Sunday, October 22, 2000
Enquirer Editorial
A citizens' revolt
They've tried boycotts, protests and walkouts. In letters to the editor, they have suggested everything from new uniforms to playing on half a field because the Bengals never cross the 50-yard line.
On talk radio, they call to call names. “We have Jeff on a car phone. How ya doin', Jeff?”
“I can't complain,” says Jeff — before launching into a litany of endless complaints about the Cincinnati Bengals.
This is not the sports page. But what's going on in the new (still winless in the regular season) Paul Brown Stadium extends beyond sports. It gnaws Cincinnati's confidence and undermines the optimism and trust needed to finish the riverfront rebuilding that began with the Bengals stadium.
With each defeat, support for future riverfront and regional projects drops like a fumbled pass.
On Tuesday, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue was in town to tour the new stadium. Bengals owner Mike Brown and Mr. Tagliabue adamantly denied that he was here to tell Mr. Brown to make changes. But Mr. Tagliabue's comments were curious. He praised Mr. Brown for his willingness to innovate and change — the very thing that most fans and taxpayers find lacking in Mr. Brown.
If Mr. Tagliabue was not sending a message, he is surprisingly out of touch with the problem.
And as most see it, that problem is Mr. Brown's refusal to bring in outside help to reverse relentless failure.
The radio talkers are wrong: Mr. Brown is not a greedy owner who doesn't care about winning. He cares deeply, and suffers losses more than anyone.
And Cincinnati was not promised a winning team with its new stadium. The point of the stadium is to raise enough revenue to make the team more competitive in a small market such as ours. That doesn't happen overnight.
But with more public investment in the team, more is expected. Cincinnati rightfully feels that it has a stake in the stadium, and wants changes besides a new coach.
This year, a new revolt is brewing, called www.SaveTheBengals.com. The Internet fan mutiny hopes to force Mr. Brown to step aside and hire “an experienced individual with a strong history of success ... from outside the Bengals organization to run the football operations.”
The plan is to sign up enough angry fans who will withhold payments for tickets and seat licenses “until such time as the organizational changes have been made.”
The group is the brainchild of David Frey, a Loveland businessman. By the weekend, the Website claimed nearly 2,000 members.
Such boycotts do not have a winning record, either. But it's one more signal that Cincinnati wants changes.
Mr. Brown should pay attention.
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EDITORIAL: A citizens' revolt
