"The Jungle" | |
 | |
 The stadium in 2017 | |
| Former names | Paul Brown Stadium (2000–2021) |
|---|---|
| Address | 1 Paycor Stadium USA[1] |
| Location | Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 39°05′42″N84°30′58″W / 39.095°N 84.516°W /39.095; -84.516 |
| Public transit |  Connector atThe Banks |
| Owner | Hamilton County |
| Operator | Cincinnati Bengals |
| Executive suites | 114 |
| Capacity | 65,515 |
| Record attendance | 67,260 (Bengals vs. Dolphins, Thursday, September 29, 2022)[2] |
| Surface | Kentucky Bluegrass (2000–2003) FieldTurf (2004–2011) Act Global synthetic turf (2012–2017) Shaw Sports Momentum Pro (2018–present)[3] |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | April 25, 1998[4] |
| Opened | August 19, 2000 25 years ago |
| Construction cost | $455 million ($831 million in 2024 dollars[5]) |
| Architect | NBBJ[6] Glaser Associates Inc.[6] Moody Nolan[6] Stallworth Architecture Inc.[6] |
| Project manager | Getz Ventures[7] |
| Structural engineer | Ove Arup & Partners/Graham, Obermeyer[6] |
| Services engineer | Flack & Kurtz[6] |
| General contractor | TBMD Joint Venture (Turner/Barton Malow/D.A.G.)[6] |
| Tenants | |
| Cincinnati Bengals (NFL) (2000–present) Cincinnati Bearcats (NCAA) (2014) | |
Paycor Stadium, previously known asPaul Brown Stadium, is an outdoorfootball stadium inCincinnati, Ohio. It is the home venue of theCincinnati Bengals of theNational Football League (NFL) and opened on August 19,2000.
Originally named after the Bengals' founder,Paul Brown, the stadium is currently sponsored by Paycor, is located on approximately 22 acres (8.9 ha) of land, and has a listedseating capacity of 65,515. The stadium is nicknamed "The Jungle";[8] theGuns N' Roses song "Welcome to the Jungle", is the team's unofficial anthem due in part to the nickname.[9]
The construction of the stadium included $555 million of public funding, the largest public subsidy for an NFL stadium at the time.[10] The Bengals had threatened to leave Cincinnati unless the city agreed to subsidize the stadium.[10] In 2011,The Wall Street Journal described the stadium deal as "unusually lopsided in favor of the team and risky for taxpayers."[10] Since then, additional costs have been imposed on taxpayers related to the stadium.[11] By one estimate, taxpayers will have paid $1.1 billion by 2026, the year in which the 26-year deal expires.[11]
In 1996,Hamilton County voters passed a one-halfpercentsales tax increase to fund the building of two new home venues for both the Bengals andMLB'sCincinnati Reds.[12] The Bengals and the Reds previously shared tenancy ofRiverfront Stadium, later known asCinergy Field, but both teams complained that the aging multipurpose facility lacked modern amenities and other things necessary for small-market teams to thrive and survive. Construction of the replacements for Cinergy Field began with the groundbreaking for the then-Paul Brown Stadium in 1998; the stadium was completed in time for the2000 NFL season and opened in August of that year. Cinergy Field would then spend two seasons as a partially-demolished, baseball-only facility (the construction ofGreat American Ball Park necessitating this) before what was left of it was imploded in December 2002.
For its first four years, the field was naturalKentucky Bluegrass, but maintenance problems arose, and at one point it was rated as the third worst field in the league.[13] Hamilton County explored other options and chose the syntheticFieldTurf system.[14] The infilled artificial turf looks and feels like real grass and, since the field markings are sewn into the fabric, repainting between games is unnecessary. The reduced maintenance saved the county approximately US$100,000 annually.[citation needed] Additionally, it opens Paycor Stadium to other uses without worry of damage to the turf. The FieldTurf was installed for the 2004 season. The field is one of only two stadiums in the NFL to have "five miles of piping" running under the field to keep the rubber inlays heated.[15] In April 2012, the stadium chose to update the playing surface with an installation ofAct Global synthetic turf. In 2018, the stadium was equipped with a new top-of-the-line synthetic turf system. Manufactured by Shaw Sports Turf, the product includes Strenexe XD slit-film fibers that are supported by synthetic turf backing, UltraLoc.[16] In response to player safety concerns, theCincinnati Bengals announced in February 2024 that the stadium would be returning to theFieldTurf system, but upgrading to the newer FieldTurf CORE version, becoming the 8thNFL franchise to do so.[17]
TwoLED video displays at either end zone, installed in 2000, provide a good view of the on-field action for every spectator. Over 200 feet (61 m) of ribbon display were installed along the fascia of the stadium.[18] The scoreboards and ribbons were later upgraded after the 2014 off-season to largerHD models.[19]
On August 9, 2022, the stadium entered a naming rights agreement withPaycor HCM Inc., a Cincinnati-based company founded byRobert J. Coughlin, expanding the company's sponsorship deal with the Bengals that saw the stadium renamed Paycor Stadium, with the company paying an undisclosed sum for 16 years of naming rights. This madeLambeau Field the only stadium named after a person in the league, and made it, along with Chicago'sSoldier Field, the only two stadiums without a naming rights partner in the NFL.[20][21][22]
