A Breathtaking Sight For Steelers Fans, 1 Of The Heinz Ketchup Bottles Returns To Acrisure Stadium

In July of 2022, the ketchup bottles were removed from the endzone of the Pittsburgh Steelers/Pitt Panthers stadium. The stadium, on the North Shore of Pittsburgh, had been named Heinz Field for 20 years. However, after the sponsorship changed, they could not keep the branding. 

Heinz Field / Photo Credit: Charles LeClaire, USA TODAY Sport

This one hurt. 

It is hard enough as fans to let go of the name of a stadium, especially when the company has such considerable ties to the community the way Heinz does. Fans openly mourned the loss of the ketchup bottles which poured "ketchup" down the sides of the scoreboard when the Steelers reached the redzone. 

It probably helped ease the sting that the Steelers didn't see much of the redzone in 2022. 

Steelers Will See Red Again

While the new sponsors at Acrisure weren't willing to keep the bottles out on the jumbotron, they were ready to allow a gate to be renamed and put the bottle there. In 2023, old "Gate C" will now be known as "Heinz Gate," that's America's favorite gate.   

WPXI's Jenna Harner reported this first when she interviewed Steelers owner Art Rooney II. 

"At least one of the ketchup bottles is going to reappear here right at the new Heinz Gate, which is the old Gate C. The Heinz folks renamed that gate, and we're working on having one of the ketchup bottles displayed over there. Hopefully, it'll turn out good," Rooney told Harner.

One of the giant Heinz Ketchup bottles is headed back to Acrisure Stadium!

Art Rooney II tells me Gate C will now be the Heinz Gate, and they're working on having one of the ketchup bottles displayed there pic.twitter.com/CgNcWeCKiB

— Jenna Harner (@JennaHarner11) January 31, 2023

Acrisure is a financial tech company and they are excited about partnering with the Rooney's, as well as Pittsburgh. The co-founder and CEO, Greg Williams is a lifelong, diehard Steelers fan. He said that supporting his hometown team has always been a dream of his. When asked last year about the new sponsorship Rooney responded.

"We are excited to partner with Acrisure for the naming rights to our stadium. Acrisure provided us with an opportunity to ensure our stadium continues to be a valuable asset for our fans as well as keeping up with the market value of NFL stadiums. We are very appreciative to partner Greg Williams and his company, and we look forward to a long, beneficial relationship for years to come." 

While fans might still call the stadium Heinz for years to come, the city and the team are grateful to have a wonderful sponsor like Acrisure that is interested in keeping our facility top-notch. There is no doubt that getting the bottle back over the gate helps a little. I wonder if we can get it to dump ketchup on the opponent's fans? 

What memories do you have of watching the ketchup dump at Heinz field? Do you remember the first time you saw it? I do, I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen, I was pretty young then. Are you calling the new field Acrisure or are you sticking with Heinz? Let us know in the comments below.

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