41,202

[cincity]

I just say "wow"....

[T.O.C.H.O SHOW]

this is good news and will only improve the team moving forward.

[Le Tigre]

What the fuck? Please explain that one.

[oldschooler]

[b] [size=6]Another blackout: No TV for Bengals, Cards[/size][/b]
[list]
[*]By: Ian Preuth
[/list]


CINCINNATI - The wounds apparently run deep for many Bengals fans.

Despite an 8-6 record and a potential playoff birth on the horizon, fans have not been buying tickets this season.

Saturday's Christmas Eve game against the Arizona Cardinals was declared a blackout on Tuesday, meaning the contest will not be shown in the local television markets.

This will be the sixth time in 2011 that a game at Paul Brown Stadium has not sold out. This is the 10th out of the last 11 home games not to sell out. The only game to sell out this season was the Nov. 13 contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Cincinnati remains at the bottom of the NFL when it comes to attendance. The team is averaging 48,216 fans per game at Paul Brown Stadium, according to ESPN.

The Bengals have already doubled last season's win total and gained ground in the playoff hunt this past weekend when all the teams they needed to lose went down. If the playoffs started today, the Bengals would not be in. However, their last two regular season games are at home. The Bengals end the regular season against the Baltimore Ravens on New Year's Day at 1 p.m.

The Jets, currently the sixth seed in the AFC playoff standings, play the New York Giants this week before traveling to Miami to end the regular season.

Other teams Bengals fans should pay attention to are the 8-6 Broncos, and the Titans, Raiders, Broncos, and Chargers, all of which currently sit at 7-7. The fifth seed in the AFC playoffs will go to either the Ravens or the Steelers.

Saturday's game against the 7-7 Cardinals, who have won four straight, kicks off at 1 p.m.


Read more: [url="http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/sports/football/bengals/another-blackout-no-tv-for-bengals-cards#ixzz1hCYfldgb"]http://www.wcpo.com/dpp/sports/football/bengals/another-blackout-no-tv-for-bengals-cards#ixzz1hCYfldgb[/url]

[top6]

This fan base has exactly the franchise it deserves. Pathetic. I'm almost looking forward to the Bengals moving to LA.

[BengalsOwn]

[quote name='top6' timestamp='1324499415' post='1077738']
This fan base has exactly the franchise it deserves. Pathetic. I'm almost looking forward to the Bengals moving to LA.
[/quote]

Shame on everyone for having tight pockets during a recession and choosing to not drop $300 a week to take their family to a game.

Shame on everyone for choosing to spend the holiday with their family instead of at a game.

Shame on everyone for not being interested in watching a stagnant offense.

Shame on everyone for not being excited about football after watching the lockout transpire, the franchise QB demand to be traded, and Ocho Cinco being shipped away.

What a bunch of pathetic losers!!!11

And the Bengals aren't going anywhere.

[big_dish]

[quote name='top6' timestamp='1324499415' post='1077738']
This franchise has exactly the fan base it deserves. Pathetic. .
[/quote]

You must have a slight case of dyslexia... but dont worry, I corrected this thought for you so it reads the right way.

[big_dish]

[quote name='top6' timestamp='1324499415' post='1077738']
I'm almost looking forward to the Bengals moving to LA.
[/quote]

Nevermind, you just arent smart whatsoever.

Now I feel bad for dyslexics for making the comparison.

This team cannot, and will not, move. And LA CERTAINLY wont support Mike Brown more than a city full of people raised on Bengals football, regardless of how bad its been. 3 years in and there would be 15,000 people in the stands.

[BengalsOwn]

Maybe Cincinnati has the lowest attendance because it's the smartest fanbase in the league?

Who the hell can just say "Oh, my house has lost $40,000 in value in 4 years, I haven't got a raise in 3 years, I don't get paid for shit because I don't have any leverage, my 401k has tanked, but fuck it i'm gonna go blow $300 on a football game" besides an idiot?

[Le Tigre]

[quote name='BengalsOwn' timestamp='1324501649' post='1077748']
Maybe Cincinnati has the lowest attendance because it's the smartest fanbase in the league?

Who the hell can just say "Oh, my house has lost $40,000 in value in 4 years, I haven't got a raise in 3 years, I don't get paid for shit because I don't have any leverage, my 401k has tanked, but fuck it i'm gonna go blow $300 on a football game" besides an idiot?
[/quote]

You could say that about any major league city.

