Being a Fan

If you read my About Me post, you know that I’m a guy living in Indiana, surrounded by a million (or at least it seems that way) Colts fans. I can tell you first hand, it’s NOT easy sticking to your guns when you’re always engulfed in an ocean of blue and white, especially when you cheer for a team like the Bengals, who haven’t won a playoff game in 24 years (the longest stretch of time of any team in the league). “Dalton can’t come in clutch, that defense is overrated, nobody cares about your stupid Bengals,” I hear it all the time, and unless you live in Cincinnati, I’m guessing that you guys do too. Because of all the hate towards our black and orange, I’ve decided to come up with a few ways to help you stay strong for the Who Dey Nation.

1. Know your facts… I found out really quickly that the more you know about the NFL as a whole (not just knowing about the Bengals), the better off you’ll be. When someone is downgrading Cincinnati, or talking about how unclutch (I think I just made that word up) they are, throw some numbers in their face. Tell them that the Bengals are 3-0, and that the teams that lost to them have a perfect record otherwise. Tell them that last year, Andy Dalton held a top five position in every quarterback stats category except for one. Tell them that this year, Cincinnati’s defense is the best in scoring defense, only allowing eleven points per game, and that the Bengals have a scoring differential of +47, the highest in the league. Or, if you want to, give them some statistics about their team, and in what ways Cincinnati is better than them. Hopefully, they’ll shut up while they’re chewing on the facts.
2. Visit Paul Brown Stadium on a Sunday… Okay, I get that you probably don’t have the money to travel to Cincinnati every weekend for all the games, but try to make it to at least one per year, and you’ll see why it’s so important. The atmosphere there is unimaginable and unexplainable, and you remember why you’re a Bengals fan. You’re surrounded by like-minded people, yelling and screaming and shouting for the same team as you. Being at PBS is the only time that I've been around more than two other people who love the Bengals like I do, and it’s really an exhilarating experience, trust me.
3. Wait for it… Yeah, this is a tough one, but Cincinnati fans have been dealing with the drought of success for years now, and the wait is about to be over. If you can hang in there for just a bit longer, you and the rest of the world will see them shine. Their time is coming, if not here already, and we know it, we just have to be patient and then the rest of the world will too. Then we can rub it in their face and be the happiest we’ve ever been for a full year, simple as that.

So yeah, probably not THE most expert advice, but hey, it’s worked for me so far. If you can follow even just two of the steps, you should be set for an easy(er) life as a Bengals fan. Wishin ya the best of luck..! Who Dey?!?!?!