Who knew the worst thing the Bengals could do to drive up fan interest was to be successful?
The only thing that saved the team’s current sellout streak of 46 games was intervention from Motorola and the Cincinnati CBS affiliate who purchased 1,200 tickets so a blackout could be avoided.
The tickets will be handed out Saturday on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 11:30 a.m. Fans can also still purchase the tickets though one wonder why they’d bother when they can get ‘em for free.
“We are thrilled with the response from our fans, Motorola and Local12, and we are pleased that Bengals fans across the region can watch our game on Sunday,” Bengals executive vice president Katie Blackburn said. “We have great fans, and a sold-out Jungle will give us a real home field advantage.”
In this instance, saying nothing at all might have been wiser than saying you’re “thrilled with the response” from your fans who had you on the brink of a non-sellout.
UPDATE: Motorola and Chad Ochocinco have a new partnership and the two “teamed up” to buy the tickets.
With the unemployement rate in Ohio, the Browns owe it to us fans who have dished out money for years and nearly sold out more games than we’ve won since 2003. Giving away 1200 tickets aint bad and they (motorola, and Local 12) should be applauded.
Boy, this economy sure is going great.
A sign of the economic times. It will get worse before the end of the season.
I don’t know if you realized this, but there is a pretty solid group of former season ticket holders that are refusing to buy tickets. Not that we don’t support the Bengals. We don’t support Mike Brown.
Really?? Those tickets really should go to programs for kids, not fairweather fans. The Bungles are training their fans to not buy tickets so that they get free ones. Not a smart move.
you should really look at the unemployment in the cincinnati/upper ky. area before you start to judge fans. not everybody can shell out $80 for a ticket and $30 for parking. let alone, $8 a beer.
This woman should go into politics. Honestly, if I were a Bengal fan, I’d take a “wait and see” approach to the season too!
“We are thrilled with the response from our fans…”
Fans? I guess technically corporate sponsors who buy tickets so they can increase advertisement sales revenue could be considered “fans”.
STFU, hire a real freaking general manager so the team can actually win more than once every 5 years and count the money you make just breathing in the stadium the city and county pay for during the next 30 years.
Criminy!
What woould you know about the family of 4 that have experienced layoff and was used to getting tickets and now can only attend SOME of the games and not all??? Its just like NFL Radio said this morning…”we understand the financial challenges of a blue collar town hit hard by the recession…Obviously since you are eating with a gold spoon Mr Florio you cant relate…Well in Cincy right now since you dont know the current state of the city our Fans will take free tickets anyway we can get them…I also think this will help win fans back that may have left….It is what it is so stop your hate and hope financial struggle never hits your home….
@kaz
The Browns aren’t coughing up money it was the Ochocinco & Motorola…So thank you chad & not being able sell out game when 4-1 1st in the division shows why bengals have one of the weakest homefield advantages.
Ummm…they’re free tickets. STFU.
When will the NFL finally get it ? Here you have a Team that’s on top of it’s division and they still can’t sell all the seats. Hello, it’s the economy stupid. How about a reduction in price ?
since 1990 77% have teams who started 4-1 have made the playoffs. I can see why people could think that the bengals fall into the other 23% of teams, but c’mon. Go to the games.
the recession is over
What horrible fans they are. That small market city doesn’t deserve a team. What a huge mistake by the NFL. The L.A. Bungles has a nice ring to it….
Turbo Dean – They already are giving them away to kids. They do every game. They also are giving a bunch away to Military families.
davexucc: The only people not buying tickets because of Brown are tools like you. They’ve sold out how many in a row? This is the economy now, not Mike Brown.
4-11-1 last year and they sold out every game.
If you have a so called “group” doing this, obviously the group is small or failing, or both.
Just because the team is doing well, doesnt make tix any easier to afford. Stop with the stupid comments about bad we as bengals fans are, because the game was almost blacked out. Last time I checked there were still plenty of tix avail for the yankees playoff game too. Those NY fans are bad too right??? The economy sucks and unemployment is high everywhere so not everyone can shell out $75 a ticket for a game against the Texans at that. If it wasnt for our stellar owner, the sell out streak wouldnt even be in questions. People are fed up with MIKEY BOY and chose not to give him money.
