When the Browns come to Cincinnati next season with quarterback Johnny Manziel inevitably the starter, the good news is that fans in Ohio’s Queen City will get a chance to scrutinize whether Manziel is indeed smaller than other players via jumbo-sized video boards that will be installed at Paul Brown Stadium.
The bad news is that the fans will be paying most of the costs for the new video boards.
Via Dan Horn of the Cincinnati Enquirer, taxpayers will contribute $7.5 million of the $10 million necessary to install video boards aimed at enhancing the game-day experience, which in theory will persuade more fans to choose to attend games in person. On Wednesday, Hamilton County Commissioners decided unanimously to approve the expenditure, part of a broader deal struck in 2013 for improvements at the venue where the Bengals play.
The move comes at a time of increasing scrutiny regarding the use of public funds for NFL stadiums. It also comes at a time when some politicians (and many fans) believe the blackout rule should be scuttled for any NFL stadium built in whole or in part with taxpayer dollars.
Meanwhile, the Bengals continue to have no inclination to sell the naming rights to Paul Brown Stadium, a move that easily could generate more than enough cash to cover the video boards and other improvements at the facility.
