Should the Pittsburgh Steelers build a new stadium?

“It’s not about the stadium! It’s about the ‘@!&$!*!!’ team!!”

I love roller coasters. One might even call me an enthusiast. If I could, I would travel far and wide to ride the best (and even some of the worst) slopes and drops the world has to offer. But you know what I love even more than the thrill of these rides? A great story. I’ve always loved the great “themes” of “theme parks.” The more a coaster park can draw me in to the experience and interact/ feel like a part of an adventure- the more apt I am to love the climbs and the spills, the g’s and the over-unders. (And the more likely I am to return and spend more money.) And most people agree with me. For every dollar Cedar Point (a well known but not very well themed coaster park) makes, a place like Busch Gardens in Virginia (also a regional, seasonal park that is very well themed) makes two.

But what does that have to do with football?

Well, recently, it was announced that the Cleveland Browns would be building a new stadium. And they’re not alone- the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, and Jacksonville Jaguars are all in the process of building while the Kansas City Chiefs and the Chicago Bears are lobbying to do so while evaluating options.

Most of the mechanizations and discussions of such decisions happen behind closed doors well before anyone outside the building ever hears about the possibility. But when the first breath is taken to exhale the first consonant of the first word publicly spoken on the idea, the immediate debate in fandom and politics goes to whether public money should be spent on such a project.

True to that form, immediately upon Cleveland’s announcement, our very own Governor, Josh Shapiro, felt it compulsory to shut down the idea that either of the Pennsylvania professional football teams would ever have a red cent of public funds. So, there’s that. (For now.)

Now, he had good reason to comment as significant public money was used in the construction of Heinz Field, and it was a BIG and polarizing debate at the time that ended a few careers. But, I don’t want to get into that debate (at all). That’s not the reason for this article.

When Cleveland made their announcement, it started me thinking about our team’s own digs. It’s likely also influenced by all the talk of the draft taking place here next year (though a stadium obviously wouldn’t be built in time.) But the fact the whole country will be so focused on our fair city, the stadium and its surroundings (including a whole new entertainment and lifestyle development area on the north shore) also got me musing.

Should the Steelers get a new stadium?

Here’s my, likely unpopular, take: Absolutely!

It’s not some sort of “pitch envy” as other teams have their new sites planned, nor is it any fears of losing the team (though fans in Cleveland, Baltimore, St. Louis, and Houston would probably encourage me to be, at least, a little worried at this juncture as they recall nightmares from times past).

It’s simply the fact that Acrisure Stadium sucks and always has sucked- no matter what its name was. It should never have been built in its current form to begin with no matter who paid for it. The physical design and its aesthetic does not fit the team nor the city. And, as opposed to its predecessor in Three Rivers, it poses absolutely no competitive advantage for the home team whatsoever.

Let me ask you- what does anyone, historically, think of when the “Pittsburgh Steelers” are mentioned? We hear the descriptors all the time. ‘Tough.’ ‘Gritty.’ ‘Lunchpail.’ ‘Intimidating.’ – And even if you feel such terms no longer apply to the current iteration of players and coaches- how about, at least, you know…

“Steel?”

Yet, as to its aesthetic, the current stadium is a sleek, straight bowl that looks and, in attendance, feels more like an extension of the convention center than an NFL stadium. Bright, shiny, glass and aluminum. Could they not have chosen to use large struts of archetypal dark colored steel beams to support the structure? Well, of course they could. Ironically, the other professional stadium in town, in part, has exactly that. (And, incidentally, that stadium is known as one of the most beautiful baseball stadiums in the nation.) The look and feel of a stadium completely made out of huge, dark towers of metal would reflect the history of this town and be just as (or maybe even more) cool to look at as their cross shore neighbor.

The obvious miss on a darker metal leans into the other beef I have where form meets function- the Steelers home field should be extremely difficult for opposing teams to play in. It should  intimidate the moment you see it like a 70,000 seat version of James Harrison’s visor. Instead, we got an ocean wave of cartoonish yellow Heinz mustard. They could have created a dark chasm of black seats maybe accented with yellow stairwells  or bezels around the screens but… no. Instead the planners obviously opted for a “happy” stadium!- Oh Yay!

