Well, maybe the decision to draft running back Joe Mixon won’t go over as smoothly for the Bengals as believed. Local TV station WCPO, an ABC affiliate, wants fans to skip the team’s home games in 2017.
“We are urging every Bengals fan to take drastic action,” an online editorial explains. “Instead of buying a Bengals ticket this year, take the $50 or more you would have spent on that ticket and donate the money to a nonprofit that works to prevent violence against women. . . . Enough is enough, Bengals. We can excuse another season without winning a playoff game. We can’t excuse drafting a player like Joe Mixon.”
It’s a fair position for WCPO to take, but where was the outcry when it was clear that the Bengals were interested in Mixon? It would have made more sense to organize a clear, unmistakable warning than to react after the pick has been made. (And if there was such an effort, few beyond Cincinnati noticed.)
Moreover, there’s still no reason to think that a significant number of fans will vote with their wallets or their eyeballs. Even if public opinion shifts sharply against the team, winning will change everything. Or at least that’s what the Bengals hope will happen.
In the interim, the question becomes whether fans will rally behind the effort to send a message to Mike Brown through his bank account. Ultimately, that’s really the only way to reach him.