[|Elflocko|]

[quote name='BengalsOwn' timestamp='1324501649' post='1077748']
Maybe Cincinnati has the lowest attendance because it's the smartest fanbase in the league?

Who the hell can just say "Oh, my house has lost[b] $40,000 in value in 4 years[/b], I haven't got a raise in 3 years, I don't get paid for shit because I don't have any leverage, my 401k has tanked, but fuck it i'm gonna go blow $300 on a football game" besides an idiot?
[/quote]

I wish.

Most houses around here lost $200,000+ over the last 4 years, which if nothing else illustrates how utterly ridiculous the housing market was here during the boom...

[oldschooler]

[quote name='T.O.C.H.O SHOW' timestamp='1324494757' post='1077720']
this is good news and will only improve the team moving forward.
[/quote]

"Hay Guys. Let's boycott the Bengals because they don't win, while they are winning and in the Playoff hunt!"






[quote name='BengalsOwn' timestamp='1324501439' post='1077743']

Shame on everyone for having tight pockets during a recession and choosing to not drop $300 a week to take their family to a game.

Shame on everyone for choosing to spend the holiday with their family instead of at a game.

Shame on everyone for not being interested in watching a stagnant offense.

Shame on everyone for not being excited about football after watching the lockout transpire, the franchise QB demand to be traded, and Ocho Cinco being shipped away.

What a bunch of pathetic losers!!!11

And the Bengals aren't going anywhere.
[/quote]



Oh shuddup. You wouldn't go even if you could afford it.

[BengalsOwn]

[quote name='Le Tigre' timestamp='1324501725' post='1077749']

You could say that about any major league city.
[/quote]

I agree.

Hence the "Maybe Cincinnati has the lowest attendance because it's the smartest fanbase in the league?".

Unlike other cities, maybe Cincinnati residents are trying to actually be smart with their money, considering the horrible economy?

[oldschooler]

[size=6][b] The PBS Ghost Town[/b][/size]

December 21, 2011 By [url="http://whodeyfans.com/author/bill/"]Bill[/url]


A team that is playing to grab a playoff berth — especially one that was universally expected to be the worst in the game this year — ought to be generating a ton of interest, right? And the Bengals are. TV ratings, radio ratings, and internet traffic for the team are all at high levels.

Ticket sales, however, are in the crapper.

As the Bengals play their 7th home game, looking to extend their season beyond Jan. 1, expectations are that PBS will be about half full on Saturday. “The Jungle” will be more like “the lonesome prairie.”

Plenty of people have speculated on the macro level why this is happening. I’m not interested in that. It is useless because different people choose to not go for different reasons. I want to hear your reason(s) for not going down to PBS… and what it would take to get you down there again.[list]
[*]“It’s the holidays. Since I’d like to get some in 2012, I’ll be at the in-laws, hangin’ with Cousin Eddie.”
[*]“I’d deal with a nosebleed or two, but what they want for those sections is **** stupid.”
[*]“I refuse to give any money to Mike Brown. I’m not going to a game until he’s dead.”
[*]“I want to go, but the wife gets mad when they shut off the electricity.”
[*]“The live experience just isn’t worth the price.”
[*]“The beer is too expensive and the concessions suck.”
[*]“I prefer the convenience of watching at home… legally or otherwise.”
[*]“I’m not paying money to watch them break my heart. Again.”
[*]“I’d rather not spend four hours around drunks being idiots and spilling beer on my clothes.”
[*]“Call me when/if they actually win a playoff game.”
[/list]
I’m sure I missed some of you, so add to the list. Bonus points for sarcasm.





http://whodeyfans.com/2011/12/21/the-pbs-ghost-town/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-pbs-ghost-town

[|OneHeartBeat|]

Well the team is winning and the economy is bad everywhere so there has to be more. I'm guessing the idiots who hate MB and Marvin, poor stadium experience, cost. Haven't other teams lowered ticket prices? Its crazy to see such a huge drop in only a year.

[scharm]

I don't know why so many people struggle to understand this. When they sucked year after year in the 90s it was often predicted that years of fans were lost. This is just the result. Bengals are not going to draw without the sizzle of something new, people have grown accustomed to them not being a factor. The passion for attending is gone.

