Pittsburgh Steelers fans let out a collective sigh when it was announced that Heinz Field would be getting a new name. After the original sponsorship agreement with the famed ketchup maker ran out, the venue became known as Acrisure Stadium. Steeler Nation still held out hope that the stadium’s famous giant ketchup bottles would remain.

Any time the Steelers or Pitt Panthers got inside the 20-yard line, the gigantic Heinz bottles would light up and “pour” ketchup (made from LED lights) onto the stadium’s gigantic scoreboard. It became something fans enjoyed, given the company’s long history of local ties. It was believed that the ketchup bottles might be saved through a secondary sponsorship deal.

Those hopes have officially been dashed. Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan shared a video of cranes removing the bottles from the stadium. As the rebrand is officially underway, it doesn’t look like the venerable ornaments will be coming back. It’s a sad day for Pittsburgh sports fans.

Given the fact that Acrisure is in the insurance and AI business, it’s hard to imagine another similar gimmick being installed. Perhaps the scoreboard will soon be adorned with briefcases that dump insurance onto the fans below. Things just won’t be the same without the big ketchup bottles.

Advertising
Advertising

Pittsburghers were not pleased with the name change. They will be even less happy about the removal of these iconic monuments to a beloved local business. It remains to be seen if Heinz will have a presence within the walls of Acrisure Stadium, but the most iconic of them all is now officially gone.

Time will tell if Steelers fans can get over the loss of the Heinz branding on their favorite team’s stadium. With training camp kicking off soon, there is still football to be played. Acrisure may be hoping that the impending camp battle between Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky is enough to distract fans from the major change.

What do you think of this story? Let us know in the comments!

Michael Perry

Michael Perry is a news contributor for Ringside News and Thirsty for News. Michael has an M.A. in Communication Technology from Point Park University in his hometown of Pittsburgh, PA.

Disqus Comments Loading...