What would a win next Sunday mean to you? Give some context for your answer if you need to. Can you attach a dollar amount to how important it would be for you? What about relative to other favorite sports' teams? Would it mean more than a Reds' World Series title or a UC national title? I don't know your other favorite sports' teams but would a Bengals' world championship trump all others? As a sports fan, I'm just interested in how important a Bengals' Superbowl win would be for you.

For me, I have three favorite sports teams. The Reds, Bengals, AND UK(basketball & football). I would say that baseball has always been my first love. I have been a Reds' fan since I could barely write. Hell, one of the first letters I ever wrote was to Al Michaels and Joe Nuxhall, who manned the Reds' radio booth at the time. I know more about the lives of past Reds' players than I do about my own extended family members.

And you know how loyal UK fans are, especially to their basketball team. But, for me, I don't have to hesitate for a second. A Bengals' Superbowl title would trump both the Reds and UK. There is nothing I want more, at any level of sport, than for the Bengals to take home the Lombardi Trophy. That would triumph over anything else I could dream up.

What about you? Can you put into words what a win next Sunday evening would mean to you?

I actually remember the 1990 Reds championship a bit, and the Bengals are far and away my favorite team in any sport. I'd take a Bengals Super Bowl over a Reds WS title, AND a UK basketball championship, and those are my 2 favorite "other" teams.

I love the NBA almost as much as the NFL, but I've never really had a favorite team, as the NBA obviously isn't in Cincy.

Having a Lombardi and bragging rights over a lot of teams will be cool, but - I know this will sound corny - it's more about the journey and the memories. My daughter trying to keep me positive and waving my Bengals 2009 division pennant will be something I'll always remember.

The tears after the Raiders game...when it felt like we were about to bungle it again. The feeling of watching McPherson hit game winner after game winner. My Mom calling me when we were down 21-3 to the Chiefs and her telling me she was going to take a nap since we were getting blown out.

Me calling her back after the game with a "Who-Dey" and her freaking out that we won. Those moments are gold.

The Bengals winning the Super Bowl would be a nice thing for our city. I personally try not to get too tightly coupled to the Reds and Bengals because they often disappoint. Yes I would love winning the championship. However, it really is just entertainment for me and not something required to live.

I'm old enough to remember the Wire to Wire 1990 Reds championship season. I got to see the Celtics win the championship in '08. I got to see the Boston Bruins get the Stanley Cup in '11. I got to see The Ohio State Buckeyes win the Natty twice in '02 and '14.

All of those titles were special in their own way, but when the Cincinnati Bengals win the Lombardi that will dwarf the excitement of those titles. The franchise has never won a title. The franchise has been not run well and does lots of things that limits what it can do compared to other franchises. It feels like the Bengals are trying to run an organization with one hand tied behind their backs.

I stepped away from the Bengals at the end of the Dalton/Lewis era because this franchise had to change radically to get to a better place. I just wanted the team to suck just to get in position to draft a real franchise QB. And we got one and I believe he will be an "all-timer" when it's all done. Why? Because I believe in Joe Burrow, the entire roster believes in Joe Burrow, and Joe Burrow believes in Joe Burrow. That's the difference with the Bengals. Burrow is just doing his job. He doesn't care about the failed history. He IS the Bengals history. His power is that he doesn't flinch. No one wins a freaking playoff game after being sack 9 times, but Joe Burrow wins those gritty games.

When the Bengals get the Lombardi, that will be the day that I can say, "I've seen it all! I can leave this planet having experienced the sweetest highest of highs."

How many of you guys would give up intimate relations for one year(total abstinence) for a Bengals' Superbowl title?

How about two years?

(02-06-2022, 07:01 AM)TexasorBusted Wrote: I'm old enough to remember the Wire to Wire 1990 Reds championship season. I got to see the Celtics win the championship in '08. I got to see the Boston Bruins get the Stanley Cup in '11. I got to see The Ohio State Buckeyes win the Natty twice in '02 and '14.

All of those titles were special in their own way, but when the Cincinnati Bengals win the Lombardi that will dwarf the excitement of those titles. The franchise has never won a title. The franchise has been not run well and does lots of things that limits what it can do compared to other franchises. It feels like the Bengals are trying to run an organization with one hand tied behind their backs.

