Steelers finalize stadium name change, drawing the ire of fans

We all knew a name change was coming to the Steelers home stadium. Some hoped Kraft-Heinz might reconsider and extend their naming rights.

That was not to be. Sure, Kraft Heinz took their time, dragging out the inevitable, giving a slight glimmer of hope to the most desperate fans wanting the name to stay the same. Hence it made the realization even more surreal when Heinz officially pulled their name and the ketchup bottle off the stadium.

There had been speculation and suggestions as to who might get the new naming rights: Dick’s, Highmark, Alcoa. Most thought a company that most recognize as being based in Pittsburgh would swoop in. Well, in the case of the Steelers neither happened.

The high bidder was certainly a Pittsburgh-based company but a recognizable name? Hardly! So who is it that won the naming rights? Acrisure Insurance, that’s who! Here comes the befuddled look over your face; you know, the same one you had when you heard Mitchell Trubisky would take over for Ben Roethlisberger.

Now, if it were not already obvious, the next thing you want to utter is nearly the same thing Pittsburgh media asked in the headlines the day after Steelers drafted a rookie in the 1969 NFL draft, and the headlines asked Joe Who? However, in this case, it’s  Acrisure who? It’s a normal question. Many of us reporting and blogging the news had to look them up.

In fairness, the Steelers join other teams to face the same fate. The Staples Center in Los Angeles, the home of the Lakers, eventually changed to Crypto.com Arena and Miller Park later became American Family Field. But in this case, who is Acrisure?