I’m going to need to find the footage on Twitter tonight. Watching Barry from Squirrel Hill try to pronounce Acrisure is going to be a gem.
Heinz Field No More
- Thread starter TheSpecialSauce
- Start date
I’m just thankful this news broke and took our minds off the conference debacle, if only for an afternoon
The best one I saw on the 6:00 news was the woman who wasn't even from Pittsburgh, but her son lives here and he's the biggest baseball and football and ice hockey fan out there, and when he hears this he's gonna die.
The issue with that project is that those roads are so circuitous, they don't save any time. That new road from 79 to the airport literally saves 1 minute and you have to pay for that. To go from Monroeville to the airport eventually, it would take just as long because it would be like 60 miles without traffic compared to 30 miles with traffic
Let’s hope the news of the name change doesn’t trickle into West Virginia for a few months as usual, just long enough so their fans get confused trying to find ‘Heinz Field’ for that first game…
“I dunno, Clem, I went through the big hole in the mountain…yeah yeah, the hole on the right this time, I didn’t make that mistake again. And then I went over the big gorge with the three cricks in it, like I always do when’s we come in to watch Kenny Chesney. I followed the sign for the bridge with fancy French name. Wonder what that word means, Clem. Anyway I looked for the same place, y’know, with the sign that looks like what’s on the baked beans cans we steal from the Piggly Wiggly. But now the only one I see is some place with a big A on it. And I knows it is an A too, Clem, cuz that was the first mark they taught me when I got my GED during rehab.”
“I dunno, Clem, I went through the big hole in the mountain…yeah yeah, the hole on the right this time, I didn’t make that mistake again. And then I went over the big gorge with the three cricks in it, like I always do when’s we come in to watch Kenny Chesney. I followed the sign for the bridge with fancy French name. Wonder what that word means, Clem. Anyway I looked for the same place, y’know, with the sign that looks like what’s on the baked beans cans we steal from the Piggly Wiggly. But now the only one I see is some place with a big A on it. And I knows it is an A too, Clem, cuz that was the first mark they taught me when I got my GED during rehab.”
As if I wasn’t already grossed out imagining what yinzers were doing every time the Steelers scored. Thanks.
Buy the time that gets completed, we will be driving flying cars powered by the sun.
I see on ESPN (and the Trib) that Ben's opinion on the matter is considered top news.
Not leasing the stadium rights to the Sports and Exhibition Authority stadium is a slap to Pittsburgher's faces!
Sometimes the highest bidder is not the right choice. Pittsburghers are a proud people and this will not sit well n'@
Sometimes the highest bidder is not the right choice. Pittsburghers are a proud people and this will not sit well n'@
Who give a crap if it "will sit well" or not?
Seriously, who gives a crap?
They gave Pittsburgh companies every opportunity to pony up the kind of money that the folks from the Big A offered. And none of them came even close with an offer. So why should the have taken less money from someone just because they were a Pittsburgh company?
If it was really important for a Pittsburgh company to own the stadium naming rights then why isn't it the fault of Pittsburgh companies that none of them were willing to pay the going rate?
People have lost their damned minds
I care or I would not have brought it up! Not trying to sway you but how do you know what the bids were? Please share these so we can know!
Your pride of going to a game was based on the Naming rights of the stadium ?!?
I don’t believe you for a damned second!
Cancelling your season tix now?
Refuse to watch the stillers ?!?
C’mon man
I didn’t say any of that so stop fing putting words in my mouth. You really got a chip on your shoulder and you think you know everything. Why don’t you simmer down!
So you “care” but ya actually don’t enough to vote with your feet or wallet
got it
I’m just pointing it out
Don’t get angry at me for blowing down your straw man
I don't have to share. You could actually read some of the stories written about the deal, or you could have watched some of the stories on the television news, which outlined the reasoning behind the deal, including quotes from some of the people who didn't win the rights.
I mean it's not like any of this is or was some big secret that no one knows about. But I suppose you do actually have to want to be informed to actually be informed.
