The Bengals' new $453.2M, 65,000-seat Paul Brown
Stadium opened Saturday night with a preseason game against
the Bears and in Cincinnati, Tim Sullivan wrote, "If
architecture is the details, Paul Brown Stadium is an
unqualified triumph, a design concept dazzingly realized."
But Sullivan has "one quibble: Where's Paul Brown?" There
is "neither a statue nor a portrait nor a banner nor a
bottle cap depicting" the team founder. In the public areas
of the "massive structure," Brown "is conspicuous mainly by
his absence" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 8/19). A crowd of 56,180
attended the first game at the stadium. Cost overruns of
$46M had left a "bitter taste in the mouths of many"
Hamilton County residents who approved a 0.5-cent sales tax
increase in March '96 to pay for the project, but fans
"marveled at the unimpeded sight lines ... and the crystal-
clear sound and picture of the scoreboard" during the
opening. While some "non-working escalators forced some
people to climb several flights of stairs," fans "gave high
marks to the stadium's high ratio of toilets -- one fixture
for every 50 fans, the NFL's highest." Meanwhile, fans
could only pay for game tickets with cash, as the stadium
"wasn't set up for" credit card transactions. Pilcher noted
that the "much-hyped" food service "appeared to run smoothly
for a maiden voyage" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 8/20).
SWEET LEASE: Also in Cincinnati, John Byczkowski cited
a ENQUIRER analysis as showing that the Bengals have "one of
the most generous leases" in the NFL and the lease "will
push the team to the top third of the league in revenues."
Byczkowski: "While the team will pay $11.7 million in rent
the first nine years of the lease, the county may end up
paying the team $29.4 million over the last nine years when
it picks up the cost of game-day operations." Hamilton
County estimates that by 2027, one year after the lease
ends, it will have spent more than $800M "to keep" the team
in the city (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 8/19).
MORE GUSHING: Bears President Ted Phillips, on Paul
Brown Stadium: "It's got all of the amenities but it also
has some real nice architectural features. It's not just a
continuous bowl on every level. The location was thought
out to make sure they have a view of the [Ohio] River on one
side and the city on the other, especially on the upper
decks, which just adds to the feel. It's different from
just looking at stands on the other side" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE,
8/20). More Phillips: "This is probably as good of a
stadium as there is out there" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 8/20).
In Cincinnati, Mike Rutledge noted the team may "broadcast
as many as four other" NFL games on its new end zone
scoreboards, while team will show postgame team news
conferences live on the boards (CINCINNATI POST, 8/17).