TheUniversity of Cincinnati Bearcats and theOhio State Buckeyes played the firstcollege football game at the stadium on September 21, 2002, before a sold-out crowd of 66,319.[23] On September 5, 2009, theKentucky Wildcats and theMiami Redhawks played their opening games there.[24] The University of Cincinnati also playedOklahoma in 2010 at the stadium. The Sooners won the game 31–29 with 58,253 fans in attendance.[25] In 2011 theBearcats playedBig East Conference opponentsLouisville Cardinals andWest Virginia Mountaineers at the stadium.[26] The Bearcats returned to the stadium for the 2014 football season due to renovations ofNippert Stadium, with the largest attendance beingMiami (OH) at 41,926. The average attendance was 28,840 for the year. On September 8, 2018, Miami (OH) hosted the Bearcats at the stadium for their annualVictory Bell rivalry, which will also feature games at Paycor Stadium in 2022 and 2026.[27]
| List of college football games at the stadium | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Home Team | Opponent | Score | Attendance |
| September 21, 2002 | Cincinnati | Ohio State | 19–23 | 66,319 |
| September 5, 2009 | Miami (OH) | Kentucky | 0–42 | 41,037 |
| September 25, 2010 | Cincinnati | Oklahoma | 29–31 | 58,253 |
| October 15, 2011 | Cincinnati | Louisville | 25–16 | 40,971 |
| November 12, 2011 | Cincinnati | West Virginia | 21–24 | 48,152 |
| September 12, 2014 | Cincinnati | Toledo | 58–34 | 31,912 |
| September 20, 2014 | Cincinnati | Miami (OH) | 31–24 | 41,926 |
| October 4, 2014 | Cincinnati | Memphis | 14–41 | 25,456 |
| October 24, 2014 | Cincinnati | South Florida | 34–17 | 30,024 |
| November 13, 2014 | Cincinnati | East Carolina | 54–46 | 19,113 |
| December 6, 2014 | Cincinnati | Houston | 38–31 | 24,606 |
| September 8, 2018 | Miami (OH) | Cincinnati | 0–21 | 16,062 |
| September 17, 2022 | Miami (OH) | Cincinnati | 17–38 | 30,109 |
| September 19, 2026 | Cincinnati | Miami (OH) | ||
The Cincinnati Music Festival (formerly the CincinnatiJazz Festival) is held there every year.[28]
| Date | Artist | Opening act(s) | Tour / Concert name | Attendance | Revenue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2012 | Kenny Chesney Tim McGraw | Grace Potter and the Nocturnals Jake Owen | Brothers of the Sun Tour | 42,716 / 45,764 | $3,495,146 | The first major concert at the stadium.[29] |
| July 27, 2013 | Fantasia | – | Side Effects of You Tour | – | – | This concert was a part of the Macy's Music Festival.[30] |
| July 25, 2014 | Robin Thicke | – | Blurred Lines Tour | – | – | This concert was a part of the Macy's Music Festival.[31] |
| July 11, 2015 | Demi Lovato | Rixton | Demi World Tour | – | – | This concert was part of theMLB All-Star Game Concert.[32] |
| July 18, 2015 | Luke Bryan | Florida Georgia Line Randy Houser Thomas Rhett Dustin Lynch DJ Rock | Kick the Dust Up Tour | 52,019 / 52,019 | $3,103,468 | |
| July 6, 2016 | Guns N' Roses | Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown | Not in This Lifetime... Tour | 32,516 / 33,845 | $2,857,336 | Former GNR drummerSteven Adler was the special guest.[33][34] |
| May 13, 2022 | Garth Brooks | Mitch Rossell | Stadium Tour | 80,000 / 80,000 | — | The concert on May 14, 2022, was originally scheduled to take place on September 18, 2021, but was postponed due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. |
| May 14, 2022 | Ghost Hounds | |||||
| June 30, 2023 | Taylor Swift | Muna Gracie Abrams | The Eras Tour | - | - | Swift's first Cincinnati show since 2010'sFearless Tour. First female act in stadium history to sell out a show and first female act in history to sell out two shows on a single tour.[35] |
| July 1, 2023 | ||||||
| August 2, 2024 | Luke Combs | Growin’ Up And Gettin’ Old Tour | ||||
| August 3, 2024 |
Unusual for a venue of its size, Paycor Stadium hosts the annual Queen City ClassicChess Tournament in the spring.[36]
Paycor Stadium also houses the Bengals' administrative offices and training and practice facilities. The game field at Paycor Stadium is Momentum Pro, manufactured by Show Sports Turf. There are three smaller practice fields nearby. Two are sodded with natural grass, while the third is equipped with AstroTurf.[2]
Several local busing companies offer round trip transportation to Paycor Stadium from designated locations throughout the Cincinnati andNorthern Kentucky area. One such example is the Cincinnati Metro's Jungle-to-Jungle Express, which originates atJungle Jim's International Market inFairfield, a suburb of Cincinnati.
Premium seating options are available in 114 private suites and 7,600 club seats. Amenities include in-seat food and beverage service and access to the club lounges for fine dining options.[2]
On-site retail merchandise sales are available in the Bengals pro shop, located on the plaza level on the north end of the stadium. There are 56 concession stands and eight stores.[2]
The stadium was designed by architectural firmNBBJ, led byDan Meis. It was the first NFL facility to win an AIA design award, and one of only two sports venues to be honored. The open corners allow for views into the stadium, while stadium fans can view the downtown skyline and bridges crossing theOhio River.[37][38][39]
Paycor Stadium is the only football stadium to make a list of "America's favorite 150 buildings and structures", according to a Harris Interactive survey. It ranked 101st on the list, whose range included all manner of major structures — skyscrapers, museums, churches, hotels, bridges, national memorials and more. No other football stadium was voted among the top 150, and among all sports venues, onlyWrigley Field (31) andYankee Stadium (84) ranked higher.[2][39]
| Preceded by | Home of the Cincinnati Bengals 2000–present | Succeeded by None |
| International | |
|---|---|
| Geographic | |
