While we in Philadelphia argue over the Sixers’ Market Street arena proposal, Pittsburgh is still refusing to acknowledge the name change of their beloved Heinz field, where the Steelers play. Heinz was re-named Acrisure Stadium two years ago for the start of the 2022 NFL season. They were mad back then and most still refuse to call it Acrisure:

@noshortsusa

what do yall think? #pittsburgh #steelers

♬ original sound – No Shorts

I totally get it. Heinz is a Pittsburgh company that’s known internationally. Everybody can relate with ketchup. It’s simple. What the hell is Acrisure? Nobody heard about them until they slapped their name on this stadium. Turns out it’s a financial technology and insurance company headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan. BORING! If you’re not a nationally-recognized brand, you shouldn’t be allowed to put your name on a stadium. 

Even though nobody knows who Acrisure is, they’ve got tons of money. They’re paying a reported $150 million to have their name on the ol’ Heinz Field for the next 15 years. They reported $4.5 billion in revenue in 2023. Must be nice, making tons of money in silence. They’re also one of the fastest-growing fintechs around, growing from $38M to $4B in revenue in just 10 years. Good for them, but Pittsburgh doesn’t care:

  • “It’ll never be Acrisure”
  • “I watched 2 Super Bowls come through here, it’s always going to be Heinz Field, fuck Acrisure”
  • “It’s Heinz Field 100%”

I asked around 40 people what they call the stadium, and only two people said they call it Acrisure Stadium. There’s data to back up how terrible this name change is, too. Acrisure Stadium was ranked the worst NFL stadium name and the second-least recognizable NFL stadium name according to a survey of 1,000 NFL fans. Granted this survey was run by a PA sports site, PennBets, back in 2022, so there might be some bias.

Heinz still has some marketing within the stadium, although their iconic ketchup bottle did get removed. Also, let’s be real – Heinz is not some premium ketchup. I really doubt it’s an ultra-fresh healthy product. Just look at the difference in ingredients in the US vs Canada:


  • Heinz Tomato Ketchup (America): Tomato concentrate from red ripe tomatoes, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, salt, spice, onion powder, natural flavoring.
  • Heinz Tomato Ketchup (Canada): Tomato paste (from fresh, ripe tomatoes), sugar, vinegar, salt spices.

I’m no nutritionist, but why does the US version seem way unhealthier? A bunch of extra ingredients, for what? I get that Heinz is a Pittsburgh company and all, but let’s not act like they’re our local neighborhood farmer. Kraft-Heinz did $27 billion in revenue in 2023. Regardless, I’d rather call it Heinz Field. Bring the ketchup bottles back!