Wow, Chad Johnson had to buy tickets to his own game. He just helped the Gals pay his own salary. BWAAA. I don’t think any player had to pay his own way to be seen on tv by the local fans that don’t even like him.
Man that Ochocinco is one cool cat.
The thanks to the fan was for them taking the tickets that needed to be sold down from 7000 to less than 2,000, probably less than 1,000 based on what Motorola and Ochocinco bought.
By the way, I like how Florio threw the Ochocinco note in at the end. Been hanging on to Chad’s a bad person ever since he ran that fake story about taking a swing at Marvin in the locker room at halftime of the playoff game and still can’t bring himself to compliment the guy? Sad, really sad. Hell, the dude even bought 40 tickets to Law Abiding Citizens tonight and the first 40 people that show up get the tickets to watch the movie with him. I’m just guessing that you may have pegged him wrong. Actually, I’m not guessing, I know.
Florio, it’s just like you not to give Ocho credit where it’s due. Way to let your petty personal bias (against what? Thugs? Problem children? Players who open their mouths while black?) get in the way of a good deed. You’re an insult to sportswriters everywhere.
I’m getting tired of you bashing Cincinnati fans, Florio. Cincy has some of the most long-suffering fans in sports. The economy has hit Cincy hard, and it is expensive to go to games.
Get off the fans back! We don’t deserve it. We are absolutely thrilled at the success of the Bengals. We are also trying to buy groceries.
Get it, Rich Guy?
Sorry, I don’t buy the economy crap. It is just another straw on the camels back. Last time I checked, Pittsburgh’s economy was never great, yet the staduim has sold out over 300 games in a row.
If you put a winning product on the field (the majority of the time) and have a passionate carring fanbase, you will sell out the stadium. I am constantly sacrificing and saving to drive home to Pittsburgh (and to one away game) from the middle of Ohio to attend at least 5 Steelers games a year. It’s what diehard fans do. I’m not bashing the diehard cincy fans. you know who you are, and you don’t need to defend yourselfs. Many years of bad ownership, poor leadership and no team spirit have driven fans away from the Bengals. i was talking with a Browns fan in the elevator today and he mentioned to me about all the Bengals fans coming out of the woodwork the past few weeks. It doesn’t matter though if they can’t get them into the stadium.
In Pittsburgh, the players and team are very active in charities, events and with fan interaction. the fans know and love all the players, coaches and owners. Not sure if that happens there? you can’t go anywhere in Pittsburgh without a “Here we go Steelers” or “Let’s go Pens” chant starting. Is it the same in Cincy? It seemed to be in ’05(the last time I was there). There should be NO blackouts in the AFC north. WE ARE FOOTBALL COUNTRY. Cincy needs to live up to it.
mad555
You’re confused on who the fans don’t like. Besides, he flies a couple people in every week to watch the game and hang out with him from Friday thru Sunday. He picks them randomly from order numbers from people who buy stuff off his website. He’s very fan friendly, even on Twitter.
OchoCinco 2012
BIG move by Chad Ochocinco. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a player buying remaining tickets so the game could be televised.
I think the economy is largely driving this, and owners need to LOWER TICKET PRICES, but think of the grand thing here: Chad wasn’t buying the tickets to dole them out for free to fairweather fans. He was making it so all those that could never afford to watch it in the first place get to see it on tv locally for free.
that’s a big-time move by Chad, doesn’t wipe out his bone-headedness, but definitely puts him up a few pegs in my book.
@mad555 Who says we don’t like Esteban. He may be insane, but he’s OUR insane.
T.O. is annoying. Chad is a character.
~HB
Free tickets? Child Please!
“the recession is over”
Put the crack pipe down….Either you are deaf or cant comprehend economic troubles ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY! I tell you so many people live in a bubble and have no idea!
“Jville808 says:
October 16, 2009 3:58 PM
What horrible fans they are. That small market city doesn’t deserve a team. What a huge mistake by the NFL. The L.A. Bungles has a nice ring to it….”
