Pirates Are Taking Parking Cone Cheer to New Level
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have used the traffic cone as their rallying call this season and the team is cashing in on it as well.
The Pirates now have a traffic cone advertisement on the right field wall at PNC Park, an electronic one that changes periodically throughout the game, but a fan recently noticed it at the game vs. the St.Louis Cardinals on April 28.
AWP Safety is the one sponsoring the ad, which is a traffic control company in North America that sells cones, but also provides traffic control services and equipment needed. They also have the slogan, "More thana Cone, Protect the Zone," on their advertisement as well.
It's just another way the Pirates are making sure that the cone keeps on as something the fans and players can bond over in an important 2026 campaign.
The Pirates now have a traffic cone advertisement on the Clemente wall @PlatinumKey13 pic.twitter.com/qgMGMJ0jVj
— Andrew (@andrewcards) April 29, 2026
How the Cone Became Big for the Pirates
The cone trend started as an accident back in March, when Pirates fans noticed a shirt from Fanatics with an interesting slogan, "Hoist the Cone."
No one quite knew exactly where it came from and it seemed like a mistake on behalf of the manufacturer. Perhaps they were trying to write "Hoist the Colors", which Pirates say to put up their flag on their ship, either readying for battle or showing their support for other Pirates
The motto likely came from "The Pittsburgh Cone", which PNC Park offered Pirates fans during the 2019 season as one of the promotional foods for the season.
Fanatics was also selling another shirt that has the Pittsburgh Cone on the t-shirt, with a drawing of it on there and "The Pittsburgh Cone" right next to it.
Pirates fans then started joking around and started hoisting random traffic cones or other small cones prior to the season.
It really took off when Pirates outfielders Jake Mangum got a traffic cone into the clubhouse and then Pirates assistant clubhouse manager Nick Cook put a Pirates "P" sticker on it prior to a game vs. the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on March 30.
The Pirates would go on and win that game 8-3 and then did the same the following day, with outfielder Billy Cook hoisting the cone constantly throughout the game in the dugout.
It pairs well with the welder's mask the Pirates use after every home run, a nod to the region's steel industry and blue-collar history.
Pirates fans then started buying into the trend, bringing traffic cones of all sizes to PNC Park, wearing traffic cone hats and even dressing up in cone costumes at the games.
The Pirates players also celebrate hoisting the cone whenever they reach on base, bringing the team together, as they try and build towards a postseason berth.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.