In honor of 25th anniversary of Back to the Future (Great Scott!), we travel back to 2009 where the Bengals are unable to sellout a Sunday afternoon when not facing the Browns, the Steelers or this year's flavor of the best NFL teams. That year, we'd post about how the Bengals could risk a blackout by not selling out. Then we'd post on how the team was granted an extension. Then we'd post on how the blackout was lifted, and we could rejoice.
This weekend seemed like another risk in which the Bengals wouldn't sell out. But the team was granted an extension as a mere formality, having less than 2,000 tickets to sell for it to be deemed a sellout.
On Friday, that blackout was lifted and the Bengals home game against the Miami Dolphins will be shown locally. The remaining tickets were bought by local companies and will be distributed like they have been in the past.
Local 12 and Cintas led the way in helping ensure the blackout would be lifted, and the Bengals purchased tickets for distribution to local military families. Additionally, Time Warner Cable and AAA Allied Group played key roles in assisting with efforts to allow the game to be aired live.