January 14, 2012

It was a much better year for the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals than what many of their fans had anticipated. With a severe lack of experienced veteran players, the Bengals still made it to the playoffs for only the third time in two decades. I attended three games this season and it is safe to say the stadium atmosphere is tame at best. Many home games were blacked out on local television. The upper level was almost completely empty for a number of games. 

And if you're a Bengals fan in the Cincinnati-Lexington-Dayton region, guess what? You won. Mike Brown noticed your absence because it hit him right in his wallet. The organization has just announced the upper level seating has gone from $60 per ticket to $40 per ticket - a 33% decrease in price. Will this help the attendance? I certainly think so. The economy is bad and many of the rowdiest NFL fans have been priced out of the market. When I say rowdy, I mean middle class and below. As Colin Cowherd once said, "You've got two types of sports fans; career guy and job guy. Job guy is the one you want in your stadium, he's a nut bag and has nothing to lose." But seriously, who doesn't enjoy cheaper tickets?

We've been here before, however. You couldn't give Bengals tickets away when Jeff Blake and Carl Pickens took the field. It was only a matter of time before the squad began to show promise and the fair weather fans once again swarmed to Paul Brown Stadium. Ticket prices rose and now they have dropped. Don't count on the public perception of Mike Brown to change anytime soon, though.