You simply can't take a small market to begin with and then carve out a significant number of NFL fans due to perception of the team and expect them all to show up at these prices in this economy just for being 2 games over .500.

Reality is the fan base was this small prior to PBS. They built it up. Then let it burn down. Then hired Marvin, built it up and then let it burn down. They've been in PBS 11 seasons and twice have turned over a significant part of the ticket buying fan base.

You need a sizzle like 2005 to build it up again and they just don't have it.

[Le Tigre]

[quote name='scharm' timestamp='1324517703' post='1077838']
I don't know why so many people struggle to understand this. When they sucked year after year in the 90s it was often predicted that years of fans were lost. This is just the result. Bengals are not going to draw without the sizzle of something new, people have grown accustomed to them not being a factor. The passion for attending is gone.

You simply can't take a small market to begin with and then carve out a significant number of NFL fans due to perception of the team and expect them all to show up at these prices in this economy just for being 2 games over .500.

Reality is the fan base was this small prior to PBS. They built it up. Then let it burn down. Then hired Marvin, built it up and then let it burn down. They've been in PBS 11 seasons and twice have turned over a significant part of the ticket buying fan base.

You need a sizzle like 2005 to build it up again and they just don't have it.
[/quote]

Yes and no. I remember in '82 there was a sizeable number of red and green seats at Riverfront open most games--and this was a year after a SB. Then it was mostly full in '84..and there was no "sizzle" then. It was even mostly full in '87...and the team was awful.

Your point as to turning over fans however, is well-taken. In my over three decades as a season ticket holder, I have seen a lot of people come and go. But years ago, I would see the same people around my seat area every year. In the past 10, I don't see anywhere near the same faces.

[cwing]

[quote name='BengalsOwn' timestamp='1324505032' post='1077769']

I agree.

Hence the "Maybe Cincinnati has the lowest attendance because it's the smartest fanbase in the league?".

Unlike other cities, maybe Cincinnati residents are trying to actually be smart with their money, considering the horrible economy?
[/quote]

Have more than 2 winning seasons in the lst 20 yrs and win some playoff games and maybe you can expand your fan base to a much larger radius ------

[AmishBengalFan]

[quote name='Le Tigre' timestamp='1324518350' post='1077843']

Yes and no. I remember in '82 there was a sizeable number of red and green seats at Riverfront open most games--and this was a year after a SB. Then it was mostly full in '84..and there was no "sizzle" then. It was even mostly full in '87...and the team was awful.

Your point as to turning over fans however, is well-taken. In my over three decades as a season ticket holder, I have seen a lot of people come and go. But years ago, I would see the same people around my seat area every year. In the past 10, I don't see anywhere near the same faces.
[/quote]
I see the most important face - Beerman Tim - at every single home game. He even called me out for missing as many games as I have this year.

[Bleeds Orange]

[quote name='Bill' timestamp='1324505036' post='1077770'][list]
[*]“I’m not paying money to watch them break my heart. Again."
[*]“Call me when/if they actually win a playoff game.”
[/list]
[/quote]

These two get my votes as the primary reasons. So many Bengals fans are jaded and expect the worst to happen...again. This, and what scharm said a few posts before this one.

[oldschooler]

[b] [size=6]Another Bengals blackout coming[/size][/b]

Posted by Mike Florio on December 21, 2011, 11:17 PM EST


As of Saturday, the Bengals will have played seven regular-season home games. And six of them will have been blacked out.

The Bengals [url="http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/38540/sixth-blackout-for-bengals-this-season"]quietly announced on Tuesday that[/url], when the Cardinals come to town, the stadium will be as quiet as it has been for every home game except the one against the Steelers.

According to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com, only 41,202 fans showed up for the Week 14 game between the Texans and Bengals. Three times this year, fewer people attended a Bengals regular-season home game than attended the game played at Paul Brown Stadium between the University of Cincinnati and West Virginia, which drew 48,152.

The Bengals finish the season on New Year’s Day with a visit from the Ravens, which could have a playoff berth hinging on the outcome. Which raises an obvious question: How bad would the attendance have been this year if the team wasn’t 8-6?

