CINCINNATI — It’s football season, and with the NFL season starting this weekend, many teams and fans are excited to see full stadiums again. For the Cincinnati Bengals, the organization has worked hard to make sure the fan experience is even better than before.
What You Need To Know
- The Bengals are hosting new game day traditions
- Some include the Ring of Honor and Ruler of the Jungle
- The Bengals open the season at home versus the Vikings
As the offseason comes to an end, the seats at Paul Brown Stadium won’t be empty for long, and the Bengals are hoping some new changes will make Paul Brown Stadium a rocking environment.
“We want Paul Brown Stadium to be the best home field advantage in professional sports,” said Elizabeth Blackburn, the team’s director of strategy and engagement.
One of the biggest changes is getting Bengals legends more involved, like the stadium-wide Who Dey chant started by the Ruler of the Jungle, which for Week 1 is Bob Johnson, or by honoring past players into the Ring of Honor later this season.
“It shows the importance of our team’s legacy in Cincinnati and it’s a concrete way of showing the enhanced relationships we’re building with our Bengals legends,” Blackburn said.
The Bengals are creating a pregame ritual of celebrating and cheering in hopes to get fans to their seats before kickoff.
“We wanna make, essentially, from 25 minutes out to kickoff, the most exciting point of the game presentation side of things,” said Seth Tanner, the team’s director of content. “Once we get to football, that’s all the excitement you need. But we want to give people a read to be in their seats early.”
The team is also hosting free pregame tailgates at the Icon Music Center.
“Not everybody has a tailgate to go to, so we want to make sure they have an environment that if they don’t have a tailgate to go to, then they can come party with us in the Jungle Zone,” Tanner said.
After the last year-and-a-half, the team wants to give both the players and the fans an unparalleled experience.
“Coming out of COVID, coming off of the year that everyone had last year, the Bengals, the Bengals games are more than an event, it’s a community,” Blackburn said.
“The fans are primed to be engaged with,” Tanner said. “They’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
There still are some tickets available. They’re hoping to have a sellout crowd this Sunday. Tickets may be purchased at bengals.com.
