The Bengals are miles ahead of any other sports franchise for me. As a kid, I was a big Reds fan as well, but that has really waned since 1990. Football is just so much fun to watch. What happened last year has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. I was around for the other two Super Bowl games, and just like then, the entire area was so electric in their support for the Bengals. Seeing the stadium sold out to season ticket holders is incredible.

I have prayed many a time that they win one Super Bowl while my dad (90 years old) is here to enjoy it with.

The Bengals are my escape. This message board, the draft, the game day rituals. So, to summarize, they are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to me. No, I don't beat people up when they lose or anything and it doesn't ruin my day or week, but when they are winning, it is sure a hell of a lot of fun.

It's a pretty insignificant part of my life. I enjoy Bengals football as entertainment. I like watching the games, follow them in the news and hang out here off and on for Bengals related talk. But it doesn't take up a lot of my time outside of game days and doesn't occupy my mind very often. If they win I'm pleased and if they lose I don't get upset or dwell on it. Usually not long after each game I've moved on to something else.

In terms of watching, l'd watch them as much if they were 2-14 or if they were 14-2. I enjoy watching period. Sports is competition and sports are live as you watch. So I enjoy that better than a movie per se. Since I grew up in the 70's, I was very lucky, and spoiled, following the Reds. Those guys were my heroes. I suppose if I grew up later, it would be different. The Bengals do have that potential to be special now though.

(12-18-2022, 11:05 AM)grampahol Wrote: I'm enjoying this team more than years past with maybe the exception of the Icky Woods era..I sold him a cable TV package years ago back when one could still earn a living with door to door sales..
Anyway..Pardon me sir. I represent the Acme cable TV company of WallaWalla Washington. Can I interest you in some crap TV for the low, low price of too damned much? 

Look, Mack, the lady of the house aint home. Besides, we mailed you people a check last week.  

Really good stuff. I'm really enjoying reading this. Let me ask you this. What's up with some of those Gameday thread folks? I've only been a participant on this board for a year or so and many of you have been here a lot longer and know more about the board than I do. There are some great fans on this forum(Jungle Noise) who, like me, are very invested in the team. But that Gameday forum is a different tiger , altogether. There are some folks who are there every week who hardly ever post here. They are clearly hyper-invested in the team emotionally. Some of those folks remind me of the 17% or so of UK basketball fans who go a little overboard when it comes to their Cats. Let's just say they have a ...well , ... interesting perspective(lol). 

I also concur with other who have said that they deal with losses better than they used to. Not saying that the losses don't still bother me because they do. But I can let them go and move on to the next week better than I could when I waas in my twenties. I guess it's a maturity and a perspective thing. I'm thankful now if I just wake up in the morning. At 25, if the Bengals didn't win, my whole week was effed up. I like being invested in my sport team because it makes the ride so much fun. Last season was an absolute blast. . There's  emotional risk-reward factor, obviously.

Sometimes, when losing becomes a pattern and expectations of winning are too low for zero, then apathy starts to set in. It's a defense mechanism, I think, but it's sad, nonetheless. It's kinda where I'm at with UK basketball and the Reds. I still watch and hope for wins but I'm not hopeful for the end result to be good. Losses don't register much on the emotional scale anymore.

(12-18-2022, 12:33 PM)SHRacerX Wrote: The Bengals are miles ahead of any other sports franchise for me.  As a kid, I was a big Reds fan as well, but that has really waned since 1990.  Football is just so much fun to watch.  What happened last year has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember.  I was around for the other two Super Bowl games, and just like then, the entire area was so electric in their support for the Bengals.  Seeing the stadium sold out to season ticket holders is incredible.  

I have prayed many a time that they win one Super Bowl while my dad (90 years old) is here to enjoy it with.  

The Bengals are my escape.  This message board, the draft, the game day rituals.  So, to summarize, they are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to me.  No, I don't beat people up when they lose or anything and it doesn't ruin my day or week, but when they are winning, it is sure a hell of a lot of fun.

