The Cincinnati Bengals on Monday announced Paul Brown Stadium will return to full capacity for the 2021 season.
In 2020, quarterback Joe Burrow began his NFL career in front of an empty stadium, and the Bengals played the season finale with 10,499 fans in the crowd. In 2021, Paul Brown Stadium will be back to normal.
"We are building something meaningful here in Cincinnati," Bengals director of strategy and engagement Elizabeth Blackburn said in a statement. "Beyond trying to build a championship team, we want to build an empire of Bengals fans that make the gameday atmosphere at Paul Brown Stadium a renowned destination that the national media and critics will need to respect."
Last week, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe ranked Cincinnati the worst travel destination in the NFL.
"I want 'The Jungle' experience at Paul Brown Stadium to be even more legendary – truly the best live experience event," Blackburn said. "We are making noticeable changes on gameday, adding traditions atop Welcome To The Jungle before kickoff and the Bengal Growl song after touchdowns, to create a more energetic environment from the moment gates open until the final play."
For Reds games, Great American Ball Park has been back to full capacity since June 2.
The tagline for the Bengals 2021 campaign will be "Rule the Jungle," and Blackburn said the Bengals will include new gameday traditions around that theme during the season.
"I hear this refrain a lot: 'If we don't win, none of this matters,'" Blackburn said. "Of course winning is our number one priority. We want to bring Super Bowl championships to Cincinnati.
"After all, my great grandfather is famous for saying 'Winning makes believers of us all.' This adage remains so relevant that it will be added to our new field wall so that it is the last thing our players see as they take the field."
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