The Pittsburgh Steelers are making some more upgrades to Acrisure Stadium this offseason, and while some might be pissed off by the change, it’s also overwhelmingly likely that fewer people will be pissed on.
The Steelers are renovating 12 restrooms at Acrisure Stadium this offseason, and as part of the latest change, the urinal troughs in four men’s rooms on the stadium’s 500 level will be replaced with separate urinals that have dividers.
They have already renovated most of the other facilities in the stadium, which turns 22 years old this fall. The flooring will also be replaced in those four men’s rooms and eight women’s rooms.
Unlike last offseason’s name change from Heinz Field to Acrisure Stadium, which was extremely unpopular with the fanbase, the change from troughs to urinals is unlikely to elicit a strong reaction from most. But urinal troughs have been curiously popular at other venues.
In recent renovations, both Wrigley Field in Chicago and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway decided to renovate their restrooms with new troughs as opposed to making the switch.
“The Indy 500 fan doesn’t like change,” IMS president Doug Boles said. “They like to come back to the same thing that they’ve always come back to. Often times your first memories at the Speedway are the memories that last a whole lifetime and the stories that you tell and what keeps you coming back.”
It remains to be seen whether the new urinals will be more or less popular in Pittsburgh.
The project, which reportedly will cost $1.4 million, is being paid for by the team. When the Steelers signed the 15-year naming rights agreement with Acrisure in 2022, president Art Rooney II said that some of the additional revenue would go to stadium improvements.
The Steelers will also be returning one of the iconic Heinz ketchup bottles to the stadium this offseason, at Gate C, which will now be known as the Heinz Gate.