Sunday, January 09, 2000

E N Q U I R E R     E D I T O R I A L

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With Bengals, more of the same is not good enough

Aerial view shows lush practice fields next to the stadium site. Since this photo was taken, an Astroturf field has been laid over the asphalt next to the grass fields. (Glenn Hartong photo) | ZOOM |

        On the banks of the Ohio River lies a vast blanket of lush sod, as green as a million dollars, big enough to carpet an aircraft carrier and all the stairs in the Washington Monument.

        It's the new practice field for the Cincinnati Bengals. It sits in punting distance from the I-75 bridge, where all the travelers passing through Ohio will look out their windows at the stunning new Paul Brown Stadium and the pristine practice fields... and laugh.

        “Nice ball park,” they'll snicker. “Too bad about the team.”

        Cincinnati is not laughing.

        For the first Sunday in months the Bengals will not embarrass us on TV, stumbling through another hapless clusterbomb of confusion and simmering team mutiny.

        The season is over. The Bengals are temporarily and thankfully gone from the sports pages. But there's a place for them here on the editorial page today, because what is happening on the riverfront is a much bigger game than football, with a final score that affects everyone in our region.

        Hamilton County taxpayers have given Bengals owner Mike Brown a $400 million stadium, practice fields that will never be touched by mortal toes, lavishly furnished offices, the rights to put his father's name on the stadium, and a guarantee that 50,000 tickets will be sold — at public expense, if necessary — for 20 games.

        And in return for all that abundant generosity, Mr. Brown has given Hamilton County and Bengals fans a poke in the eye with a blunt stick.

        Mr. Brown's record of losing seasons has made it painfully obvious that something has to change. Hire a general manager, replace the coach, add to the scouting staff, find better draft picks, stop stubbornly blocking natural turf for the Reds at Cinergy Field, give something back to the community that has given the Bengals so much — or how about all of the above?

        Mr. Brown's answer, incredibly, is none of the above.

        Teams that had 8-8 records this year fired their coaches. Mr. Brown kept the entire coaching staff and head coach Bruce Coslet, who has never had a winning record and finished this year 4-12. Even mediocrity would be a big improvement. But while other NFL teams are showing aces and kings, Mr. Brown stands pat with a four.

        According to Mr. Brown, the worst team of the decade needs to change nothing. Everything is A-OK. If it's broken, don't fix it.

        If this were only about football, Mr. Brown would rise and fall on the marketability of his product. But now that he is subsidized by Hamilton County, insulated from the consequences of an inferior product, he seems determined to pretend the market doesn't exist.

        If the Bengals do nothing to restore public confidence that there is at least hope for the team, public sentiment for the riverfront and other projects in our region will sour. The bitter aftertaste of the stadium tax will linger, poisoning support for projects that offer a far greater economic return than an NFL team. One justification for the stadium tax was that the Bengals would draw visitors and fans downtown, to rejuvenate the riverfront. Instead, ticket sales are stagnant, crowds are shrinking.

        As we've said before, the stadium contract is a blank check for the Bengals. There are none of the performance incentives Mr. Brown likes in player contracts. But when Mr. Brown demanded and accepted public support, he also assumed a moral debt to the people of Hamilton County, to assure taxpayers that their generosity will not be exploited to subsidize a massive concrete monument to stubborn defeat.

        The Bengals can't afford to let that new grass grow under their cleats. They need changes. Now.

Nov. 14 Editorial: Mike Brown: Step down

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