Cheap tickets from a cheap franchise

Since taking over from his father, Mike Brown has skimped on front-office hires, drafted badly and dabbled frequently in washed-up free agents whose antics with previous teams made them not just available, but cheap. Instead of taking responsibility for the mess, Brown seems almost amused by it. So many of his players ripped him over the years that he tried -- unsuccessfully -- to put loyalty oaths in their contracts. When fans made their discontent known by hanging a banner just above his box in old Riverfront Stadium more than a decade ago -- "If it's Brown, flush it down," the sign read -- the owner let it be known that he, too, thought it was funny.

No one on either side of the divide is laughing at the moment, though. Despite the Bengals' surprising 9-6 record this season, fans bearing grudges are staying away. That means less business for downtown merchants and lower tax revenues for a county struggling to cover the cost of basic services -- let alone pay off the mortgage for a stadium that has been a boon for the Brown family.

This latest revolt, at least, caught his attention. No sooner had Saturday's game ended than an offer to season-ticket holders began flashing on the scoreboard -- buy one ticket for the Baltimore game and get a second free. Next came the unbidden -- we assume -- locker room sales pitches from players and coach Marvin Lewis. By Monday morning, fans who turned up to buy what the team said were a "couple thousand" tickets for the Baltimore game munched on hot dogs, cotton candy, hot chocolate and water free of charge (though considering Brown's tight-fisted ways, chances are good it was leftover food from last weekend's games).

The ruse likely will work, so look for a sellout. As precedents go, however, the league can't be too pleased with lowered ticket prices. While TV revenues skyrocket, attendance already has been dented by everything from the bad economy and high prices -- average cost for a family of four last year: $426.84 -- to fantasy-football followers who can watch multiple games on their HD sets at home without paying $7 for a beer. Plus, it gets cold in plenty of NFL towns by the time December rolls around.

Of course, there's another business model out there that proves a small-market team in an even-colder climate can fill up its stadium every Sunday. That would be the Green Bay Packers, who have come up with a solution that Brown likely never seriously considered.

It's called winning.

Source : boston.com

Posted in: Sports Franchises