I stepped away from the Bengals at the end of the Dalton/Lewis era because this franchise had to change radically to get to a better place. I just wanted the team to suck just to get in position to draft a real franchise QB. And we got one and I believe he will be an "all-timer" when it's all done. Why? Because I believe in Joe Burrow, the entire roster believes in Joe Burrow, and Joe Burrow believes in Joe Burrow. That's the difference with the Bengals. Burrow is just doing his job. He doesn't care about the failed history. He IS the Bengals history. His power is that he doesn't flinch. No one wins a freaking playoff game after being sack 9 times, but Joe Burrow wins those gritty games.

When the Bengals get the Lombardi, that will be the day that I can say, "I've seen it all! I can leave this planet having experienced the sweetest highest of highs."

Pretty much the way I see it. A Bengals' win would be the pinnacle in sports for me.

It means from that day on, I can walk a little taller, a little prouder, maybe even a little more smug. At work, when the Bengals were going to the Super Bowl, a lot of my coworkers first thought of me when this happened. Why? I was already a dedicated Bengals fan for 8 years and flew my colors when I first started working for the company back in 1989 and still employed by them today. I'm surrounded mostly by Giants fans, a Steeler fan, a few Jets fans, a Dolphin fan, and even a Lions fan.

I have a bucket of Popeyes riding on this game.

(02-06-2022, 07:14 AM)Interceptor Wrote: It means from that day on, I can walk a little taller, a little prouder, maybe even a little more smug. At work, when the Bengals were going to the Super Bowl, a lot of my coworkers first thought of me when this happened. Why? I was already a dedicated Bengals fan for 8 years and flew my colors when I first started working for the company back in 1989 and still employed by them today. I'm surrounded mostly by Giants fans, a Steeler fan, a few Jets fans, a Dolphin fan, and even a Lions fan.

I have a bucket of Popeyes riding on this game.

Love it.  

Got to be a bucket of KFC for me, though, considering I live where it all began. lol

I don’t think I am truly going to know the answer to this question until next Sunday night. I have always wanted it at a very high priority, but also never quit thought it was realistic. I won’t have clarity until the work is finished.

It would all be worth it. All the years of ups and downs, cheering, supporting, going to games, buying merchandise, all the jokes I heard, all the comments I took, all the put downs, the weird looks, all of that. It would be a payoff for over 40 years of sticking by this team no matter what. Never denying them, always being proud to say why my favorite team was regardless of their record, all the times I defended them, or got in arguments with other teams fans. I was too young to remember the first Super Bowl, but I remember the second one vividly. What a gut punch it was to lose that game.

My father left when I was 6 months old. My grandfather stepped up and played a prominent role in my life. He and I had a special relationship. He was much more of a father to me than a grandfather. We bonded over Bengals and football. He was born and raised in Louisiana. A fan of LSU. He passed away in 2017 from cancer. I miss him every day. I often think about how happy he would be seeing the team back in the Super Bowl. That a couple of LSU boys were a big reason for the team being there. How much fun we would have talking about this team and seeing how special they are. I don't know if that really answers the question or really puts it in context, but it really is more than just a game. Winning the Super Bowl would mean a lot and I don't know that I can truly express how much a lot is.

On a different note, after always dreaming of having the opportunity, I bought 2022 season tickets. I've always wanted to have season tickets to the Bengals, but life always got in the way. My family couldn't afford it, then I went off to college and got a job that moved me around the country a lot. I just finally moved back to the area in 2020. I had a stroke in 2020 and don't work or move around so well anymore. That dream of being a season ticket holder never died though. With all the excitement of this season, my wife told me that if I wanted to do it to pull the trigger and make it happen. Due to health concerns, you never know if tomorrow is coming so I called them up on Friday and got season tickets finally.

So if you've stuck with me this long and read this manifesto, thank you. I rambled a bit and I do apologize for that. This season has been an amazing ride and I cannot truly express the joy it has brought me. My 2 young daughters are huge fans. My youngest has autism so she was saying Joe Burr before the Joe Brrrr thing became popular lol. I miss having my grandfather here for this, but I have my wife and kids to share this with. I can't wait to attend my first game in 2022 in MY seats. I can't wait to go to the parade when we bring that Lombardi to Cincinnati. Who Dey!

(02-06-2022, 07:04 AM)Science Friction Wrote: How many of you guys would give up intimate relations for one year(total abstinence) for a Bengals' Superbowl title?

How about two years?

Joke's on you, I just had kid no. 2. No intimacy for two years is a given.



