So, I go away on vacation for a week and all Hell breaks loose. No. I am not talking about President Biden’s failure to secure more Mid East oil as he went hat-in-hand to Saudi Arabia or the selling of portions of our US Strategic Petroleum Reserves to Europe and Asia instead of putting it in tanks here at home. The issue has nothing to do with revelations that the US Secret Service deleted text messages regarding their advance warning and response to J6.
The outrage had everything to do with naming rights of a 21-year old taxpayer funded stadium, as first reported by my colleague from 93-7 THE FAN, Andrew Fillipponi. Why is the venue now formerly known as ‘Heinz Field’ so special? Kraft-Heinz is not necessarily a Pittsburgh company anymore. The brand has outgrown its first love and now is only officially married to our region. Kraft-Heinz is emotionally attached to, or ‘co-headquartered’ in, Chicago - with major love interests in 49 other cities. Talk about being tempted by the fruit of another.
Production of the famous ketchup is based in Ohio and Iowa - not Pittsburgh. The special tomatoes are grown in Los Banos, CA - not a 90-acre family farm here. The original HJ Heinz Company complex now houses parking garages and loft apartments. The family fortune meticulously and lovingly grown by Mr. Heinz is now largely in the hands of others. Most notably: Teresa & John Kerry and the great-great grandchildren - some of whom have struck out on their own interesting business ventures. Teresa continues to lead a lot of philanthropic efforts throughout the region.
Grand Rapids, MI-based Acrisure bought the naming rights fair & square. Well, kinda. This deal follows the fintech’s absorption of an artificial intelligence company from Steelers minority owner Thomas Tull for $400 million, as THE FAN’s Colin Dunlap pointed out. ‘Heinz Field’ was a great deal for the condiment giant at about $2.8 million a year since the facility opened. Like all relationships, the Heinz deal had a beginning and an end. This breakup came with a remarkable thud. The shock of which reverberating to the beach I was laying on some 380 miles away. Acrisure, whose CEO is a lifelong Steelers fan, is willing to pay an estimated $150 million over 15 years for the naming rights which Kraft-Heinz stated was ‘significantly more than we could justify.’ PERIOD! So much for HJ’s company motto: “Deal with the seller so justly that he will want to see to you again.”
The former Heinz Field is not a bad place to watch a game. It definitely does not have the amenities first promised to sports fans in 1997 after the idea for a ‘half-a-penny-on-the-dollar’ sales tax to fund stadiums was overwhelmingly trounced by voters in 11 southwestern PA counties. That failure to secure the regional tax led to the 1998 approval by the Allegheny Regional Asset District to use $233 million from Allegheny County’s extra 1% sales tax to build the structure. The Steelers organization pledged nearly $77 million more and then sold a 20-year deal for naming rights to Heinz for $57 million. The team also promised to call the venue at 100 Art Rooney Avenue home until at least 2031.
Heinz Field-turned-Acrisure Stadium does not present the homage the way ‘Paul Brown Stadium’ honors the legacy and lack of tradition of the Cincinnati Bengals and its ownership. So, why is Heinz Field any different than the Civic Arena which magically became the Mellon Arena one day? What about the old Coca-Cola Starlake Amphitheater and its 6 identity crises? Consol Energy Center? No one blinked an eye when the Penguins announced that the name flipped to PPG Paints Arena. It was as if mom simply told the kids that dad was gone and a guy called ‘uncle Bill’ would be staying awhile. Duquesne University’s aging AJ Palumbo Center was nipped, tucked and transformed into the beautiful UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse. And, speaking of UPMC, were we OK when they slapped their logo atop our iconic US Steel buildi, er, USX, I mean US Steel Tower?
Why is ‘Heinz Field’ - where the Steelers launched 2 of their 6 Super Bowl winning efforts - so special? It is not. The largely taxpayer-funded venue is now called ‘Acrisure Stadium’ whether you like it or not. It is a business deal just like any other sponsorship opportunity. The team is allegedly taking in $10+ million a year on the agreement. We can pout, rage, boycott, sign petitions, write angry letters or hold our breath in protest. We can second-guess this team decision just like any other deal our beloved city franchises have signed. But, always remember that Pittsburghers will buy anything that is Black & Gold - especially if a Steelers logo is stamped on it.
The sellout crowd will stand and scream while waving their Terrible Towels on September 18th as my man, Larry, bellows from the rafters “Welcome to Acrisure Stadium - home of your 6-time Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.” And, you’ll love it while digging into your wallet to buy those newly updated, neat little replica stadiums.
Kevin Battle is cohost of the KDKA Radio Morning Show with Larry Richert. It airs M-F 5a-9a on Pittsburgh’s 100.1FM & AM1020 KDKA or on the free Audacy app. Ask your smartspeaker to: ‘Play NewsRadio KDKA.’ Thank you.