As I was cruising the internet last night I saw a story about the Carolina Panthers wanting to build a new stadium on a plot of land next to their current stadium. It immediately hit me, that stadium can’t be that old can it? The answer was 24 years old and it has undergone three major renovations and five expansion projects. I have not been to Bank of America Stadium but driving past it in Charlotte it appears to be a completely serviceable stadium. This also got me thinking, what is the shelf life of a modern day NFL stadium? And then I got worried.
The Bengals old home, Riverfront Stadium, was built in 1970 and was dual-use for the Reds and Bengals. The Bengals called it home for 29 years and if you ever saw a game there in the 90’s it felt a little long in the tooth and not quite right for football. On August 19, 2000 Paul Brown Stadium opened for the first time and the Bengals have been there for almost 20 years now. I recall this being a major battle between the city of Cincinnati and Mike Brown for funding and helped him earn the “cheapest owner in football” title.
There are a lot of mixed feelings about PBS by fans. No one likes the escalator that shows fans leaving the upper ring when things go south, the replay screens never seem to be big or clear enough and a lot of fans to issue with the architecture and overall design of the field. Personally I have no problem with PBS and find it a good venue. The real question is how long can it last though? If the Panthers trash their place after 24 years then realistically how long before fans start clamoring for a new home field? Will the city of Cincinnati pay for it? Will Mike Brown (yeah that was a joke)? What will happen if the Bengals organization again demands a new home and the city is unwilling to pay for it, could it be the end of the franchise in Cincinnati?
In steps Joe Burrow. Burrow could spend the next 15 years in Cincinnati if all things go according to plan. At that point PBS will be 35 years old and probably one of the oldest modern stadiums in the NFL. Let’s face it the following stadiums will always be in use: Soldier Field, Lambeau Field, Arrowhead Stadium and even M&T Bank Stadium. Over that period of time it is likely the Bills get a new stadium, Jacksonville moves overseas, Miami upgrades, the Superdome is either overhauled or torn down, Fedex Field is burned down and Tom Brady rebuilds a new stadium for the Bucs. That leaves the Bengals in an interesting predicament.
This franchise is really betting the farm on Joe Burrow, not only for the play on the field but perhaps the future of the franchise. If Burrow can win some playoff games, or even a Super Bowl, it may very well keep the Bengals in Cincinnati forever. If Burrow is not the savior that we all think he is then it potentially could truly spell the end of the Bengals in Cincinnati if the question of a new stadium does arise. Certainly this is all speculation but it would not be the first time this issue has come up in the Bengals franchise history.