But it’s so much more than color. At least, when it first opened and had the open end- there was a competitive advantage based on the difficulty of kicking. Of course, it was then realized they also- somehow- underestimated the needed seating capacity of a team with a mere 50 year waiting list for season tickets and that one, lone, unique feature was eliminated. But hey- at least they had giant electric bottles of tipping ketchup! I’m sure Terrel Suggs had nightmares just thinking about it.

But wait- there’s more! They could have simply made the bowl an actual, you know…bowl: i.e. a classic concentric oval that, with steep raking (like at Arrowhead), forces all crowd noise toward the field. But no! That would be too unfair! Instead, they opened each corner of the bowl with open stairwells to make nice, pretty vistas on your way in and out. Unfortunately- all sound now escapes in every direction. If you’ve ever been to a game- you literally could have the lungs of Pavarotti and scream at full volume. It makes no difference. You can practically feel your voice travel two feet and die. Three Rivers Stadium was an uncomfortable, hellish place to get in and out of. But Bill Cowher constantly invoked the “twelfth man” principle- with great effect. It was deafening. Visiting teams had to waste valuable practice time developing silent counts. Anyone who remembers those games recalls multiple wasted time outs for the visiting team and, sometimes, multiple consecutive false starts on the same drive! When was the last time you saw any opposing team forced chronically off schedule by noise at Accrisure/ Heinz? When was the last time you heard a Steelers coach invoke the “Twelfth Man?” I know the answer- December 16th, 2000- the last game at Three Rivers Stadium.

And Renegade? Please. Even our own players have commented  how their next play afterward is often unsuccessful. If the crowd noise was forced down to the field by huge, steel spires or a partial roof structure  (like in Seattle- which is known as a very hard place for opposing teams to play and sells lots of “Twelfth Man” merchandise), “Renegade” would be absolute, torrential mayhem. Now, it certainly gets the crowd entertained but, for the opposing team, it’s simply an easily ignored short film playing somewhere above their heads surrounded by all those distant, jumping, whispering dots that twirl yellow fabric.

I don’t know whether decisions for the original design were made on the basis of “multi-use” for the University of Pittsburgh or concerts and events or what have you, (or maybe they were forced to do so because of the public money). Regardless, that’s faulty thinking. The stadium would not be there without the Pittsburgh Steelers. It should be designed and built for the needs of the Pittsburgh Steelers and their fans, period.

Maybe it was an extension of the now known reputation of the Rooney’s cheaping out on facilities and so on. If so, then maybe he could tap one of the minority billionaire owners like our very own Thomas ‘The Dark Knight’ Tull who built his fortune in movies. I suspect he might know something about design and fan experience.

Bottom line, if there’s ever more significant rumors of the Steelers wanting a new stadium I, for one, completely support it and will be cheering as loudly as I am able when the wrecking ball lands on our current, dysfunctional eyesore of a multi-purpose, outdoor lecture hall.

Quite ironically, someone on the Acrisure Stadium turf would have about the same chance of hearing my screams from my home 45 minutes away as if I were doing so from the stadium seats themselves.

Certainly, a team’s overall success is more about their talent and coaching than their stadium. But a team’s home environment absolutely can alter the outcomes of close games. And the historically ‘run the ball, defensive minded’ Steelers play a whole lot of those kinds of games.

Plus, as a fan, if you’re going to pry my cash out of my hand, I want to feel a part of an experience. The game of football is great. But if it’s just a dry place to sit back and watch it all play out it can still be thrilling. But, I’ll opt for my food, my comfortable seat, my friends, and my bathroom any day if that’s the extent of what you are offering to me. You want me to spend money there and on repeat? Just like with roller coasters, you need to include me in the experience, and make me feel like I am a small part of the team.

What say you? Do you like Acrisure Stadium? How do you think it compares to other stadiums you’ve been to? If the opportunity came up for a new stadium, how sad would you be at the old ‘Heinz Field’ going away?