Bengals: NFL says no to Super Bowl watch party at Paul Brown Stadium

NFL declines request to broadcast game
The electronic display shows the team logos over the empty Paul Brown Stadium before an NFL football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)

Credit: Aaron Doster

Credit: Aaron Doster

The electronic display shows the team logos over the empty Paul Brown Stadium before an NFL football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, Sept. 12, 2021, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Aaron Doster)

CINCINNATI — There will not be a watch party at Paul Brown Stadium on Super Bowl Sunday.

In a letter to Hamilton County Administrator Jeff Aluotto, stadium managing director Eric Brown said the NFL declined a request for permission to broadcast the game at Paul Brown Stadium. Brown said the decision “is consistent with the NFL’s Rules and Policies” for similar events.

“The legal and logistical barriers to holding a ‘Watch’ Party for Super Bowl LVI are too significant,” Brown said.

Aluotto notified county commissioners of the decision Wednesday, saying he knows the news “will be disappointing to some in the community who had become very excited about this idea.”

Commissioner Alicia Reece first introduced the idea last week, pushing for a stadium watch party for the AFC Championship . The county later said there was not enough time to coordinate the event, but hoped something could be done in the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl.

“We’ve got an opportunity to put a package together that would include a Super Bowl-type of experience right here in Cincinnati,” Reece said in a meeting Tuesday. “People can come and book hotels and they can come for an entire weekend. They can come on Thursday and leave on Monday.”

While a stadium watch party will not be possible, Aluotto said the county plans to continue coordinating activities and events leading up to and on Super Bowl Sunday.

“We will continue to work with our partners to ensure the County is doing everything we can to ensure the best possible fan experience on the day of the game here in town,” said Aluotto.

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