NFL players not crazy about Steelers facilities

[Slick Manager of Champs]

Acrisure was definitely built on the cheap. It is perfectly fine for watching a game, but compared to stadiums in Atlanta and Charlotte it doesn't measure up. Especially from an aesthetics perspective. Now apparently even players are saying this also. Could the Cranberry stadium be a reality, and Pitt stadium appears in Oakland (make the VA an offer they can't refuse, give them the old South Side hospital)

Steelers receive mixed reviews from current, former NFL players for working conditions

On the record, just about every Steeler who passes through team headquarters on the South Side at some point will tell you he enjoyed the experience and...

www.post-gazette.com

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

How can this be?? The Steelers Way! The Rooneys!! Rooneys and Steelers do it better than other franchises. Mikey T! The ultimate players coach. Best management team in sports! Best ownership group in sports.

Every day the death of Dan Rooney is more distant in the rear view mirror, the more the Steelers are just another NFL franchise.

 

[RaleighPittFan]

That sounds like a bunch of rich guys complaining that other rich guys don’t give them enough.

 

[TempleBAPittMPA]

The old guys who used to practice at the South Park Fairgrounds are rolling their eyes.

 

[Upg bobcat]

That sounds like a bunch of rich guys complaining that other rich guys don’t give them enough.

Seriously ... no wonder these guys have such a hard time adjusting to the real world after their careers end.

 

[Dan1911]

I'm getting a little sick of the spoiled athlete thing. Millions upon millions of dollars. Three meals a day made to order. Everything you want. Complain somewhere else.

Or just eat cake.

 

[HailtoPitt]

The Steelers will use this to get more public money to upgrade something.

And it sounds like they already want a new stadium in Cleveland.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

How can this be?? The Steelers Way! The Rooneys!! Rooneys and Steelers do it better than other franchises. Mikey T! The ultimate players coach. Best management team in sports! Best ownership group in sports.

Every day the death of Dan Rooney is more distant in the rear view mirror, the more the Steelers are just another NFL franchise.

promoting Khan, not moving from Canada, and most likely drafting Porter. ah yes, the Steeler way.

 

[The Ole Six-Fiver]

The Steelers will use this to get more public money to upgrade something.

And it sounds like they already want a new stadium in Cleveland.

Agreed. The PG wouldn’t have dared to publish this piece. Guaranteed they got Steelers permission first. And the only reason the Steelers would give the permission would be to set up the scenario to get the county to significantly upgrade Acrisure’s lockers and other players amenities. Which the county dutifully will do.

 

[rmf05]

Acrisure is 23 years old? I think 3RS was 26 when the ballot measure to build new stadiums failed (as if voting means anything). I'm sure the planned obsolescence curve is steeper now than in the 90's.

 

[lilspainishflea]

That sounds like a bunch of rich guys complaining that other rich guys don’t give them enough.

Generally agree but some of these are really bad. The worst I saw was that one team (Cards, Jags, or Bengals?) don't have anywhere for the moms to breastfeed so they do it on the floor in the bathroom. Disgusting and unsanitary.

The 2nd worst one was the Cardinals charging players to eat at the team facility. If you expect a guy to be there 8-12 hours per day, and also expect him to maintain a certain level of fitness, you should provide free nutrition. It's just penny-wise, pound foolish to charge these guys to eat. You don't want them going to McDonald's if you just signed them to a $40 million guaranteed deal.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

Generally agree but some of these are really bad. The worst I saw was that one team (Cards, Jags, or Bengals?) don't have anywhere for the moms to breastfeed so they do it on the floor in the bathroom. Disgusting and unsanitary.

The 2nd worst one was the Cardinals charging players to eat at the team facility. If you expect a guy to be there 8-12 hours per day, and also expect him to maintain a certain level of fitness, you should provide free nutrition. It's just penny-wise, pound foolish to charge these guys to eat. You don't want them going to McDonald's if you just signed them to a $40 million guaranteed deal.

I have more sympathy for football players than other pro sports, especially baseball. The NFL rakes in more money than any other pro league by a wide margin, but the players aren't compensated nearly as well. And especially given the toll football takes on the body compared to other sports.

Also the NFL players union is exceptionally weak when compared to baseball. Look how quickly they caved in to playing a 17 game schedule.

 

[lilspainishflea]

I have more sympathy for football players than other pro sports, especially baseball. The NFL rakes in more money than any other pro league by a wide margin, but the players aren't compensated nearly as well. And especially given the toll football takes on the body compared to other sports.

Also the NFL players union is exceptionally weak when compared to baseball. Look how quickly they caved in to playing a 17 game schedule.

Yeah I mean I know it's crazy choosing sides in a millionaires vs. billionaires conflict. I just think the latter are being stupid. These players are your investments. Not only do they help your team value increase, but they also make your life fun, since winning is fun. And let's face it, when you're a billionaire, you really should be thinking about things like having fun versus $2 million in cafeteria costs.

