I Hate Myself For Loving The Bengals

There has to be a reason, right?  There must be a reason that I wear the same old Bengals shirt with the iconic (in my eyes) Bengals print helmet.  There absolutely has to be a reason that I awake every Sunday, hoping beyond all hope (and believing) that the Cincinnati Bengals have a legitimate shot at winning their weekly clash on the gridiron.  Seriously, there has to be a reason that I approach every football season with the hope that the Bengals will somehow hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy on Super Bowl Sunday.  Some will say that the reason is that I am a glutton for punishment; others will say it is because I am a flat out idiot.  Laugh if you want, but I am a proud follower of the Cincinnati Bengals (they say that the first step in recovery is admitting that you have a problem, right?). 

Why the Bengals?  First and foremost, they are my hometown team.  I have had the fortune to live in Cincinnati for all 36 of my years – and I followed the Bengals as soon as I knew what a pigskin was.  That is the simple answer, but why have others in this area allowed their allegiance to slip to the San Francisco 49ers, the Dallas Cowboys, the Pittsburgh Steelers?  Why have others jumped on this bandwagon and that bandwagon, all the while mocking the Bengals?  Because it is easy.

Let’s play word association, okay?  What is the first thing you think of when I say Cincinnati Bengals?  Some will say futility (and they have a right), others will say criminals (again, I won’t argue with that – but I will point out that other teams have legal troubles as well), others will say ugly uniforms (that’s for you Paul Lukas), and still others will say who? 

I’ll tell you the first two words that pop to mind, Paul Brown.  Let me add two more words to that, Ken Anderson.  You want more words?  Boomer Esiason, Anthony Munoz, Forrest Gregg, Sam Wyche, Ken Riley, Isaac Curtis, Jim Breech, Reggie Williams, Tim Krumrie, Corey Dillon, and James Brooks.  How about some more?  Two Super Bowl appearances (I will forever hate Joe Montana and Jerry Rice), division titles, the Jungle (the first place to play Welcome to the Jungle as a theme), the Freezer Bowl, Who Dey (and Who Dey Beer), Greg Cook, David Fulcher and the S.W.A.T. Team, and Bill ‘Tiger’ Johnson.  These are the reasons that true Bengal fans live through the Dave Shula era, the Bruce Coslet era, and the Dick LeBeau era (great coordinator, horrible head coach).  These players and the traditions are the reason we endure the Mike Browns, the Ki-Jana Carters, the David Klinglers, and the Akili Smiths. 

We hope beyond hope (and rational thinking) that the Bengals will be able to step in and challenge the Steelers and the Ravens for the AFC North title.  There is reason to believe, there is reason to hope, there is reason to think that this is the year.  There is reason to don the orange and black every Sunday and root to the last second.  There is reason to lead my children blindly down the road of Bengals’ fandom.  I will stand up and say proudly that I am a Bengals’ fan – laugh if you want, and I am sure many of you are.  I am sure that there are better days ahead. 

Yes, I may dwell on the past glories of the Bengals – but isn’t that what every fan does?  The Seattle Seahawks have die-hard fans, the Atlanta Falcons have die-hard fans, the Arizona Cardinals have die-hard fans, and you can surely believe that the Cleveland Browns have die-hard fans.  How many Super Bowl titles do those teams have?  It is always easy to root for the winner, it takes a true fan to stick with a team through the lean years.  I love the Bengals.