Jville doesnt stand for JAcksonville does it?????? Cause if so I KNOW YOU NEED TO STOP TALKIN! LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!! We will have 48 straight sellouts so what does Jacksonville have??????
@hitdog042:
So…now I’m a tool because The Family decided to try to bilk me out of more money because my family and I had been loyal season ticket holders since 1968? How much crap did I go through to wear nothing but face paint and a smile in 1982 (I was 15, folks)? The Family says to his long-time season ticket holders, “Thanks for your support. The seats you reserved are not available anymore, but here are your new seat reservations (never mind the 225% markup) and you’ll need $1500 more for your Charter Ownership Agreement. That’s when I walked away from monetarily supporting an idiot. It was the economy back in the 1990′s then and it’s the economy now.
And Mad555, we like Chad. we just wish he would have acted the way he does now every year.
Wait a second, they’re thrilled with the response of a bunch of fans that won’t step up and buy tickets, but will stand in line for free ones?
This is just wonderful. Chad is actually using Twitter to do good things and to forge unique and uniquely personal relationships with his fans. In the last few weeks he has not only brought fans to games across the country, rented out a theater and provided food and drinks for anyone who comes, bought dinner for anyone willing to come meet him at J Alexander’s in Hyde Park but he is now buying tickets for his fans. Chad is making a name for himself by providing fans with nuanced access to an NFL player. Amazing. (Oh, and he is also playing well).
To all the big mouths demanding a GM for Cincy. STFU about it. GM’s are in charge of the ALL of the worst teams in the NFL, Oakland excepted.
General Managers with a 0-5 record
Tennessee Titans
KC Chiefs
Tampa Bay Buccs
St. Louis Rams
General Managers with a 1-4 record
Detroit Lions
Clowns
Buffalo Bills
Having a GM mean nothing to a team’s success.
Nice negative spin on a positive story. Giving a break to hardworking fans in a terrible economy is a bad thing. Way to go,PFT.
Here is the BS part of the whole deal. If the Bengals do not sell out by game time on Sundays, the owner of the staduim (can’t remember if it’s Cincy or Hamilton Co.) has to pay the Bengal’s the difference anyway. So really? There should never be a non sold out game, this is insult to injury for us tax payers who have the stadium tax taken out of our paychecks.
@richardb
Fans just repeat what they hear on TV, and the GM angle makes sense, until it doesn’t. And then the ESPNdiots just change the subject, and the fans just follow like sheep.
Like Phil Gramm said, the economy is okay, you people are just a bunch of whiners.
@richardb:
Having a GM in Cincinnati means not having to deal with an owner who entrusts personnel decision to his daughter and son-in-law. Both of whom, by the way, have degrees in Art History from his beloved Dartmouth.
Yes, he gets advice from Duke Tobin and John Cooper. He also seeks the knowledge of a former Cafeteria Monitor/Linebackers Coach at a local high school (Jim Lippincott).
How many scouts does Indianapolis have? Count the Bengals’ scouts. It’s easy. They’re ALL ON THE FIELD ON SUNDAY!!!
Wait, I lied.
SOME OF THEM ARE UPSTAIRS IN THE BOOTH!!!
You STFU.
@JSpicoli:
Go back smacking yourself in the head with your Vans, dude. Or buying pizza for Mr. Hand’s class.
I don’t care about any other team’s GM. Cincinnati has needed a real GM since Paul died.
I hope Ochostinko paid Sean Peyton the $1600 he still owed from 2006 before he bought all those Bungles tickets…
Child please…
I hope OchoStinko paid the $13000 in taxes that he owed Hamilton County before he bought those Bungles tickets…
Child please…
If you cry babies in Cincy are so broke, and there’s no jobs in Ohio, move your asses to NJ; I need someone to cut my lawn…
Child Please…
Richard b defend mike brown then for his great track record since 1990. Yeah there are some bad teams that have gm’s right now, but how bout you look back from 1990 and see the records of the teams with a GM, I would bet your little comment would look bad. A gm doesnt mean a super bowl, but look at something more than just a year or 5 and tell me not having a GM has worked well for the bengals.
Also the county doesnt pay for the difference of tix not sold. That was added into the lease, but then taken out before the final draft. So, no we are not on the hook for unsold tix, we just pay for every other freakin thing with the stadium.