How much could decent and free nutrition possibly cost? A couple million per year at the absolute maximum? So you're going to charge guys and get a bad reputation among FAs such that only Kenny Golladay types will sign with you, and even then only if you vastly overpay them bc you have a reputation as a cheap and self-interested owner? Then you're paying a dude $40 million guaranteed for 600 yards and 1 TD total in 3 years. That's 20+ years of nutrition on one bad contract. You just did business totally backwards.

Just feed your people so they can play better. You're not doing anyone any favors by these nickel and dime shenanigans.

 

[HailtoPitt]

Agreed. The PG wouldn’t have dared to publish this piece. Guaranteed they got Steelers permission first. And the only reason the Steelers would give the permission would be to set up the scenario to get the county to significantly upgrade Acrisure’s lockers and other players amenities. Which the county dutifully will do.

didn't the Steelers choose the smaller locker room when the stadium opened, giving Pitt the larger one? They might only have so much space, unless Pitt gets the boot to the smaller one?

 

[Macchiato]

Acrisure was definitely built on the cheap. It is perfectly fine for watching a game, but compared to stadiums in Atlanta and Charlotte it doesn't measure up. Especially from an aesthetics perspective. Now apparently even players are saying this also. Could the Cranberry stadium be a reality, and Pitt stadium appears in Oakland (make the VA an offer they can't refuse, give them the old South Side hospital)

Steelers receive mixed reviews from current, former NFL players for working conditions

On the record, just about every Steeler who passes through team headquarters on the South Side at some point will tell you he enjoyed the experience and...

www.post-gazette.com

The VA recently updated a few years ago. Its proximity to UPMC Presby is important as some of our consult services assist the VA and our fellows pull service in that hospital. The VA is going nowhere. An intriguing idea is putting a stadium at the corner of Bates and the Blvd. An open end either facing cathedral or open over the river visible from south side.

 

[Slick Manager of Champs]

The VA recently updated a few years ago. Its proximity to UPMC Presby is important as some of our consult services assist the VA and our fellows pull service in that hospital. The VA is going nowhere. An intriguing idea is putting a stadium at the corner of Bates and the Blvd. An open end either facing cathedral or open over the river visible from south side.

my tongue is planted firmly in cheek with my constant VA suggestions. But it would be an ideal site and they already have a pretty big parking garage up there. Access to the north, east & south through Bigelow Blvd, although it would be crazy on game days.

And your site was also on my fantasy list, especially the spot of the vacant auto dealer that was empty for many many years. Unfortunately that ship has sailed since UPMC remodeled that building and made it an office.

 

[h2p_5150]

I don't really care about the training room or cafeteria being a little worse than average. Whatever. They should offer daycare on game days and have a room at the stadium where the players young kids can go though. That's not a lot to ask.

The Jaguars locker room being infested by rats was a bit of a shocker. The Cardinals seem to be as poorly operated as you'd expect.

 

[lilspainishflea]

I don't really care about the training room or cafeteria being a little worse than average. Whatever. They should offer daycare on game days and have a room at the stadium where the players young kids can go though. That's not a lot to ask.

The Jaguars locker room being infested by rats was a bit of a shocker. The Cardinals seem to be as poorly operated as you'd expect.

The Bidwills - owners of the Cardinals - are historically cheap. I remember players complaining that you had to pay for drinks out of the vending machines in the locker rooms 20 years ago. There were rumors that agents discouraged players from signing there. That was the father Bidwill but apparently the son is cut from the same cloth.

 

[RaleighPittFan]

didn't the Steelers choose the smaller locker room when the stadium opened, giving Pitt the larger one? They might only have so much space, unless Pitt gets the boot to the smaller one?

Pitt has a lot more players to accommodate, so that makes sense.

 

[mlvnsmly]

The Steelers will use this to get more public money to upgrade something.

And it sounds like they already want a new stadium in Cleveland.

This is what's happening. This is a propaganda peice to get support for a new tax payer funded stadium. Queue the wall collapse....

 

[cruzer]

That sounds like a bunch of rich guys complaining that other rich guys don’t give them enough.

Sadly, it's not just rich guys complaining to riacher guys. The taxpayers get stuck with a large portion of this. All so that billionaire owners can pay more money to multi-millionaire players and coaches. Absurd.

 

[Burgh15]

If the Steelers wanted to upgrade the locker room, they would. I think the management (and probably coaching staff) likes the old school wooden lockers. Look at the college locker rooms they have. These are the types of guys coming into the NFL now. They want luxury. It's not really a necessity and isn't going to have any impact on signing free agents or anything. Btw, a suburban stadium would suck.

 

[Macchiato]

my tongue is planted firmly in cheek with my constant VA suggestions. But it would be an ideal site and they already have a pretty big parking garage up there. Access to the north, east & south through Bigelow Blvd, although it would be crazy on game days.

And your site was also on my fantasy list, especially the spot of the vacant auto dealer that was empty for many many years. Unfortunately that ship has sailed since UPMC remodeled that building and made it an office.

