According to a source close to the Bengals organization, the team was able to work a deal to sell out the game against the Detroit Lions.
The source, who wasn’t talking to me, basically said, “It will sell out. We already have deal in place, but we just want to sucker more people into buying tickets.”
Nice.
I know those comments were not meant for our ears and a part of me, as someone who cannot afford to go to this week’s game, doesn’t want to report it just in case the “suckering of fans” was part of this deal. However, not reporting this would irresponsible on my part.
So, this is what is going to happen. The Bengals will reach the 1 p.m. deadline and you will hear nothing. Eventually 3 or 4 o’clock rolls around and miraculously the Bengals and Fox 19 and whoever else make a deal that will allow you can watch the game at home.
By no means is this a reason to stay home. Again, if I could fit a pair tickets in my budget and be able to fit it in my schedule this week I would. The Bengals are 8-3 and playing for a bye and at least one home game in the playoffs. The weather is also supposed to be nice, sunny, 40 degrees and a slight breeze.
That all being said, the Bengals need to change the way they do business. First, the team should lower the prices for its upper level tickets. In section 300, which I admit are not awful seats, tickets run from $64 to $72. In sections 100 and 200, tickets go for $64 to $82. Why in the world would you price the nose bleeds the same as or very near the price as someone sitting in the front row?
Let’s make a quick comparison, let’s say you are in New York City this Sunday and want to take in the New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets game at Madison Square Garden. I don’t know why you would, those teams are just awful. I also know it is a different sport, but the difference in ticket pricing is staggering. The price of the worst seat you can buy (which is still available for Sunday’s Bengals’ game at Paul Brown Stadium for at least $64) is $10 at the Garden. However, the price of the most expensive ticket at MSG is $3,004.50 while the most pricey ticket at PBS is $82 (not counting the club fee).
Maybe the team should increase its entire lower level tickets by $5 and decrease its top 10 rows to $30. I know that might anger many of you season ticket holders, but why would someone have the urge to buy a ticket for the same price as you to have the worst seat in the stadium? Especially, why would they do that to see the lowly Lions?
Lowering the ticket price for the worst seats at PBS would help the Bengals with this sellout problem.
Anyways, if you can swing it, you can buy tickets on the Bengals Ticket Hotline at 866-621-TDTD. The hotline will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. today (Friday) and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. You can also buy them online at any time at this link.
According to the team, the Bengals have between 3 to 4,000 tickets available.
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