Ask columnist Jason Williams anything − sports or non-sports – and he’ll pick some of your questions and comments from his inbox and respond on Cincinnati.com. Email: jwilliams@enquirer.com
Subject: Cincinnati Bengals benefit to the community
Message: Your columns on the contract extension for the Bengals (stadium) have been a breath of common sense. Unlike the last time when the county gave away nearly everything to them, this time the county commissioners are actually putting the interest – and funds – of the public ahead of a money-grubbing family. What benefit have the Bengals and Brown family actually provided to the Cincinnati community?
Reply: Thank you! Your message sums up so many that have hit my inbox in recent weeks.
The stadium deal doesn’t have to be this difficult. But this is what the public needs to know: The Bengals truly believe the last stadium lease deal was a great deal – for all parties. Of course it was for them, but team ownership honest to goodness thinks it was also a fantastic deal for the taxpayers. I know, try not to laugh.
Imagine how much benefit of the doubt the Bengals would get if they had an active, invested community fund. Doesn’t even have to be as robust as the Reds Community Fund, which is one of the best in American professional sports.
You can go to city and suburban neighborhoods across the region and find a ballfield that the Reds Community Fund has built or refurbished. My son’s team has played games on those fields in Reading, St. Bernard and Madisonville. No expenses are spared on remaking those fields, and the kids always feel it’s special to play at a Reds-built facility.
Baseball fan or not, take a drive by the P&G MLB Cincinnati Reds Youth Academy in Roselawn. It gives you an appreciation for how much Reds owner Bob Castellini and his organization cares about the community. And you’d gain an even greater appreciation if you could go inside and see kids from all backgrounds playing baseball and softball.
The Bengals do a handful of NFL-driven community initiatives, but it’s a token effort. Wouldn’t it be great if there were Bengals-funded football fields and programs in neighborhoods all over Southwest Ohio? Guarantee the average Hamilton County taxpayer would have a different, more positive view of Bengals owner Mike Brown and the franchise.
Instead, ownership continues to leave everyone to wonder if the Bengals care about the greater community. They only seem to care about winning negotiations. Give us what we want, Cincinnati, and just be grateful you have an NFL team.
Don’t ever forget that ahead of some type of announcement on the stadium lease soon.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: How Cincinnati Bengals could gain goodwill in Paycor Stadium deal