CINCINNATI — Cincinnati keeps missing out on major events, like March Madness and the NFL Draft, hosted by similarly sized cities. Now, the newly formed Cincinnati Regional Sports Commission hopes to actualize the city's dreams to become one of the country's top sports destinations.
Ben Huffman was selected as the commission's executive director at the end of June, and he said he's ready to help put Cincinnati in the spotlight.
"There hasn't been that entity out there looking to bring events consistently to the community to drive impact," Huffman said.
Hear what events Huffman plans to try to bring to Cincinnati in the video below:
Huffman said they're still working out what events they will specifically go after, focused on figuring out what would be best for the city. But he did name a few events that Cincinnati would possibly want to host, including:
- 2028 NFL Draft
- 2031 World Rugby Cup
- 2031 FIFA Women's World Cup
Recently, the WNBA announced a list of cities included in a future league expansion, which did not include Cincinnati. As leagues like the NHL and NWSL look for potential expansion cities, we asked Huffman how Cincinnati can become more appealing for a potential new future sports team.
“Having three pro teams play at the highest level and then the Cyclones playing at the next level down, I think, shows that we are a city that can support professional sports of all kinds," Huffman said.
Hear Huffman's thoughts about the expansion of the WNBA, NHL and NWSL in Cincinnati:
One of the big hurdles revolves around Heritage Bank Center. Some believe that in order to make Cincinnati more appealing to host, the city needs a new arena.
A feasibility study last year suggested building a new arena in a different location, estimating it would cost up to $800 million.
"There are a lot of events out there that a new arena would allow us to host, but there are plenty of events that are out there already that we could host with the venues we have," Huffman said.
However, some people, like business owners at The Banks, want the potential new arena to stay at the same location.
"I think there's a variety of locations that have shown to be good options, and I think there's also a lot of funding options and those are all conversations ongoing," Huffman said.
Learn what Huffman thinks about a possible new arena in the video below:
Huffman said some bigger events are planned years in advance, so it may take some time before anything develops.
However, he said he's confident that Cincinnati will land a marquee sporting event soon.
"We've missed out on a lot of business over the years," Huffman said. "The ability to have an organization solely focused on bringing these types of events to our community will show a real impact here in the near future."
Part of their funding came from the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners, which passed a resolution directing $150,000 to help form the sports commission. Cincinnati City Council also approved up to $250,000 to invest in the new commission.
