Roberto Clemente logo seemingly replaced with ad at PNC Park; Pittsburgh Pirates respond

PITTSBURGH — A Roberto Clemente logo at PNC Park was seemingly replaced with an advertisement.

A post shared by Roberto Clemente Jr. shows the spot where his father’s logo was previously located now holds an advertisement for a beverage.

The change created some backlash from fans on social media.

“Promoting a seltzer nobody’s ever heard of over the best player in your franchise’s history is a tough sell. Pretty easy to see how that can be seen as classless,” one response said.

Channel 11 reached out to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a response.

“The 21-foot-high wall that officially bears Roberto Clemente’s name continues to, and will forever, display his No. 21 in two separate locations. The temporary wall sign in question was put in place prior to the 2022 season and was never meant to be a permanent tribute, simply another cap tip to “The Great One.” We apologize that we didn’t directly communicate that fact to the Clemente family and our fans,” Pittsburgh Pirates Senior Vice President of Communications and Broadcasting Brian Warecki said in a statement.

The Pittsburgh Pirates also emphasized that Clemente is beloved and important to the organization.

“Roberto Clemente is more than a Hall-of-Fame player to us.  His legacy helps define who we are as an organization. One would be hard-pressed to find a franchise that pays tribute to one of their historically great players more than the Pittsburgh Pirates do of Roberto Clemente, and rightfully so. Each and every day, we proudly honor and celebrate Roberto Clemente, the person, the player, and the humanitarian in and around our ballpark, as well as through our charitable endeavors,” Warecki said.

The Pirates also shared a list of how the organization honors Clemente’s legacy in their statement about the sign change at the park. It included:

Outside PNC Park

• A bridge that bears his name connecting Downtown to the North Shore
• The newly placed, oversized concrete baseball along the riverwalk
• The retired No. 21 on the riverwalk ramp leading up to Federal Street
• The 12-foot-tall bronze statue outside our center field gate for all to see

Throughout PNC Park

• The retired No. 21 on the upper deck facia
• The right field wall that was specifically designed to be 21 feet high in his honor
• Two separate, stand-alone No. 21 logos on the facia of the right field wall
• Clemente artifacts in our newly created Season Ticket Holder headquarters location
• His No. 21 jersey on display on the club level, along with several other photos
• Newly created, commissioned artwork of his 3000th hit added to the main concourse.
• Artwork within the Home Plate Club, press dining, press conference room and other areas along our lower level.
• A large picture of Clemente and his number on the walls as soon as you enter our clubhouse.
• His pictures and No. 21 on display in our manager’s office and other player common areas.
• His photos throughout our administration building.

Through our charitable actions:

• The inspiration behind Pirates Charities and its signature programs to make a difference in the lives of others.
• Ensuring the team is home every September 15 to honor his legacy, including our community-based, pregame ceremony, in-game programming, and the No. 21 logo in the right field grass.
• Successfully petitioning MLB to allow the entire team to wear Roberto Clemente’s No. 21 on the league-wide Roberto Clemente Day.
• The hosting of our Roberto Clemente Day of Giving program in which all our current players and coaches conduct community service in his honor.
• A quick-response, organization-wide effort to collect needed supplies and personally deliver them to the people of Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria in 2017.

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