I also like my other idea of placing it on Kennard Park off of Kirkpatrick Street with access coming from the Birmingham Bridge. It could be connected with our existing athletic facilities on the back side of hill.

 

[caleco's]

The old guys who used to practice at the South Park Fairgrounds are rolling their eyes.

Loved that big stadium played there from 5th to 8th catholic league football.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

promoting Khan, not moving from Canada, and most likely drafting Porter. ah yes, the Steeler way.

Yeah but drafting Porter is not nepotism. Most mocks have him gone before the Steelers, so if he is there, it is a position of need, it at least makes sense.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

It is funny they had Tyler Kennedy (ex Penguin) on the Fan this AM. And they brought this up to him and asked him about the Penguins. And he said (at least under the Mario group ownership) the Pens were 1st class, was well known around the league that you come here, "play hockey, they will take care of everything else". Best in food, nutrition, travel and hotel arrangements. He said they had such fresh fruit and stuff for post game recovery smoothies and compared it to the Islanders when he went there and they passed out bottled stuff and put a scoop of protein powder is.

It is pretty startling to see the Steelers more like the Pirates than the Penguins.

 

[pittdan77]

It might seem like a bunch of guys whining around but this stuff matters. You spend the better part of your days in the facility during the season. Little things start to matter. No different than where you work and whether or not your office is too warm or if you have to endure second rate hotels when you travel.

 

[303vND]

The Steelers facilities are a dump...stadium and practice facility!

 

[Zeldas Open Roof]

my tongue is planted firmly in cheek with my constant VA suggestions. But it would be an ideal site and they already have a pretty big parking garage up there. Access to the north, east & south through Bigelow Blvd, although it would be crazy on game days.

And your site was also on my fantasy list, especially the spot of the vacant auto dealer that was empty for many many years. Unfortunately that ship has sailed since UPMC remodeled that building and made it an office.

on my "fantasy List" of locations for a pitt football stadium, leaving all realism and logic aside, i'd pick the hazelwood location. Basically across the river from the South Side facility but down a little closer to the city.. obviously while im in fantasy land, i have an open end facing the river..

think that would be cool.

 

[upj87]

It might seem like a bunch of guys whining around but this stuff matters. You spend the better part of your days in the facility during the season. Little things start to matter. No different than where you work and whether or not your office is too warm or if you have to endure second rate hotels when you travel.

Little things start to matter.... such as? Not a lot of office place whining in office buildings that are 23 years old. Guessing the showers work and the heat is fine....The field itself seems to be the same dimensions as their field back at Hickory..

 

[Macchiato]

on my "fantasy List" of locations for a pitt football stadium, leaving all realism and logic aside, i'd pick the hazelwood location. Basically across the river from the South Side facility but down a little closer to the city.. obviously while im in fantasy land, i have an open end facing the river..

think that would be cool.

My full list

1. Corner of Bates and Blvd of The Allies over looking the River with an open end with a huge PITT script visible to south side
2. Kennard Park
3. South side Hospital location
4. Old Syria Mosque taking out all buildings and incorporating with athletic association
5. Old Forbes Field location. Move law school and library

 

[Pitt79]

promoting Khan, not moving from Canada, and most likely drafting Porter. ah yes, the Steeler way.

The thing that most Yinzers don't remember or refuse to acknowledge is that Dan Rooney made this franchise #1 from when he was given the lead role, not by staying the course, but by changing everything, including innovating and doing things nobody else did, never firing the coach for example wasn't some master plan, it just happened organically, because what they did in the late 60s early 70s worked out so well.

 

[tetonpanther]

Acrisure was definitely built on the cheap. It is perfectly fine for watching a game, but compared to stadiums in Atlanta and Charlotte it doesn't measure up. Especially from an aesthetics perspective. Now apparently even players are saying this also. Could the Cranberry stadium be a reality, and Pitt stadium appears in Oakland (make the VA an offer they can't refuse, give them the old South Side hospital)

Steelers receive mixed reviews from current, former NFL players for working conditions

On the record, just about every Steeler who passes through team headquarters on the South Side at some point will tell you he enjoyed the experience and...

www.post-gazette.com

This is stupid. Pitt doesnt own the sputhsideUPMC they are separate entities .

 

[HailToPitt725]

I think an overlooked aspect of this is that most P5 facilities, particularly in the Big Ten and SEC, blow NFL facilities out of the water. Players have no say where they get drafted to and amenities matter less when attracting free agents because how salaries are (typically) the most influential factor.

I hate to use loaded terms like “spoiled”, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of their perceptions are based on what they had in college.

 

[Pitt79]

It's a stretch to call them "spoiled" because this was a comparison, they are seeing what the better places are like compared to what they have. If my workplace sucks and someone else doing the same job, has better amenities, then why wouldn't I rate my crappy place lower?

 

[Burgh15]

The Steelers could easily make the locker rooms look like the others. I don't think they want to because it's not going to help win any football games. Now if additional training staff would help with recovery as well as state of the art equipment, I'd be all about seeing that improved.