The Cincinnati Bengals have established a reputation for being cheap and cutting corners during their time in the NFL. After all, a recent study found that they are one of the few organizations in professional football that doesn’t have individual power outlets in each of the players’ lockers. While it may not sound like a big deal, that has hurt the franchise as they have struggled to bring in significant free agents and seem to always pay a premium to bring in talent.
Bengals to Make Upgrades to Paycor Stadium in 2024
![Bengals make Huge Upgrades to Stadium Ahead of 2024 Offseason 1 Paycor Stadium](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Stadium.png)
On Thursday, February 22, the Cincinnati Bengals and Hamilton County announced that major upgrades would be completed to Paycor Stadium this offseason that would include the replacement of most of the seats and the replacement of the playing surface within the stadium. The seats will be beneficial for the fans: I have been a season ticket holder for approximately twenty years and the stadium has had the uncomfortable green seats for as long as I can remember.
As nice as replacement seating will be for the fans, the replacement of the playing surface appears to be the significant news as players around the NFL have pushed back against the use of turf fields throughout the NFL. Cincinnati will be replacing their current field with a FieldTurf-branded monofilament material that the team claims is proven to be safer and preferable for the players according to sources with the organization.
![Bengals make Huge Upgrades to Stadium Ahead of 2024 Offseason 2 Bengals Duke Tobin](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Duke-tobin.jpg)
“The selection comes after a thorough review process that considered the major players in the artificial turf industry, collaboration with the NFL and its testing requirements, and stadium and football experts,” the team said in a statement. “Player safety and performance data drove the selection of a monofilament product, consistent with NFL recommendations.”
Hamilton County made the announcements on the improvements to the Stadium on Thursday with prewritten statement.
“Hamilton County and the Bengals are committed to providing a top-level playing surface for NFL games, and this step confirms that commitment,” Paycor Stadium Managing Director Steve Johnson said in a statement. “The field will be installed in time for the entire 2024 NFL season.”
![Bengals make Huge Upgrades to Stadium Ahead of 2024 Offseason 3 Bengals Mike Brown](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Mike-Brown.jpg)
While it may not seem like huge news, the quality of the equipment and setting for the players has been a major detriment to free agents wanting to come play for Cincinnati. Aside from a few high profile players coming to Cincinnati recently for the opportunity to play with elite quarterback Joe Burrow, the team has generally struggled to convince free agents to come and when they do, they have to pay them a premium.
![Bengals make Huge Upgrades to Stadium Ahead of 2024 Offseason 4 Bengals Mike Brown](https://gridironheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Mike-Brown-Bengals-Super-Bowl.webp)
The improvements to the stadium could mean many things. One possibility is that the franchise is finally willing to spend the capital to improve working conditions for the players as the franchise has developed a negative reputation on that front. Another more negative but also more likely possibility is that the team coerced the county to put up huge taxpayer sums to fund the project. Even though I love the team, the level that the Brown family has bullied Hamilton County to pay for the stadium over the past twenty years is despicable and should not be allowed in professional sports.
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