In fairness -
Those folks don’t actually go to pitt games or buy season tickets now-
So no skin off their noses
I think there was pride in having the name of a prominent Pittsburgh company (and family name) displayed on national television. There was also pride in having a gameday tradition- the ketchup bottles pouring out- that was unique to Pittsburgh.
It was a hokey gimmick
It won’t be misssd - I hope they are removed
It was hokey but no one else had it. Heinz is a very stale stadium to begin with.
No discussing with this person.....he knows everything and we are blessed to have him on our board!
I think it really boils down to Heinz sounds better than Acrisure. Just does, but not a reason to leave millions of dollars on the table.
I agree. I wish a Pittsburgh company would’ve bought the naming rights, but I can’t blame them for accepting a deal that pays them nearly four times as much money as the previous agreement.
Reports out of the Rooney compound today that the ketchup bottles “may stay”. Likely Heinz will still be paying a smaller fee to retain that, and it assuages the yinzers as well. Also avoids the likely not-insignificant cost of removing those bottles and rebuilding the board! Sounds like a good move for the Rooneys and Heinz.
But Acrisure might legitimately be pissed by all this. They should expect that doing this will almost assure the place will still be known as (and informally called) Heinz Field by mostly everyone. I know this rename is mostly a vanity thing on behalf of that minority Steelers owner who controls the firm, and he himself is likely fine with it, but legit officers of Acrisure have to be wondering if this scheme didn’t backfire…yeah, normally any publicity is typically good, but it has been relentlessly negative for this outfit.
Of course this is all distracting silliness, these are 1 percenter issues, but more interesting the depressing Conference crap.
But Acrisure might legitimately be pissed by all this. They should expect that doing this will almost assure the place will still be known as (and informally called) Heinz Field by mostly everyone. I know this rename is mostly a vanity thing on behalf of that minority Steelers owner who controls the firm, and he himself is likely fine with it, but legit officers of Acrisure have to be wondering if this scheme didn’t backfire…yeah, normally any publicity is typically good, but it has been relentlessly negative for this outfit.
Of course this is all distracting silliness, these are 1 percenter issues, but more interesting the depressing Conference crap.
They’ll likely be bankrupt in a few years so it won’t matter .
A terrible named stadium will be their legacy
Just as it doesn't matter what fans or Pittsburghers think about the name because it was the best offer for the Steelers, it won't matter what Acrisure thinks if the Steelers can squeeze out some more money from Heinz to keep the ketchup bottles on the scoreboard. Plus they are getting a big sign on the stadium facing downtown and get every broadcaster to say the name on the lead in to the games. That's where the name matters, not what the fans call it.
One point regarding the massive amount of local news the Heinz Field name change generated.
Not once was Pitt football mentioned as Heinz Field also being their home.
Draw your own conclusions.
Not once was Pitt football mentioned as Heinz Field also being their home.
Draw your own conclusions.
I don't believe Heinz mentioned Pitt in the farewell tweet, but Pitt did sneak in a highlight in the introduction video at the official press conference.
If Acrisure continues to prove so unpopular in town, watch for the Acrisure sign only to be lit during Pitt games 😄
Acrisure can't expect to recognize any market share growth by buying the naming rights. That's not the way things work for companies in niche markets.
Really, consumer products companies are the only ones who might expect to see a return. Even then, I'm doubtful of much realized benefit out of the arrangement.
So, most likely it's ego driven, and then it doesn't matter about measurable results.
Really, consumer products companies are the only ones who might expect to see a return. Even then, I'm doubtful of much realized benefit out of the arrangement.
So, most likely it's ego driven, and then it doesn't matter about measurable results.
Agreed. Maybe Heinz was lowballing against what the Rooneys were seeing for sponsorships in other cities, and the fanboy Steelers shareholder who runs Acrisure thought he’d be the white horse riding to the rescue. Maybe they don’t give the guy very much say in the Steelers affairs, and this is the way he thought he could get promoted from the kids table at Thanksgiving.