Remember a time when football was September thru the end of December? Meaning after the SB and PB, you didn't hear anything until you read about TC in August. There were 12 rds in the draft, yet it was never covered.

When I first started following football in the 70’s, my first favorite team was the Raiders. I had one of those electric football games that vibrated the field. The teams were the colts (bo-ring!) and the Raiders (much cooler). However, being born in Cincinnati and spending plenty of time there in the Summer after moving away, the Reds caught my attention, and soon after so did the Bengals, with Anderson, Griffin, Bacon & co. Had a dual allegiance for awhile, but somewhere in the late 70’s I was all in on the Bengals.

Message boards probably saved my allegiance to the team, PaulBrownBengals boards after cincytalk shut down in particular. Several years ago, I tried to swear off all things Bengals for a few months ( among other things, life happening), but things in my life calmed down and I was back. Pretty important to me. At this time I am elated with the team’s success, and not too pessimistic. Every now and then a shadow shows up, but they’re just about non existent at this point.

Considering I just flew halfway around the world to watch them live I’d say pretty important

Leeds United will always be my first love but I prefer to watch the American version of “football”

Wouldn’t matter if the Bengals were 2-15 like the old days or the way we are now, I see many similarities with not only Leeds and the Bengals as sports teams but the actual cities too it’s a culture a belonging through the good times and bad that makes you feel part of something bigger.

My wife always says I take sport too serious as a bad result for either team can make me sulk for hours but if they both win she’s a lucky girl that night

(12-18-2022, 01:22 PM)Science Friction Wrote: Really good stuff. I'm really enjoying reading this. Let me ask you this. What's up with some of those Gameday thread folks? I've only been a participant on this board for a year or so and many of you have been here a lot longer and know more about the board than I do. There are some great fans on this forum(Jungle Noise) who, like me, are very invested in the team. But that Gameday forum is a different tiger , altogether. There are some folks who are there every week who hardly ever post here. They are clearly hyper-invested in the team emotionally. Some of those folks remind me of the 17% or so of UK basketball fans who go a little overboard when it comes to their Cats. Let's just say they have a ...well , ... interesting perspective(lol). 

I used to do the GD thread during games, but it is a miserable place. Now, at best, I might look in and post after a specific play or something happens, but it's always the same thing. There is one poster who almost never posts in JN after a win, knows next to nothing about football, who is on the GD every week whining and complaining because he thinks it's funny. There are several others who are just miserable and want everyone else to be miserable as well. Then there are those who are so invested in Zac being a crap coach who needs to be fired they seize upon any little thing to make them look like they had the right position all along. And then there are the guys who are absolutely unable to handle any adversity in their life, even when it comes to something so insignificant as professional sports. These people just give up at the first thing that doesn't go right. I figure they live their lives like that and pity them. The funny thing is, they are constantly proven wrong by this version of the Bengals, yet they persist to publicly show that side. Personally, I'd be embarrassed.

(12-18-2022, 01:41 PM)BengalsLUFC Wrote: Considering I just flew halfway around the world to watch them live I’d say pretty important

Leeds United will always be my first love but I prefer to watch the American version of “football”

Wouldn’t matter if the Bengals were 2-15 like the old days or the way we are now, I see many similarities with not only Leeds and the Bengals as sports teams but the actual cities too it’s a culture a belonging through the good times and bad that makes you feel part of something bigger.

My wife always says I take sport too serious as a bad result for either team can make me sulk for hours but if they both win she’s a lucky girl that night

Lol, I like Tottenham, who also remind me of the Bengals.

(12-18-2022, 02:12 AM)Science Friction Wrote: Good stuff, guys. Keep it coming. I'm enjoying reading.

