Good Monday to you Steelers fans.
Talk about waiting until the last minute… The Heinz Company has decided it will no longer sponsor the field our Steelers play in for 2022. That means the stadium will be under a new name. How soon? We don’t know but it’s going to be a little weird if we kick off the home opener at “the field.” Keep in mind that this isn’t as simple as just pulling the name down. The entire open end of the field has a massive scoreboard with two huge ketchup bottles that pour ketchup when the team hits the Red Zone. “Heinz Field” is plastered on signs and marquees throughout the facility too. I would love to think the new name would be reflective of the city, like Three Rivers Stadium was, but I’m not naive and you aren’t either. I have to believe Art Rooney II would like a sponsor from Pittsburgh. US Steel makes the most sense to me but who the heck knows? It’s going to be Heinz Field for all of us for a long time to come. The whole episode just makes me hate this era of corporate sponsorships. I’ve said my entire life if the NFL ever goes the way of the NBA and slaps a corporate logo on the jersey then I’m done. I’ll never purchase another jersey. That’s a topic for a different day I guess. I would like to point out that this news broke via the below tweet. The author isn’t exactly “correct” most of the time but considering many legitimate outlets picked it up I’ll do the same knowing the risks.
Tweet of the Day… Sad.
Breaking: Heinz Field is no more. The ketchup giant will not extend its naming rights deal for 2022. Sources say a new name for the stadium could be announced this week.
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) July 11, 2022
Nuptials
The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt was married over the weekend in Mexico. He and his new wife, Dani Rhodes, celebrated with family and friends. Joe Haden, Chris Wormley and many others were in attendance. A long-time Steelers reporter told me many years ago that when players get married their football performance typically gets better. That’s not good news for the Steelers’ opponents.
The “Dead” Period
I’ve talked about this period of the NFL off-season before. That time between OTAs and the beginning of Training Camp is often the scariest because this is typically when players make poor choices. Drugs, guns, etc seem to raise their ugly heads but in the case of the NY Jets’ Zach Wilson, it’s the “etc.” According to his ex-girlfriend, the QB apparently was having relations with his mother’s best friend. That led to some terrific tweets.
*Sees why Zach Wilson is trending* ? pic.twitter.com/2x1jBQJXQ5
— Damien Woody (@damienwoody) July 10, 2022
Zach Wilson whenever a mom texts him pic.twitter.com/gQWifGzquY
— Annie Agar (@AnnieAgar) July 10, 2022
Zach Wilson in his family’s living room pic.twitter.com/hQdK5Zz5Qz
— Greengo (@ElGreengo_) July 10, 2022
The Podcast
We recorded episode 276 of the SCB Steelers Podcast presented by DEK Roofing Inc last Thursday. Ben, Scarps and myself had some great discussions on a number of topics. This time of year is always difficult with such little information on our Steelers but believe me, we found plenty to keep you entertained!!
Celebrating 50 years of “Immaculate”
We’ve got a brand new shirt/hoodie in our online store with DC4L Custom Tees celebrating the 50th anniversary of the “Immaculate Reception!” Get yours right here.
FOCO
The great people at FOCO have released their brand new Steelers Spring Collection and I’ve got it right here for you. We get a small percentage back on anything that you buy so please consider it! AND…. Check out their selection of reusable bags too! There are tons of great Steelers item on their site outside of the Spring collection too!
Our Online Store
Please visit our online store! We have been so fortunate to work with DC4L Custom Tees! They are wonderful to work with and are willing to work with you on just about any design you can come up with!
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