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For the fourth time this season, the Cincinnati Bengals received an extension to sell out tickets for an upcoming game?this week, against the Detroit Lions. As of Thursday morning, there were still 5,000 tickets remaining for fans to watch their beloved Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium.

We all are familiar with the story; the Bengals are on the verge of a blackout, they receive an extension, and the franchise miraculously finds a way to sell out tickets right before the game starts on Sunday to allow fans not in attendance to watch the game from home.

Over the last few months, numerous accusations posted in articles and on message boards on numerous sites have questioned the loyalty of Bengals fans for not being able to sell out their games at Paul Brown Stadium. Fans of opposing teams have questioned Cincinnati’s fans’ loyalty to the Bengals and asked why they would want to pass up on a chance to watch their team win.

As football fans, it’s time to put an end to all the negativity and realize that a major reason behind the Bengals’ recent struggle with selling out home games is the current state of the economy.

It’s not to force Mike Brown to step down. It’s not because fans don’t truly appreciate their beloved Bengals.

It’s because the city of Cincinnati is dealing with tough economic times?just like cities across the United States.*

The unemployment rate in the state of Ohio jumped back to 10 percent in the month of October. Counties across the Cincinnati area continue to struggle with their residents struggling to find jobs.

• Butler County?9.5 percent
• Hamilton County?11.1 percent
• Clermont County?9.7 percent
• Warren County?8.7 percent

Overall, the unemployment rate in the city of Cincinnati was 9.8 percent in the month of October. Both the city of Cincinnati, and each of the counties listed above saw an increase in the unemployment rate when compared to September.

Cincinnati is not the only city in the United States dealing with this type of situation. There are plenty of franchises in the sports industry that are suffering just as much as the Bengals.

Tickets to a sporting event are not the cheapest item in the world. While there are sports fans who choose to spend hundreds of dollars?even thousands?to watch their beloved sports teams live, fan bases should not be judged about their loyalties toward their teams with the current state of the economy.

According to Ticketmaster.com, the cheapest pair of tickets for Sunday’s game against the Lions would cost $145.62. After paying for parking and food, a day at Paul Brown Stadium may end up costing around $200 for two people.

While $200 may not seem like a big deal to some, there are fans in Cincinnati?as well as across the United States?who can’t afford to spend that type of money at a sporting event in these tough economic times.

Bengals fans are just as passionate about their team as the rest of the fans in the NFL. Despite cheering for different teams, fans around the league can share the recent struggles of the economy with one another.

It’s time to end all of the bashing of one another about which fans are loyal to their teams and which aren’t. If the fans of Cincinnati are being questioned for their loyalty, how have the Bengals been able to sell out their last 50 games at home between the regular season and postseason?

Sure, the Bengals may have received extra help to sell out games (thanks to Chad Ochocinco for his help with the Houston Texans game), but that doesn’t mean fans don’t love their team.

In this economy, some fans would rather save their money and watch the Bengals from home?which still shows loyalty to their beloved team.

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