12-15-2021, 02:15 PM
(12-15-2021, 11:18 AM)TecmoBengals Wrote: This thread makes me wonder, if the Bengals ever did leave Cincinnati/Ohio/the region for a place like San Antonio, how many of us would still follow the team? Would we be like Raider nation and root them on or would a detachment from the hometown area make people move on from the NFL or seek out a new team? I don't think the NFL would ever give Cincinnati a replacement franchise.
If you're a Raiders fan around here, you might have been a little sad that they left Oakland, but you were probably also excited at the prospect of going to Vegas one day to see your team play. So, outside of fans living in/near Oakland, I bet the majority of Raiders fans had no issue with it or were excited about the move and new stadium.
They have always been the Cincinnati Bengals. They were the local team and on tv, and that's what first attracted me to them as a kid. I've been to a couple hundred games at both Riverfront and PBS in my life, and watch every away game on tv faithfully, season after season, and regardless of the team's record. I have jerseys and sweatshirts and jackets and special cold weather gear for games. I believe I will always root for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Having said that, if they ever leave here, they're dead to me. The St. Louis or San Diego or San Antonio Bengals would be cordially invited by me to go **** themselves. I've been a Lions fan since the '80s, so I'd probably just transition to them full time. The lack of playoff wins would be a soft landing. And I would never become a fan of the Browns or Steelers. I would root for them, however, each time they play the wherever-the-hell-they-go Bengals.
