The Pittsburgh Steelers fans have shared their distaste for the new name for their stadium, which will be changed from its current moniker Heinz Field.
The football stadium has been named after the ketchup brand, which is headquartered in Pittsburgh, for 21 years ever since it first opened in 2001.
It’s now set to be named after an insurance company that many are unaware of.
Acrisure, a company based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is a fintech company with connections to Thomas Tull, the minority owner of the Steelers. The company has bought the naming rights for the stadium for the next 15 years, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported on Monday.
The franchise confirmed the sale in a statement. Kraft Heinz suggested that they had been interested in keeping the name.
Steelers President Art Rooney II said that “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,” he added. “We are very appreciative to partner with [co-founder and CEO] Greg Williams and his company, and we look forward to a long, beneficial relationship for years to come.”
Mr Tull is the chairman and CEO of the artificial intelligence company Tulco LLC. The billionaire is also a film producer.
Acrisure acquired the insurance branch of Tulco two years ago, making Tulco a minority shareholder in Acrisure.
“This is a great partnership and will have a tremendous impact on both organizations as well as the greater Pittsburgh community. The Steelers and Acrisure share the same core values of winning and excellence and I could not be prouder to be partnered with both,” Mr Tull said in a statement.
Heinz paid $57m for the two decades of naming rights. What Acrisure paid is yet to be revealed.
“While we worked diligently with the Steelers for several months around a new naming rights deal, they found a new partner willing to pay significantly more than we could justify,” the company said in a statement.
“While our name will no longer be on the stadium, Heinz will remain a significant, long-term sponsor of the Steelers and we’re excited to announce the details of our new partnership in the days ahead,” it added.
Steelers fans shared their outrage at the name change on social media.
“Only in Pittsburgh can announcing the naming rights for a stadium immediately become a horrible PR situation for your company,” WDVE morning show host Bill Crawford tweeted.
“There are an infinite amount of things I love about the Steelers. Playing in ‘Acrisure Stadium’ is instantly the single thing I love the least,” Rick Fish tweeted.
“Absolutely no one will call it Acrisure Field. What a tremendous waste of money by them,” one Twitter user wrote.
“Acrisure Stadium I’m gonna be sick,” another added.
“If we bullied Elon Musk away from taking over Twitter I’m confident we can bully Acrisure from taking over Heinz Field,” a third said.
“I will be 6ft in the ground before I ever utter the word “Acrisure’,” another user said.
“I’m from and live in Michigan. I’ve never heard of Acrisure. I’m just as confused as you are,” Will Hubbard said.
“Why @steelers why???? Acrisure???? I’m sure I’ll jump on board eventually… But right now I think that’s the most horrible name I’ve ever heard,” Twitter user Monica added.
“Nothing represents the blue collar city of Pittsburgh and the Steelers like the name Acrisure Insurance Stadium,” another account holder said.
“Acrisure sounds like an acupuncture supply store. This is a lame name, and I almost guarantee people will still call it Heinz,” one Twitter user wrote.
