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So long Heinz Field.
Bye bye ‘The Big Ketchup Bottle’.
Hello Acrisure Stadium!!
As the news of Acrisure acquiring the naming rights for the Pittsburgh Steelers home venue made waves with the Steelers’ global fan base, many were wondering what the price was for the Michigan company to out-bid the semi-local Kraft-Heinz company for the naming rights.
Before getting into the recently released numbers for Acrisure winning the bidding war for the naming rights, it’s important to provide some context. SoFi, the company who purchased the naming rights for the stadium which is home to the Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams, pays $20 million dollars a year for those rights. When the Steelers and Pittsburgh Panthers had their new stadium built, Heinz was the winning bidder for the naming rights. They paid $57 million dollars for a 20-year agreement.
According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Acrisure is paying $150 million for their 15-year contract for the naming rights on the stadium.
SOURCE: Steelers naming rights deal with Acrisure is worth $150 million over 15 years. More than triples the 20-year, $57 million deal they had with Heinz when stadium opened in 2001.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) July 12, 2022
In just six seasons the organization who owns the venue, not the Steelers or Pitt, will gain more money than they did in the first 20 years the stadium was in use.
Fans of the black and gold were furious when it was announced Heinz didn’t keep the naming rights. On top of that, many were upset it wasn’t replaced with a local company. When the Pittsburgh Penguins arena went from Consol Energy Center to PPG Paints Arena, fans went easier on the decision considering PPG Paints is a local company.
I get the sentiment, but the organization which runs the venue was looking for the most money possible, not a feel-good story. With that being said, the $10 million dollars a year deal from Acrisure just proves the deal was too rich for them to pass up.
These are just the reported numbers for the naming rights, and they could change, but if they are true it is an impressive deal for the venue.
Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news on the Pittsburgh Steelers as they prepare for training camp to start July 26th at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
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