The Pirates did not respond to questions about this story. The Steelers issued a brief statement from team affiliate PSSI Stadium, which manages Acrisure.<\/p>\n
“We are always talking with our public partners as we look to maintain and improve the facility, and we will continue to do so,” the statement said. “These facilities require constant care and attention to continue to remain competitive with other NFL venues and to continue to attract sporting events, concerts and other major events that have a significant economic impact on the region.”<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.publicsource.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/20260420-Pittsburgh-NFL-Draft-36.jpg\")
People pass by PNC Park, home to the Pittsburgh Pirates, on April 21, on the North Shore. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg\/Pittsburgh\u2019s Public Source)<\/p>\n
Fontana said the elected leaders and teams will have to hammer out new lease terms that could differ from the ones signed 25 years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stadium costs ballooning<\/p>\n
$263 million \u2014 cost of Heinz Field, now Acrisure, in late 1990s
\n$274 million \u2014 cost of PNC Park in late 1990s
\n$470 million \u2014 estimated cost of planned renovations to the NFL Cincinnati Bengals\u2019 stadium
\n$1.2 billion \u2014 cost of Major League Baseball\u2019s newest stadium in Arlington, Texas
\n$2.1 billion \u2014 low-end estimate of cost of new stadium for NFL\u2019s Buffalo Bills
\n$5.5 billion \u2014 cost of the NFL\u2019s newest stadium, in Los Angeles
Sources: SEA, press reports<\/p>\n
Specifically, the current lease requires the SEA to fund some stadium upkeep projects through a fund backed by ticket surcharges. With more expensive stadium technology and general construction price increases, Fontana said that model is near a breaking point.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow do you ensure there\u2019s enough money \u2026 if you\u2019re going to have a lease that requires the SEA to do certain maintenance obligations?\u201d Fontana said. \u201cThat\u2019s a question you have to answer before you even negotiate.\u201d<\/p>\n
A lump sum for significant stadium upgrades could easily run into the hundreds of millions for each stadium, if other cities are any indication<\/a>. That money would largely have to come from the state, Fontana said.<\/p>\n The state was the largest single contributor to the construction of Acrisure, PNC and the David L. Lawrence Convention Center which totaled $1.1 billion back in the late 1990s. It provided a third of the funding<\/a>, with the rest supplied by bonds sold against county sales and hotel tax revenue, a small amount of federal dollars and some money from the Pirates ($61 million) and Steelers ($70 million) themselves.<\/p>\n Stadiums have gotten more expensive since then, far outpacing inflation. The two North Shore facilities were built for a bit more than $250 million apiece. The newest Major League Baseball stadium, in Arlington, Texas, cost $1.2 billion<\/a> and the newest NFL stadium in Los Angeles cost more than $5 billion<\/a>. Renovations would cost far less than building from scratch, but the numbers could still make elected officials squirm, with a city and county strapped for cash<\/a> already and a state legislature that has struggled with passing budgets lately.<\/p>\n Fontana said he doesn\u2019t know how much political appetite exists to divert large sums of taxpayer money to benefit privately owned sports teams, but added that the Steelers and Pirates can point to other states and cities that have done just that.<\/p>\n Ohio set aside $600 million<\/a> for a new Cleveland Browns stadium last year, and Hamilton County (also in Ohio) agreed to give the Cincinnati Bengals $350 million<\/a> for stadium renovations. New York State and its Erie County combined to contribute $850 million to the new Buffalo Bills stadium.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf they had the [political] appetite in Cleveland or Cincinnati or Las Vegas or wherever, then the question is why don\u2019t we have the appetite, because of the economic impact that a team has,\u201d Fontana said.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.publicsource.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/20260106-SLIDESHOW-Mayor-Corey-OConnor-first-day-13-1.jpg\")
Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O\u2019Connor talks to reporters downtown on his first full day in office, Jan. 6. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg\/Pittsburgh\u2019s Public Source)<\/p>\n