Casey won a lottery to buy tickets to the possibility of a playoff wild card, which came to pass under unfortunate circumstances: The cancellation of the recent game when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest on the field—a sobering and heart-wrenching moment. Luckily he is recovering.
Tonight would be the last home game for the season with the Bengals, an a chilly one at that.
We layered up and stayed ‘til the end as the game was a nail-biter. The Bengals managed to win (photo above is Ja’Marr Chase on their first touchdown). The highlight was a 98 yard return from a fumble by Sam Hubbard.
The lowest moments included egress from stadium and 84.51° parking garage.
Seas of fans leaving from the exits of Paycor stadium converge at a particular point. Crowds were deadlocked. It took over 30 minutes of standing still and then taking very small steps in what was a few drunks away from a crushing mass. It was terrifying. I fear the design of this area will cause injury. (I will also wait out any mass exodus from events in the future.)
The parking garage was another issue as most of the pay stations were not operating and the exits were being choked by payment systems that wouldn’t read cards. That process took an hour.
Luckily the streets were clear by then.