By the way, in addition to Rodger Bird with the Raiders, there is also Steve Bird, his nephew, who I went to school with. Steve helped Eastern Ky. University to a couple of I-AA national titles back in  '79 and '82  and went on to play for the  Cardinals, Giants, and Chargers.  Also, Trent Taylor, our PR/WR  grew up here as well. I remember watching him play flag football here in Corbin  as a kid.

For those interested in a really good sports read, there is a book which was written by Gary P. West called "The Boys from Corbin: America's Greatest Little Sports Town, "  which details all of the athletes from this small town who went on to play professional sports in the NFL and NBA.  For those who don't know, Roy Kidd, the longtime head coach at EKU , and one of the winningest coaches in college football history, also grew up here.

EKU football was king in this state for YEARS....

(12-18-2022, 11:17 AM)Sled21 Wrote: Having policed for several decades in Lexington, I can tell you that is a fact. Wildcats fans are messed up. They're worse than Stealers fans, as their whole lives seem to tied to the success of a basketball team with little to no players from Kentucky on it. ANd the vast majority didn't go to school there.

As for the Bengals, I look forward to Sunday, and enjoy the wins. I find myself pissed for about 15 minutes after a loss, then I'm on to something else. I spend a lot of time on this board, but it's mostly because I'm bored at work when there isn't much going on. I consider myself a huge fan, but my life and self worth is not tied to the success of the team like some damn stealer fan.

Yup, they're nuts. OSU nuts.....

(12-18-2022, 01:22 PM)Science Friction Wrote: Really good stuff. I'm really enjoying reading this. Let me ask you this. What's up with some of those Gameday thread folks? I've only been a participant on this board for a year or so and many of you have been here a lot longer and know more about the board than I do. There are some great fans on this forum(Jungle Noise) who, like me, are very invested in the team. But that Gameday forum is a different tiger , altogether. There are some folks who are there every week who hardly ever post here. They are clearly hyper-invested in the team emotionally. Some of those folks remind me of the 17% or so of UK basketball fans who go a little overboard when it comes to their Cats. Let's just say they have a ...well , ... interesting perspective(lol). 

I also concur with other who have said that they deal with losses better than they used to. Not saying that the losses don't still bother me because they do. But I can let them go and move on to the next week better than I could when I waas in my twenties. I guess it's a maturity and a perspective thing. I'm thankful now if I just wake up in the morning. At 25, if the Bengals didn't win, my whole week was effed up. I like being invested in my sport team because it makes the ride so much fun. Last season was an absolute blast. . There's  emotional risk-reward factor, obviously.

Sometimes, when losing becomes a pattern and expectations of winning are too low for zero, then apathy starts to set in. It's a defense mechanism, I think, but it's sad, nonetheless. It's kinda where I'm at with UK basketball and the Reds. I still watch and hope for wins but I'm not hopeful for the end result to be good. Losses don't register much on the emotional scale anymore.

When I was 25, it was the end of that horrible 90s run. I was numb to losing by then.

(12-18-2022, 10:21 PM)Wyche Wrote: When I was 25, it was the end of that horrible 90s run. I was numb to losing by then.

When I was 25 I was numb from the bong.....oh wait different story.

I am way too emotionally invested in this team on game day. They are by far my favorite sports franchise.
After the game I am OK and throughout the week I can discuss wins or losses but during the game I am too invested in it.

Out of all the sports, this is the team I have consistently followed the most. I'm pretty much invested in it, but the losses and heckling don't bother me as much as before.

The Bengals performance on Sundays will determine my attitude the rest of the week. My wife would say, "Looks like we are getting a happy BengalFanInNJ this week'" or "Here comes pissed off BengalFanInNJ this week". It's not so bad now as I get older and have calmed down a bit, but it used to be really bad during the Bengals dark years of from 1991-2003.

When I see someone from NJ whom I haven't seen in a long time, they will ask if I'm still a Bengals fan. Some say, "Every time I see the Bengals or hear about them, I think of you since you are the only Bengal fan that I have known".