The Bengals want upgrades to their 24-year-old stadium. A local official wants the NFL to kick in a lot of money for the project.
According to the Cincinnati Business Courier, via Sports Business Daily, Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Reece said the NFL “should be prepared to kick in at least” $100 million for the upgrades to Paycor Stadium.
Reece cited similar contributions by the league to stadium construction in Buffalo and Nashville. In Cincinnati, however, the stadium simply would be renovated.
Reece said that she and the two other County Commissioners would expect money for the upgrades to come from the Bengals, the NFL, Ohio, and Hamilton County.
The current lease between the Bengals and the county runs through 2026. That’s only three more seasons.
It’s hard to envision the Bengals playing anywhere but Cincinnati. Still, we’ve seen this movie before. If a team can’t get what it wants locally, it will discreetly (or not) see what else is out there.
In the end, it’s a business decision for the Bengals. How much will we make? How much will it cost? Ultimately, how profitable and valuable will the team be?
At this point, the Bengals don’t even have to say it. The local officials know it. Anyone else who has paid any attention to issues like this knows it, too.
