12-20-2016, 11:57 PM
Okay, i'm going to open up.
What has and will keep me faithfully watching this team is one simple fact: I'm them and they are me.
Let me explain.
Rewind back into 2010-2011. I don't think I have to give anyone here a history lesson about what took place for the team that year, so i'll go straight to what I was going through at that same time.
I graduated HS but was lost. Had low self esteem, was insecure, and had no direction in my life. Looking back at it now, I guess that a childhood of being socially awkward and on the outside does that to you. I ended up enrolling at a community college and took a few remedial course since I never bothered to apply myself.
Drift more towards 2011 and things started to look up for me. I surrounded myself with positive influences and people at my community college that told me I had a lot of talent and could do big things. At that same time, the Dalton/Green era was just about to kick off. Hell, my academic advisor/best friend was essentially the latino version of Marvin Lewis--Stoic, straight edged and stubborn.
Fast forward many years later. Again, I don't think I have to remind anyone of the talent the Bengals amassed and how joyful it was to watch them get into the playoffs. so back to me. With Latino Marvin's guidance, I passed my remedials, passed higher tier classes, and transferred to a 4 year university on a full ride scholarship.
But like the Bengals, when the big moment came, whether it was interviews for corporate jobs, academic competitions, etc, I shrunk. I was the Bengals in my academic department--mediocre and always beaten out by top tier students for the honors stuff (Steelers, Patriots, Broncos , etc.)
And now, here I am, graduated and admittingly not in the best spot economically. And here are the Bengals, who, like me, can't get over the hump.
What keeps me drawn to this team is my similarity to them in this respect. I know what it's like to come oh so close only to kick myself in the teeth/make a mistake; I know what it's like to be considered a real-life "bungle" and how to somewhat climb out of that perception; I know the frustration of laying an egg when things matter most.
Will I climb to greater heights? Who knows. Will the Bengals get over the hump? Again, who knows. All I know is that as long as they keep trying, so will I. Because if they can do it, then so can I.
Then again, I could just be crazy for having this kind of attachment to a shit franchise. Who knows?
What has and will keep me faithfully watching this team is one simple fact: I'm them and they are me.
Let me explain.
Rewind back into 2010-2011. I don't think I have to give anyone here a history lesson about what took place for the team that year, so i'll go straight to what I was going through at that same time.
I graduated HS but was lost. Had low self esteem, was insecure, and had no direction in my life. Looking back at it now, I guess that a childhood of being socially awkward and on the outside does that to you. I ended up enrolling at a community college and took a few remedial course since I never bothered to apply myself.
Drift more towards 2011 and things started to look up for me. I surrounded myself with positive influences and people at my community college that told me I had a lot of talent and could do big things. At that same time, the Dalton/Green era was just about to kick off. Hell, my academic advisor/best friend was essentially the latino version of Marvin Lewis--Stoic, straight edged and stubborn.
Fast forward many years later. Again, I don't think I have to remind anyone of the talent the Bengals amassed and how joyful it was to watch them get into the playoffs. so back to me. With Latino Marvin's guidance, I passed my remedials, passed higher tier classes, and transferred to a 4 year university on a full ride scholarship.
But like the Bengals, when the big moment came, whether it was interviews for corporate jobs, academic competitions, etc, I shrunk. I was the Bengals in my academic department--mediocre and always beaten out by top tier students for the honors stuff (Steelers, Patriots, Broncos , etc.)
And now, here I am, graduated and admittingly not in the best spot economically. And here are the Bengals, who, like me, can't get over the hump.
What keeps me drawn to this team is my similarity to them in this respect. I know what it's like to come oh so close only to kick myself in the teeth/make a mistake; I know what it's like to be considered a real-life "bungle" and how to somewhat climb out of that perception; I know the frustration of laying an egg when things matter most.
Will I climb to greater heights? Who knows. Will the Bengals get over the hump? Again, who knows. All I know is that as long as they keep trying, so will I. Because if they can do it, then so can I.
Then again, I could just be crazy for having this kind of attachment to a shit franchise. Who knows?
