Angry Pirates fans have gone nuclear with another anti-Bob Nutting billboard

They say that any press is good press, but that may not be the case for the Pittsburgh Pirates and their much-maligned owner, Bob Nutting.

Beginning last month, billboards began to pop up around downtown Pittsburgh reading, "Abandon ship, Bob! Sell the team." The first four billboards, as noted on the signs themselves, have been funded by Zachary King, the voice behind the @IratePiratesFan account on X.

The signs also direct readers to a website, OurTeamNotHis.com, which provides further detail on the fan initiative aimed at pressuring Nutting to sell.

A fifth billboard, paid for by Harvey Burman, showed up over the weekend at the corner of Western Ave. and Allegheny Ave. – less than a mile from PNC Park.

The "Pittsburgh Pirate fans demand change!" billboard campaign has raised $30,000 on GoFundMe, 86% of the way toward the stated goal of $35,000. According to the donation landing page, $9,100 would fund four billboards for a four-week period around the city.

"Ticket boycotts and internet campaigns are simply not working, t's time for embarrassment," the site reads. "Ideally, billboard(s) would lead to local TV/media/newspaper coverage which would certainly make it to the C-suite of 115 Federal Street."

Pirates fans' #SellTheTeam initiatives include activations at PiratesFest and Opening Day 2025

The #SellTheTeam initiative also advertises more, non-financial opportunities for incensed Pirates fans to get involved and make their voices heard. In addition to an online petition for fans to sign, there have been numerous in-person protests in downtown Pittsburgh over the past few months.

The initiative is also planning an organized protest at the team's annual PiratesFest fan event at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on January 18. King also hinted at a plan in the works for Opening Day in 2025, but no further details have been provided.

Pirates team president Travis Williams issued a statement in response to the original four billboards that went up in November, saying that the front office would "not let anything distract" them from achieving their goal of building a winning team.

Kudos to the impassioned fans behind this grassroots movement, but feels unlikely that a fifth billboard will be any more of a distraction than the first four and bring about any meaningful change after years of mediocrity under Nutting. A team's owner isn't beholden to the fans, as much as they may think that he is.

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