Over the course of their history, the Cincinnati Bengals have been infamous for being somewhat cheap. Over the past few seasons, the team has rapidly increased prices on tickets using various sorts of clever techniques including counting international games amongst the home games as well as charging additional fees to season ticket holders. That being said, additional money grabs shouldn’t be seen as surprising to any who are familiar with the way that the team does business.
City and County Officials Blast Cincinnati Bengals over Perceived Greed
Well it would appear that Hamilton County Commissioners were certainly displeased with the most recent sales pitch by the organization after they essentially condemned the team’s decision to host a viewing party this Sunday for the away game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Tickets for the event cost $99 with the option of discounted concession vouchers for $25 a piece and $25 for access to the Pro Shop. Additionally, fans will be able to walk down onto the field and meet with former players Jim Breech, Robert Jackson, Louis Breeden, and Ira Hillary
Understandably, the commissioners love the idea of the viewing party but the order of events left a sour taste in their mouths. When the team went to the AFC Championship and subsequently the Super Bowl in 2022, the commissioners attempted to organize a similar event free to the fans at the stadium but were ultimately rejected by the team.
What has upset the commissioners is that this event indicates that clearly it wasn’t so much that the event violated any league rules so much as the fact that the event wouldn’t profit either the team or the league. Hamilton County Commission President Alicia Reece voiced her displeasure on Thursday by saying that the upcoming watch party was “a slap in the face of the taxpayers of Hamilton County.”
“Could we really not have a watch party? Or was it because somebody can’t make some money off the watch party?” Reece asked. “Right now, it’s a seesaw,” she said. “We are not getting any respect.”
On top of the frustration with the event in general, there is also a concern that the team would end up sticking the county with the bill for the event. Commissioner Stephanie Summerow Dumas requested that the county review whether or not they were “going to have to foot the bill for this extra staff that’s working on a day not normally set for them to work.”
Considering that this team will have to meet with the county commissioners to negotiate an extension on their lease at Paycor Stadium by the end of the current deal in 2026. Even though the team may be making money hand over fist, they certainly aren’t making many friends in the local government as they neglect to respect the city that they call home.
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