As the lease on PNC Park creeps toward expiration, a new black and gold billboard looms over Boulevard of the Allies at Grant Street with the rallying cry, “Abandon ship, Bob! Sell the team.” The billboard and its three identical companions, located in the Strip, the West End, and Mount Washington, are part of a growing effort to compel Pittsburgh Pirates’ owner Bob Nutting to relinquish control of the team. All four were “paid for by Zachary King,” a Pittsburgh native and Pirates fan who now lives in New York City.
“He’s [Nutting] just been the bane of our existence for so long. It’s been 30 years of nonsense,” King said. The Pirates did not return inquiries seeking comment on Wednesday afternoon.
WTAE reported that President Travis Williams issued a statement, reading in part: "We appreciate the passion of all of our fans and share in the disappointment with the way last season ended.” While King’s campaign started as a joke between friends, it quickly grew into a movement that has captured the heart of hundreds of locals. “Ticket boycotts and internet campaigns are simply not working, it’s time for embarrassment,” King said in his plea for billboard donations.
The billboard directs passersby to the website for Our Team Not His , a local campaign dedicated to ousting Nutting. “We demand winning baseball return to Pittsburgh!” the site declares. They describe themselves as "a group of frustrated, passionate Pittsburgh Pirates fans tired of the.