But seriously? No way. It's a game. This season, win or lose, has produced some great memories and games. I'll be bummed if they lose, ecstatic if they win, as always. The high will certainly last a while though.

Teams I root for rarely win championships. Pro, college, minor league, you name it - few ever succeed. I have sat in so many stadiums and arenas over the years, rooting for this team or that to accomplish the impossible, always to be disappointed. The Dodgers won two WS back in the '80s, but I was one of the few people outside of CA to care, so it didn't really resonate. And we had a minor league hockey team in Dayton that won a championship eight or nine years ago, but they did it on the road and there was no parade, and then they folded a year later.

The main teams I support these days are the Bengals, Blue Jackets and Bruins. The Bruins might put together seven or eight wins and go lose the Cactus Bowl, if they're lucky. Besides, they're on the other side of the continent. And the Jackets are about as close to a Stanley Cup as you and I are to Saturn. So, it's up to the Bengals. I still remember the disappointment of SB XVI, that 20-0 halftime score that was a nightmare after such a great run, and the heart-breaking final minutes of SB XXIII. Those losses never leave you. I, and I imagine many others here, still carry them to this day.

So, a win would mean a chance to celebrate as I've enviously watched so many other fanbases do. A parade, and a gathering at Fountain Square, where we can celebrate as one.

Even in a town very close to Cincinnati, I could count on one hand the number of friends I have that are true, die-hard Bengal fans. There are Steelers fans, predominantly, then Dallas fans, Green Bay fans, a stray Ravens fan, and even a few Browns and Bears fans. I called a total of 3 people after the win Sunday, because they were the 3 that I knew were true fans throughout the entire time I've known them regardless of how the Bengals were faring.

Every. Single. One. was in tears.

We've been the little brother team for a long time when it comes to how the big bandwagon fanbases view us. I got literally laughed at at work when I stood up for the Chase pick in April and told them that there was no way we could pass on a player of his caliber with that pick. The sheer arrogance of these people (fans of major teams) when it comes to how they view the smaller fanbases is laughable. I took a tour of the Cowboys corporate HQ in 2019. When the tour guide asked our group what team each person rooted for and it came down to me, the last person asked, and I said the Bengals, the entire group ether laughed out loud or made some smug face at me.

That fact alone makes it absolutely delicious to see them sulking and hanging their heads for the last few weeks. I've never known this feeling in my life. I want to know what it feels like to see them with their tails between their legs for an entire offseason.

For me, it would mean a great deal. I can't quantify it because I never thought it would happen.

Despite the failures of the past, I've had some of the most fun days of my life going to games and watching this team. There aren't many things I'd rather do. I can't wait to see what the city and the games are like with an excited fanbase and the removal of tired perceptions. I can't wait to see how loud it is and how the people in town react to the return of football with the enthusiasm of a city that actually believes in the team, because they've seen it succeed at the highest level.

In short, I have no idea. I've played out the scenario in my head so many times, similar to thinking about what I'd do if I won some obscene Powerball jackpot. It seems that unreal. Yet here it is. I want to find out.

(02-06-2022, 11:10 AM)muskiesfan Wrote: It would all be worth it. All the years of ups and downs, cheering, supporting, going to games, buying merchandise, all the jokes I heard, all the comments I took, all the put downs, the weird looks, all of that. It would be a payoff for over 40 years of sticking by this team no matter what. Never denying them, always being proud to say why my favorite team was regardless of their record, all the times I defended them, or got in arguments with other teams fans. I was too young to remember the first Super Bowl, but I remember the second one vividly. What a gut punch it was to lose that game.

My father left when I was 6 months old. My grandfather stepped up and played a prominent role in my life. He and I had a special relationship. He was much more of a father to me than a grandfather. We bonded over Bengals and football. He was born and raised in Louisiana. A fan of LSU. He passed away in 2017 from cancer. I miss him every day. I often think about how happy he would be seeing the team back in the Super Bowl. That a couple of LSU boys were a big reason for the team being there. How much fun we would have talking about this team and seeing how special they are. I don't know if that really answers the question or really puts it in context, but it really is more than just a game. Winning the Super Bowl would mean a lot and I don't know that I can truly express how much a lot is.

On a different note, after always dreaming of having the opportunity, I bought 2022 season tickets. I've always wanted to have season tickets to the Bengals, but life always got in the way. My family couldn't afford it, then I went off to college and got a job that moved me around the country a lot. I just finally moved back to the area in 2020. I had a stroke in 2020 and don't work or move around so well anymore. That dream of being a season ticket holder never died though. With all the excitement of this season, my wife told me that if I wanted to do it to pull the trigger and make it happen. Due to health concerns, you never know if tomorrow is coming so I called them up on Friday and got season tickets finally.

