In an era when the outright collapse of professional sports teams even at the major league level was not an uncommon occurrence, what can safely be said is that Rooney's gambling winnings did help keep his football franchise afloat, because while Rooney fared well off the field, the Pirates struggled on it. Rooney said of those lean years, "In those days, nobody got wealthy in sports. You had two thrills. One came Sunday, trying to win the game. The next came Monday, trying to make the payroll."