By the way congrats to Motorola and OCHO, sad a player has to step up and buy tix and not the sorry ass owner. Mikey Boy did give 500 tix to military families.
@copes cabana: Way to toot your own horn big guy! You MUST be a die-hard fan because, well, you say so.
BTW: When one looks at the capacity of Heinz Field compared to the rest of the NFL, their Steelers consecutive sellout streak isn’t nearly as impressive as say, oh, the Redskins whose stadium seats over 80,000 (Heinz – 64,500), which makes Heinz the 27th ‘largest’ stadium in the NFL. Not so impressive is it!?!
Mike Brown won’t get a defense from me. But this year is proof that a very good team can be built with the current people running the show. Suppose Mike Brown had hired Scott Pioli a couple years ago. Pioli is 0-5 right now in KC after turning NE into the Brady’s entry into the hall of fame. A GM means nothing.
Mike Brown’s worst trait is his best trait for 2009. He is too loyal to his coaches. Marvin should have been fired last season imho. Brown kept him and now Marvin Lewis is looking good thanks to good drafts since 2006;the Zimmer hire;good FA vets such as Tank, Roy, Crocker, Dhani; finally a very healthy team.
Waving a GM magic wand to cure all ills is silly.
Hey copes cabana:
How did the Pirates draw this year?
Yeah, thought so.
The Steeler fans would rather use food stamps and get tickets over getting real work.
zimmer was hired last year not this year. And if you would have fired Lewis over one injury riddled year I feel sorry for people if they happen to work for you.
But I would imagine you work for the man, not the other way around.
@ EAD,
I’d rather be unemployed living in a cardboard box on the banks of the Ohio river and have herpes than ever live in New Jersey.
And there is actually grass in NJ? The garden state….what a joke.
Anyone who thinks the economy has nothing to do with the Bengals struggles selling tickets needs to look at this:
http://www.bls.gov/web/laumstrk.htm
And lets not forget they sold out every game last year despite a 4-11-1 record. They’ve matched their wins from last year already and the only thing that has changed about the fans is their wallet’s contents.
Sourdough….the DC Metro area’s population absoulutely dwarfs Pittsburgh’s!! DC Metro area is over 5 million people, and if you include the close areas not included in the “metro” title you have a heck of alot more. The population of Pittsburgh and it’s 7 surrounding counties isn’t even 2.5 Million. So to counter your argument, DC really NEEDS the bigger stadium. It doesn’t make the Steelers sellout streak any more or less impressive. It is what it is. Pittsburgh isn’t as large a market as DC. Plain and simple. If you throw another 5-10,000 seats in Heinz Field they sell those too. WITHOUT A PROBLEM. There are ALWAYS people, myself included, who are keeping their eyes and ears open to find tickets at a reasonable price. Also, DC is a much more wealthy area, I don’t know how much tickets to a Skins game cost, but a lot more people there can more readily afford tickets to the game, whereas in Pittsburgh most people don’t make that kind of money. I didn’t take your statement as an insult or anything, I’m just trying to point out the obvious economic and demographic factors that can help determine stadium capacity.
Ochocinco has always been OK in my book. Pretty cool move by him. That’s coming from a ‘Lers fan.
hitdogo….what evidence do you base your post on Steeler fans “would rather use food stamps and get tickets rather getting real work.”????? Once again…empty, useless, unproven comment from a “fan” that got his feelings hurt b/c someone on the board called his team “The Bungles”. Unemployment in Pittsburgh is 2% less than the national average. I can’t speak for the entire city, but the people that I know love to work. I go crazy sitting on my butt all day. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. I have nothing against the people of Cinci or Bengals fans in general, but as lack-luster and un-flashy as Pittsburgh might be….Cinci is a lot worse. Every time I’m there I feel like death is hugging me. Maybe it’s just the clouds? Who knows….
I am a Steelers fan. But I understand the Cinci fans skepticism. Mike Brown’s family should have had the decency to buy the tickets and distribute them to lower and middle class Cinci fans. Or even let season ticket holders get an extra free ticket to bring another friend along.