With Joe Burrow once again sidelined, the Cincinnati Bengals are sitting at 3-5, staring at a third straight playoff miss on the horizon. The frustration around Paycor Stadium is palpable. And now, even loyal fans, especially those who’ve spent thousands every season to support the franchise, are starting to feel alienated.
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The Bengals have steadily raised their season ticket prices despite declining performances. And it has been a steep hike. Since 2022, there has been a whopping 200% increase in ticket prices.
For many, the new pricing of $4,600 for nine games ($511 per game) to $6,000 for eight games ($750 per game) next season appears to be the final straw. And it gets worse.
When one long-time season ticket holder revealed on Reddit that he decided to cancel his plan for next year, few expected his experience to be as bad as it turned out to be. Posting under the handle, u/ralry11, the fan described how a routine cancellation call turned into something “super guilt-trippy and argumentative.”
He began his post by stating, “I called today to cancel my Bengals season tickets for next year, and the whole conversation felt super guilt-trippy and argumentative.”
According to his post, the representative pressed him repeatedly about his decision. He was asked questions like whether he only wanted to be a fan “when we go to the playoffs” or if he was just being “emotional for losing to the Jets.”
When asked why he was unhappy, the fan cited his frustration with the Bengals’ front office, specifically the lack of a real scouting department, poor drafts, and the steep annual price hikes since he joined.
But instead of acknowledging the feedback, the team allegedly got defensive. “They said things like, This is the front office that drafted Joe Burrow and Tee Higgins,” the fan recalled. The conversation reportedly ended with a pointed remark from the staffer: “Do you want cheap tickets or do you want to pay Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins?”
This tone from a Bengals staffer to one of them didn’t sit well with other fans, who immediately rallied behind the Redditor.
“Really sort of a ‘broken clock is right twice a day’ situation,” sympathized a fan. “That feels very unprofessional, more reason to not like the Bengals organization,” added another.
The rest, meanwhile, resorted to sarcasm. “At least someone’s playing fu*king defense,” joked one. “Sounds like they are getting a lot of these calls,” said another.
It’s also worth noting that the financial logic offered by the Bengals’ rep doesn’t hold up. Every NFL team receives an equal share of league-wide revenue, a record $432.6 million for Cincinnati last season alone. In other words, ticket sales don’t directly fund player contracts.
All said and done, this episode highlights both the disconnect between fans and ownership, while it underscores how far the Bengals have drifted from the humble, blue-collar spirit their city once saw in them. The fan’s phone call makes it clear that the issue isn’t just losing games anymore, it’s losing goodwill.
