Chris Bortz

Chris Bortz is the president and CEO of Towne Construction Services, LLC & Townscapes in Batavia and a former Cincinnati city councilman.

The Reds, the Bengals, the Bearcats, the Musketeers; we cheer and complain and rejoice and sulk with the successes and failures of our hometown heroes. Not so long ago we claimed the AHL Stingers and the CBA Slammers (look ‘em up, kids), but leagues merged and bean counters wrote us off as a mid-market backwater. Small town? Maybe. Big fans? Without a doubt.

When our teams give us even the tiniest reason to hope for winning seasons, we fill the stands, cough up money for stadiums and overpriced beer, and too frequently nurse our broken hearts with happy thoughts of next season.

Recently, along has come a new source of Cincinnati pride, a new jewel in the Queen City’s cultural crown. Who could have guessed FC Cincinnati would catch fire and capture the passion and spirit of our frustrated fandom? Maybe most thought that this would be another minor league effort and that few would show up for the first FCC game. Nope, an astounding 14,000 smiling fans brought a new kind of energy to Nippert Stadium.

Since that auspicious beginning, we have flocked to the games and created a new breed of Cincinnati fan. The games are fun, the team is scrappy, the tickets are affordable, the players and team are visible and active in giving back to the community that supports them. And they like to win.

This is the team Cincinnatians deserve.

It seems like maybe, finally, our loyalty and passion for our professional teams may actually pay off. FC Cincinnati is on the shortlist to be the next expansion city for Major League Soccer, making up for the missed opportunities with the NBA and NHL. We did our part, as we supported the team in record numbers and got the league’s attention. But we have to do more to get the ball into the net. Major League Soccer requires a stadium plan before awarding an expansion team.

Uh oh, cue the groans.

I know the argument and I agree with it. We just built two stadiums and forked over millions to keep our Reds and Bengals happy. What did we get in return? Paul Brown Stadium is the poster child for bad lease deals for fans and taxpayers, and most residents can’t even afford to buy tickets to see them struggle to what looks like another 8-8 season at best. That stadium deal cost us taxpayers over $900 million to fund football players whose bodies and brains are being wrecked while we watch. And we have made this jaw-dropping investment in the NFL only to see declining television ratings and youth participation. Now we sit heartbroken, flat broke, and looking like suckers. We aren’t falling for that again.

Bear with me, because this is different. The FC Cincinnati ownership group is asking us to partner with them to bring major league soccer to Cincy. As I understand the deal, the team proposes $100 million in public sources to help build their stadium, paid for by revenues directly related to the project (not a county-wide sales tax). And they’re putting $250 million on the table to boot. Let’s compare that to Paul Brown Stadium, shall we?

More:Viable stadium plan essential to winning MLS bid

The Bengals put up $25 million and got $900 million versus FCC is putting up $250 million and looking to partner with taxpayers for $100 million more. Yeah, that’s more like it. And here’s the kicker for me: The FCC ownership group is committed to covering all cost overruns. Who covered the millions and millions in overruns on PBS? Yup, the lowly taxpayer. Different deal, different time, different team.

We should put the past behind us. We learned our lesson. Great American Ballpark is a better deal and a terrific fan experience. The Reds are rebuilding and we are hoping for seasons that stretch deep into October… next season. Baseball is our irreplaceable link to the past, and our beloved Redlegs, the very first professional baseball team, will always be our first love. But soccer is the future. Ask anyone with kids.

FC Cincinnati has not disappointed us, and given the statements from the team ownership and management, they aren’t going to. We know the Lindner family will always put Greater Cincinnati first. Let’s help them build the stadium and watch how much investment follows. Protect local taxpayers from tax increases, from the endless commitment to overruns and upgrades over which the fans have no control. Less than 11 percent of the PBS investment for MLS leveraging 10 times the private money. We should do this.

Let’s help them build a soccer stadium, a new community asset to entertain and amaze us and promote Cincinnati globally. I want to partner with a team that loves its fans and our community. This is a deal we can get behind without looking like suckers. Let’s get this done and not miss out on an exciting major league opportunity.