I submitted a letter to the editor in November about how, in a moment of clarity and after years of frustration, I canceled my Bengals season tickets.
I meant every word. I wasn't venting. I wasn't bluffing.
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No more subsidizing a Bengals front office that has spent years asking fans to be patient while underperforming. I had no evidence that anything would change. I was a frustrated fan who made a rational financial decision based on years of observable behavior. The Brown family had earned my skepticism.
They've spent the past several months dismantling it.
This Bengals offseason has been different. Not "we're trying" different. Meaningfully different.
They've addressed the defense at every level. Made aggressive moves in free agency. And the capper: A blockbuster trade for defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence that would have been unthinkable for the Bengals even a few days ago. It was the kind of move that makes you do a double-take when you see the alert on your phone.
Season ticket holders voting with their wallets has consequences. Players and fans demanding a win-now commitment grew loud and bold, and this front office responded.
I was one voice in that chorus. I'm proud of it. I'm not sure what more the front office could have done to reassure the fan base that they feel the same urgency that we do.
When I wrote that letter, I said the Brown family had mastered asking for more while delivering less. Right now, they're delivering. They deserve to hear that from the same people who called them out.
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Even if I wanted my seats back today, I'd be on a waitlist. That's a consequence of my stand. I'm good with that.
But for the first time in a long time, I'm genuinely excited about this team's direction. Not just hopeful. Excited based on the evidence.
That's a feeling I didn't expect to have this soon.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: The Cincinnati Bengals finally gave me a reason to believe | Letter