The NFL’s effort to maximize the in-stadium experience/extort the ticket-buying public now has a clean sweep.
The Bengals announced that Sunday’s playoff game against the Chargers was sold out, via Joe Reedy of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Along with the Colts and Packers, the NFL will now have all its playoff games on in local markets, after last-minute land-rushes by desperate fans, and corporate “partners” picking up the slack at the last minute.
It will be interesting to see how fans react the next time such dire proclamations about potential blackouts come up, given the fact that sponsors bought up many of the last tickets to guarantee the games would be broadcast locally.
There’s more than a little “boy who cried wolf” at work, and many fans who bought this week to sit in some ridiculous conditions (especially in Green Bay) ought to feel like they’ve been more than a little suckered.
It’ll be interesting to see how many decide to eat the cost of the ticket, figuring it’s less than the cost of a deductible for hypothermia.