Paul Brown Stadium

Paul Brown Stadium is an American sports stadium located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home venue of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. It opened on August 19, 2000. The stadium was named after Bengals' founder Paul Brown. The stadium is located on approximately 22 acre of land and has a listed capacity of 65,535. Paul Brown Stadium is nicknamed "The Jungle", an allusion not only to the namesake Bengal tiger's natural habitat, but the Guns N' Roses song "Welcome to the Jungle".

History
In 1996, Hamilton County voters passed a one-half percent sales tax increase to fund the building of two new home venues for both the Bengals and the Major League Baseball Cincinnati Reds. Previously, the Bengals and the Reds shared tenancy of Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field, but both teams complained that the aging multipurpose facility lacked modern amenities and other things necessary for small market teams to survive. Paul Brown Stadium was built first. After the Bengals moved into Paul Brown Stadium, Cinergy Field was partially demolished to allow construction of what became Great American Ball Park and the field was sodded with natural grass. On December 29, 2002, Cinergy Field was demolished.

For the first four years, the field was natural Kentucky Bluegrass, but problems arose in maintaining it. At one point, the field was rated as the third-worst field in the league. Hamilton County explored other options and chose the FieldTurf system. FieldTurf looks and feels like real grass, and since the field markings are actually sewn into the fabric, repainting between games is unnecessary. The reduced maintenance saves the county approximately $100,000 annually. Additionally, it opens Paul Brown 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.

Two light emitting diode (LED) video displays at either endzone, installed in 2000, ensure that every spectator has a good view of the on-field action. Over 200 feet of ribbon display was also installed along the fascia of the stadium.

The University of Cincinnati Bearcats and the eventual national champion Ohio State University Buckeyes played the first college football game at Paul Brown Stadium on September 21, 2002. On September 5, 2009, the Kentucky Wildcats and the Miami Redhawks played their opening games there. The University of Cincinnati also played Oklahoma in 2010 at Paul Brown Stadium. In 2011, the Bearcats played Big East Conference opponents Louisville Cardinals and West Virginia Mountaineers.

Additionally, the Macy's Music Festival (formerly the Cincinnati Jazz Festival) is held there every year.

Unusual for a venue the size of Paul Brown Stadium, in the spring, it hosts the annual Queen City Classic Chess Tournament.

Paul Brown Stadium also houses the Bengals' administrative offices and training and practice facilities. There are three smaller practice fields nearby. Two are sodded with natural grass while the third is equipped with AstroTurf.

As a convenience for fans, for a nominal fee, several local busing companies offer round trip transportation to Paul Brown Stadium from designated locations throughout the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area. One such example is the Cincinnati Metro's Jungle-to-Jungle Express, which originates at Jungle Jim's International Market in Fairfield, a suburb of Cincinnati.

Fans enjoy premium seating options in the 114 private suites and thousands of club seats. Amenities include in-seat food and beverage service and access to the club lounges for fine dining options. There are also several CPR units located throughout the stadium.

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 fifty-six concession stands and eight stores.

Paul Brown Stadium is the only football stadium to make a list of "America's favorite 150 buildings and structures," according to a Harris Interactive survey. Paul Brown Stadium 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, only Wrigley Field (31) and Yankee Stadium (84) ranked higher than Paul Brown Stadium. NBBJ designed Paul Brown Stadium.

On Monday, November 14, 2011, Cincinnati country radio station B-105 (WUBE) hosts Chris Carr & Co. announced that Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw will be hosting their "Brothers of the Sun" summer 2012 tour at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday, July 1, 2012. This will mark the first time a major concert has taken place at the stadium.