uploads are turned off for now. Pick one of our preset avatars, or we'll show your initials. Moderators can remove any avatar.

Illegal content and intimate images

Never post or link to sexual images of anyone under 18. Report it with Report → "Illegal content": the post disappears for everyone at once, and we report it to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and law enforcement. Please don't screenshot, save or share it. Never post intimate images of anyone without their consent; if that's you, report it with "Intimate image shared without consent" or see Intimate image removal. We remove valid reports within 48 hours.

Repeat rule-breakers

When a moderator removes a picture or deletes a post for breaking these rules, that's a strike. Three strikes means an automatic 30-day posting ban, and moderators can ban sooner for serious cases.

Copyright and takedowns

Only post what you have the right to share. If you think something here uses your work without permission, tell us through our DMCA / Copyright page or tap Report on the post. We'll take down infringing content when we get a valid request, and we close the accounts of people who keep doing it.

Your account

Keep your password private. You can change your display name and favorite-player flair anytime. From your profile you can also sign out everywhere, download your data, or delete your account. Email verification and password reset by email are coming soon. If you're locked out, use the Contact form (topic "Account help"), ideally from the email on your account. Moderators will never recover, reset or hand over accounts in the forum, and you should never share your password with anyone.

See also our Terms of Use, Privacy notice and DMCA / Copyright · Photo credits page.

Questions? Email us at [email protected] or use our Contact & Suggestions form.