Do you remember what it felt like to be a Cincinnatian in February? The city was alive with palatable electricity as fans young and old celebrated every yard gained and touchdown earned by our Cincinnati Bengals. The community united as we watched our hometown team rewrite history and send us straight to the Super Bowl. Quarterback Joe Burrow and his teammates gave us a reason to come together when we so desperately needed an ounce of joy.
While the Bengals were inspiring Cincinnati with their on-field play, the team was also lighting up the lives of people in need.
As a new football season begins, Cincinnati Bengals Director of Community Engagement Alex Simons shared how the franchise is giving back this year. “Amazing play and opportunity on the field brings so many more opportunities off the field. The fans want to know what we are doing in our backyard. It’s not just about us; it’s about all the nonprofits that we are shining a light on in our region.”
Here are the five pillars that make up the team’s community commitment.
Youth Development
It’s no secret that the Cincinnati Bengals franchise seeks new opportunities to share its love of football with the next generation of players. The Friday Night Stripes tour takes Who Dey and the Stripe Squad on the road to visit 10 different high school football games in the region, setting up outside a high school stadium before a big game.
The Bengals Coach of the Week program recognizes outstanding coaches each week of the high school football season. (Visit bengals.com/coachoftheweek to nominate someone.) Honored coaches receive a $2,000 donation from the Bengals and Paycor and an invitation to a big game in December at Paycor Stadium.
The team has been organizing the Bengals Flag in Schools program since 2014. The Flag in Schools program donates 50 flag football kits to gym teachers throughout Cincinnati. The kits include flag football belts and a 10-week curriculum designed to get kids moving.
“We recognize that funding is nearly non-existent for teachers,” Simons says. “Every year, we end with a big flag football celebration for a school who takes advantage of the kits.”
Health & Wellness
Perhaps it’s only fitting that the Cincinnati Bengals invest in health and wellness. Importantly, it isn’t just about physical activity but reflects the need for mental health conversations in schools.
The Bengals Play 60 program is an NFL- supported campaign that operates locally with the help of the Children’s Hunger Alliance. The team helps to fund nutrition education programming at 10 public schools in the area. At the end of the nutrition education unit, participants celebrate with a Play 60 event to reward the students for their commitment to the program.
The Bengals’ Character Playbook is a digital resource for middle school students to learn how to build healthy relationships with teachers and peers. The learning module was first launched several years ago and has reached over 5,000 youth in 250 local middle schools. Similarly, the Bengals Mental Wellness Playbook helps students focus on internal feelings, mindfulness and mental wellness. The Mental Wellness Playbooks will be distributed to 10 local middle schools this year alone.
“A lot of our players are more comfortable than ever discussing their own mental health experiences,” Simons says. “It’s great to align the personal messages with the program at a time when the conversation is so important for kids.”
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Inspiring change through connection is an important initiative for the Bengals. Their Dive Right program started by uniting the Cincinnati Police Department and the Cincinnati Recreation Commission. The initiative encourages healthy dialogue and inspirational connection by pairing Bengals players with law enforcement leaders and youth in need. Together, the groups host flag football games weekly, followed by healthy diversity conversations in the Paycor Stadium press box area. Topics might range from conflict resolution to implicit bias training, and it’s advertised in all Cincinnati Public Schools.
“It’s been incredible to witness these youth share in an honest, heartfelt dialogue with our players, police and each other in a smaller setting,” says Simons. “We like to call it a circle of trust.”
The Bengals’ Hometown Hero program recognizes a deserving community member making a difference. Hometown Heroes are honored on gamedays for their work in economic development, diversity, equity and inclusion, or a commitment to making a positive impact on society.
Military
The Bengals’ Salute to Service campaign honors service members every season during gameday ceremonies. Each game, 10 service members are recognized for their sacrifices for our country.
Additionally, the team takes rookie players to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton to visit with members of the military. They will travel to Fort Knox in the spring to do the same.
Simons knows it’s bigger than just Cincinnati. “When we consider the community organizations and the people we want to support and honor, we look at our objectives and the impact we could potentially make even outside of Cincinnati. I want to utilize our resources to maximize the impact.”
Cancer Research
Supporting cancer research and connecting patients with health and wellness leaders in the region is important to the Bengals. The Crucial Catch campaign is a partnership with Kettering Health, designed to encourage early cancer detection and support patients currently in treatment. This September, 70 former Bengals players will visit Kettering hospitals to spend time with patients battling cancer. On a game day in October, the Bengals will honor patients on the field with a concluding bell ringing ceremony designed to commemorate their final treatments.
“So much of our programming isn’t necessarily new,” Simons says. “But now we recognize just how much our fans and the national media want to know about what we are doing as a team off the field. We’re proud to give fans even more reason to rally around the players and staff.”
Who Dey!
Want to stay up-to-date about the Bengals’ off-field efforts? Visit bengals.com/community to learn more.