So if you've stuck with me this long and read this manifesto, thank you. I rambled a bit and I do apologize for that. This season has been an amazing ride and I cannot truly express the joy it has brought me. My 2 young daughters are huge fans. My youngest has autism so she was saying Joe Burr before the Joe Brrrr thing became popular lol. I miss having my grandfather here for this, but I have my wife and kids to share this with. I can't wait to attend my first game in 2022 in MY seats. I can't wait to go to the parade when we bring that Lombardi to Cincinnati. Who Dey!

WOW!   Great post!!!!   Loved reading that. Thanks for being a loyal fan over the years. I can feel your passion and enthusiasm in your words.

(02-06-2022, 11:29 AM)samhain Wrote: Even in a town very close to Cincinnati, I could count on one hand the number of friends I have that are true, die-hard Bengal fans.  There are Steelers fans, predominantly, then Dallas fans, Green Bay fans, a stray Ravens fan, and even a few Browns and Bears fans.  I called a total of 3 people after the win Sunday, because they were the 3 that I knew were true fans throughout the entire time I've known them regardless of how the Bengals were faring.  

Every. Single. One. was in tears.  

We've been the little brother team for a long time when it comes to how the big bandwagon fanbases view us.  I got literally laughed at at work when I stood up for the Chase pick in April and told them that there was no way we could pass on a player of his caliber with that pick.  The sheer arrogance of these people (fans of major teams) when it comes to how they view the smaller fanbases is laughable.  I took a tour of the Cowboys corporate HQ in 2019.  When the tour guide asked our group what team each person rooted for and it came down to me, the last person asked, and I said the Bengals, the entire group ether laughed out loud or made some smug face at me.

That fact alone makes it absolutely delicious to see them sulking and hanging their heads for the last few weeks.  I've never known this feeling in my life.  I want to know what it feels like to see them with their tails between their legs for an entire offseason.  

For me, it would mean a great deal.  I can't quantify it because I never thought it would happen.  

Despite the failures of the past, I've had some of the most fun days of my life going to games and watching this team.  There aren't many things I'd rather do.  I can't wait to see what the city and the games are like with an excited fanbase and the removal of tired perceptions.  I can't wait to see how loud it is and how the people in town react to the return of football with the enthusiasm of a city that actually believes in the team, because they've seen it succeed at the highest level.  

In short, I have no idea.  I've played out the scenario in my head so many times, similar to thinking about what I'd do if I won some obscene Powerball jackpot.  It seems that unreal.  Yet here it is.  I want to find out.

Terrific post.  

I'll wait till Burrow wins his 10th consecutive superbowl to answer ...I'd move there and be rubbing a LOT of Pussburgh noses in it.. 

To me a Bengals’ win in the Super Bowl would represent a return to the Cincinnati I knew growing up as a kid. To me the Queen City is the greatest sports town on the face of the earth.

I grew up with the Big Red Machine and the Bengals consistently going to the playoffs and going to two Super Bowls. I grew up with Bob Trumpy on SportsTalk, Gary Burbank on WLW, and WKRP in Cincinnati on television. When I was a boy the name Cincinnati was associated with winners. The 1970s through 1991 were great sports years in Cincinnati.

Then Paul Brown died and the Bengals’ winning ways died with him. The Reds rebuilt, rebuilt, and rebuilt again. The Bengals and Reds made the playoffs a few times but didn’t advance. Cincinnati became everyone’s favorite scapegoat, punching bag, and victim.

When the Bengals win the Super Bowl next week it will be a “back to the future” moment for me.

It'll be great. But I'm not sure it will exceed the euphoria i felt after we beat the raiders.

I couldn't really put it in words if I tried right now.. perhaps if we really do win it.

I've been going to losing season after losing season with my Dad for 20+ years now... I was born in 91 so never got to experience a season like this one.

I think a Superbowl win would make it the most special in the history of Cincinnati sports as well as the NFL.

Given history and total lack of respect for Bengals history even during the playoffs, Bengals winning next week would be the closest thing in my life to the Miracle on Ice in 1980 but way more personal for me at 67 years old and 45 years removed from going to watch the Bengals with my Dad. I wish he was here to experience this.