In another blow to Pittsburgh’s identity, “Heinz Field” will become “Acrisure Stadium,” a name completely unconnected to the city’s roots.
A football stadium helps define a team, city and region. (Imagine renaming Lambeau Field in Green Bay.) A stadium’s name rolls off the tongues of millions. Frankly, “Acrisure” doesn’t roll off the tongue very well — especially in Pittsburgh.
The fans, who have supported this franchise through thick and thin, have to take it, but they don’t have to like it. And they don’t.
“Leave it to the Steelers to take what already was a soulless stadium and make it even more cold and corporate,” Jason Easley wrote on the Post-Gazette’s web page. “Heinz was literally the only defining characteristic to the place.”
As a regional marker, “Heinz Field” made sense. Heinz was a local brand, even after its merger with Kraft. Heinz became a global corporation, but the Heinz family will always remain a Pittsburgh clan. The philanthropic work carried on under the Heinz name has enriched the region. So has the University of Pittsburgh’s world renowned Heinz Chapel. The late Senator John Heinz was one of the most popular politicians to serve this region.
PNC Park and PPG Paints Arena are also named for multinational firms that have “Pittsburgh” in their historic names: the Pittsburgh National Bank and the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company. Until now, the three pro-sports cathedrals represented the idea that Pittsburgh had something unique to offer the global economy.
No more.
Acrisure is a Grand Rapids-based insurance broker and financial technology (fintech) company that is said to be the fastest growing firm of its kind in history. In 15 years, it has gone from startup to leading multibillion-dollar player in its field. In 2020, it acquired Pittsburgh-based artificial intelligence firm Tulco, LLC, which was run by Steelers minority owner Thomas Tull.
“Acrisure Stadium” could house any team in America, In fact, the company already has rights to a new minor-league hockey arena near Palm Springs, Calif. It is a business and a brand unconnected to any place, aside from the global economy.
The stadium’s renaming, like the sale of the Penguins to an international sports conglomerate, shows the city’s teams are, first and foremost, business assets. The delight (or frustration) they bring to fans is only incidental.
With Pittsburgh no longer embedded in its name, the Steelers have become more of a placeless brand. That’s a blow to the city, and the fans who have given so much to their beloved franchise.
Don’t blame them if they continue to call the stadium “Heinz Field.”
First Published: July 11, 2022, 6:35 p.m.