The Broncos-Bills game also has been blacked out for Saturday. No games will be played in any of the other 2011 blackout hot spots (i.e., San Diego, Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville, St. Louis, Minnesota).



http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/21/another-bengals-blackout-coming/

[oldschooler]

[b] [size=6]U.S. Senator from Ohio calls for end to “failed” blackout policy[/size][/b]

Posted by Mike Florio on December 23, 2011, 5:08 PM EST


Six of the Cincinnati Bengals’ seven home games this season will be blacked out locally. One of the two U.S. Senators from Ohio believes that number should be zero.

But not because he believes all non-premium tickets should be purchased for the games at Paul Brown Stadium. Senator Sherrod Brown believes that the NFL should abandon the policy that requires non-sellouts to be blacked out in the local market.

“[url="http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2011/12/us-senator-calls-for-end-outdated-relic-of-nfl-blackouts-sherrod-brown-us-senator-cincinnati-bengals-ohio/1"]The NFL’s blackout policy is unnecessary[/url],” Brown said in a statement, via [i]USA Today[/i]. “The NFL is poised to earn record profits while the Cincinnati taxpayers who built the stadium will be watching reruns rather than touchdown runs. The rule is an outdated relic that doesn’t serve the NFL or the fans.”

Brown also pointed out that the league’s new broadcast TV contracts reflect a 60-percent increase over prior amounts paid by the networks. Thus, Brown believes that the league shouldn’t hinge the decision to televise a team’s home games upon the team’s ability to sell tickets.

The league, not surprisingly, defends the blackout policy, which was adopted in 1973. (Prior to that, home games simply weren’t televised at all in the local market, with or without a sold-out stadium.)

“The blackout policy is very important in supporting NFL stadiums and the ability of NFL clubs to sell tickets, keeping our games attractive as television programming with large crowds; and ensuring that we can continue to keep our games on free TV,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement to [i]USA Today[/i]. “Playing in full stadiums with thousands of fans is an important part of what makes NFL football an exciting and special entertainment event, both live and on television. We have a limited number of games and do not want to erode the incentive to buy tickets. Every market receives more than 100 NFL games on free TV every year, regardless of the blackout policy.”

That’s fine, but in this day and age how many people actually buy tickets to the local team’s home games due to a concern that, if they don’t, they won’t be able to see the game at all? There will always be people who choose to attend games, and there will always be people who choose to stay home and watch whatever other game they can find on TV, or simply wait for the highlights.

The challenge for the league is to entice enough people in every market to choose to pay to attend the games. And that means finding ways to make the in-stadium experience better (or, in the case of controlling the behavior of drunks and/or idiots and/or drunken idiots, not as bad).

It also means setting price points that will ensure a full stadium, based on the dynamics of each market. In some places, it could mean building smaller stadiums. While it’s indeed preferable to broadcast games with a full house of fans in the background, non-sellouts are still televised in other markets, regardless of whether the stands are full or empty.

So maybe Senator Brown is right. Maybe the time has come to abandon the blackout policy. As the rule approaches its 40th birthday, the only thing we know is that the blackout policy should at least be fully scrutinized, given that the manner in which folks consume video content has changed dramatically in the past four decades.





http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/23/u-s-senator-from-ohio-calls-for-end-to-failed-blackout-policy/

[cwing]

[quote name='scharm' timestamp='1324517703' post='1077838']
I don't know why so many people struggle to understand this. When they sucked year after year in the 90s it was often predicted that years of fans were lost. This is just the result. Bengals are not going to draw without the sizzle of something new, people have grown accustomed to them not being a factor. The passion for attending is gone.

You simply can't take a small market to begin with and then carve out a significant number of NFL fans due to perception of the team and expect them all to show up at these prices in this economy just for being 2 games over .500.

Reality is the fan base was this small prior to PBS. They built it up. Then let it burn down. Then hired Marvin, built it up and then let it burn down. They've been in PBS 11 seasons and twice have turned over a significant part of the ticket buying fan base.

You need a sizzle like 2005 to build it up again and they just don't have it.
[/quote]

Sadly 2005 is the season that is causing all these issues. It showed people how things can be, how things should be at least 3 of 5 seasons. The 2005 team was a team nearly everyone on the planet expected to compete for a SB and nearly evryone saw the begining of a 3-7 year or so period in which winning football was expected.

In the NFL, if you are NOT getting better, you ARE getting worse and the 2005 and the 2005 eroded right before our eyes. In my view, the front office did not actively/agressively take the necessary steps to manage that team.