There are two critical things of note to consider alongside the news the Cincinnati Bengals sold the naming rights to Paul Brown Stadium, which will now go by the name Paycor Stadium.
Buy Bengals TicketsWhile outright financial details of the deal aren’t public, it’s important to consider what we do know.
The first: The deal is a 16-year pact. That normally wouldn’t be overly notable. But the team’s current lease with Hamilton County expires in 2026, so it’s a pretty good sign that this new deal goes beyond it. There weren’t major concerns about the team not being able to strike another agreement with the county, but it never hurts to see something like this.
The second: An agreement like this isn’t similar to ticket sales, meaning most of the revenue from this deal goes to the team, as noted by the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway:
An important & often overlooked note regarding why the Bengals benefit from stadium rights:
Local revenue (i.e. stadium naming, gate naming, suites, etc.) is not shared among the 32 NFL teams, like 40 % of ticket revenue is.
This is money straight into the Bengals pockets
— Kelsey Conway (@KelseyLConway) August 9, 2022
Sharon Coolidge added the following:
From the lease, the Bengals would get the first $60.5 million and then 70% of the remaining revenue. The other 30% would go to Hamilton County. The calculation is based on an increase of 6% per year from a base $16.67M for the Bengals starting in 2000. https://t.co/sxFt6KOqTu
— Sharon Coolidge (@SharonCoolidge) August 9, 2022
This is important cash flow for a team constructing an indoor practice bubble, planning what could roughly be $500 million in upgrades to the stadium and even additional cash for guarantees when contracts for the likes of Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase happen.
As things stand now, the quickly modernizing Bengals accomplish many goals with this one move, positioning them better for success in all avenues.
