Two name changes this week serve as an example. Of the recent success of Greater Cincinnati’s best football teams.

It’s been a big week in Cincinnati stadium naming rights news. During an interesting summer in Cincinnati sports business news. The Cincinnati Bengals home Paul Brown Stadium is now Paycor Stadium. While Northern Kentucky based Gravity Diagnostics now has the corporate naming rights. To the west pavilion club level of Cincinnati Bearcats Football’s home Nippert Stadium.

The Bengals and Bearcats seemingly learned lessons from the Cincinnati Cyclones and Northern Kentucky Norse. By avoiding a naming rights deal with a bank. Had they done so, the venues would’ve risked enduring frequent name changes. The Cyclones home Heritage Bank Center has gone through four name changes. Since first utilizing corporate naming rights for the arena in the 1990’s.

Northern Kentucky Basketball’s home arena has gone through two name changes within it’s 14 year existence. The arena opened as the Bank of Kentucky Center in 2008. Changing to BB&T Arena in 2015 when BB&T acquires Bank of Kentucky. Then becoming Truist Arena earlier this year. When BB&T and SunTrust merged to become Truist.

The Bengals and Bearcats were also wise to avoid a naming rights agreement with an energy company. The Cleveland Browns went with FirstEnergy for their stadium naming rights. A company that later became a source of controversy in Ohio’s statehouse. Through a bribery scandal that brought down former Ohio House of Representatives leader Larry Householder. Ironically, the Browns’ relationship with FirstEnergy foreshadowed the Browns willingness to stick with Deshaun Watson.

Unlike the professional golfers that bolted for the LIV Golf Tour. The Bengals and Bearcats didn’t cash in with Saudi Arabia. By going all in with Saudi Aramco. Nor did they cash in with Vladimir Putin or his oligarch cronies at Gazprom. I doubt many at UC would’ve been thrilled about that choice. Particularly those with Ukrainian connections, athletes, pacifists and people who care about human rights. It’s nice to know scruples still exist somewhere in professional and college football.

The corporate naming rights is one showcase of the new attitude Bengals. 2022 is a mystifying year for Bengals fans not old enough to remember the 1980’s. From winning playoff games and playing in the Super Bowl. Being seriously considered a playoff contender this coming season. Being active in free agency instead of doing Cincinnati Reds like payroll shedding. To approaching Jesse Bates’ contract situation from more of a position of strength. This is unchartered territory for Bengals fans; used to their team’s past losing cheapskate ways.

While some might be sad that Paul Brown’s name isn’t on the stadium now. The Bengals stadium naming rights agreement with Paycor opens up another revenue stream. One the Bengals could use to retain players. From veterans Jesse Bates and Joe Mixon. To players currently on their rookie deals. Including most notably Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase.

Bengals fans hope the team is able to sustain this new attitude. While the Bearcats have been on a roll in football for several years. The Bearcats are striving to capitalize on their 2021 success. Their recent success helped attract the Big 12 Conference. Helping the Bearcats boost their growing national prestige by joining the ranks of the Power Five Conferences.

All of this is unfolding in a shifting landscape for the power five conferences. With the Big Ten set to go from coast to coast by adding USC and UCLA. A potential new media deal could give that conference a bigger media presence. Through having their football games air on three of the four major broadcast TV networks. As the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference’s vie to shift the power five into the power two and company.

The Bearcats are striving to maintain their prominence in that environment. Given recent developments surrounding the SEC and Big Ten. A naming rights deal for part of a stadium is a refreshingly mild development.