Social media disapproval poured in from all areas in the wake of Monday’s decision by the Pittsburgh Steelers to change the name of Heinz Field to Acrisure Stadium.
The most prominent person to tweet a figurative thumbs down was former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger — the most accomplished player to ever call that building his home workplace.
I can't believe it, it doesn't seem right or real! Home will always be Heinz Field! I will never forget the last game, and all the amazing fans at FOREVER HEINZ! -- Ben.#ForeverHeinz
— BigBen7.com (@_BigBen7) July 11, 2022
(Thanks to @ThompsonFoto12 & @YinzerSzn for the great photos!) pic.twitter.com/BnYTDp9zEp
I agree with Roethlisberger, many other Steelers fans and media members on this one. The name is hideous, antiseptic and devoid of any legitimate connection to Pittsburgh. I’d prefer that the stadium keep its original name, too.
But we do have to keep a few things in perspective.
First of all, the building isn’t getting torn down. Roethlisberger’s tweet and some of the reaction from the fan base makes it seem like Heinz Field is getting demolished, not renamed.
I heard way too many callers to sports talk radio yesterday suggest that, somehow, the name on the marquee is going to impact the mood in the seats.
That’s asinine.
You could literally call the building “Insert Name Here Field” and, if a Steelers defender is returning a pick-6 in the AFC Championship as Troy Polamalu did, the structure is still going to errupt, sway and shake like it did that night.
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Similarly, you can call the facility “Fred Rogers Field in Rooney Stadium at the Primanti’s Sports Complex,” and the atmosphere is going to stink if the Steelers are down 28-0 in the first quarter of a playoff game to the Browns (or 21-0 to the Jaguars).
Not that Roethlisberger would know anything about that.
If the name on the outside of the stadium influences your enthusiasm as a fan once the ball is kicked off, you aren’t that much of a fan.
And if someone’s mind is distracted enough to wander during the game to that level of rationalization, maybe the product on the field isn’t any good.
Plus, Ben, c’mon on. A little self-awareness, OK? You just retired after earning $267 million from the Rooney family. And you are questioning ownership for making a money grab?
Irony, thy name is Roethlisberger.
I mean, someone has to make sure there is enough in the payroll account so T.J. Watt’s paychecks can clear.
Maybe in another 20 years, Roethlisberger can buy the naming rights himself and change them back to “Heinz Field at Big Ben Stadium.” Giant clocks could replace the ketchup bottles and chime seven times after a Steelers touchdown.
Speaking of that, what becomes of those ketchup bottles anyway? Do they get auctioned off? Does Heinz Field still sponsor the red zone?
If that happens, I’ll be much more concerned with who Roethlisberger’s replacement is under center and what the scoreboard reads inside the stadium.
Not the name on the outside of it.
