It's been a while since I've written anything. Not sure if I haven't had any time, strong opinions, or if it was just laziness. But I got called out. So I have to tell my side. And 140 characters isn't going to cut it this time.
If you ever read Brad Johansen's blog on Local12.com, you'll see a post from yesterday. Or if you haven't, you can see it here now. I'm the guy. I asked the stupid question. Now, if you get where I'm coming from, you'd know the reason I asked. In this particular instance, I wasn't worried about if the game would sell out in a football sense. I was worried about it from a TV standpoint. I can't remember from year to year if people go to preseason games. What I do remember is that in the 3 years I've worked at Local 12, I've been witness to, and rolling live breaks for, several Bengals preseason games. But instead of calmly explaining "they never sell out home games, no one does. You must just be thinking of away games". I get snark. But it got me thinking about two things: One, I might just start asking Brad stupid questions to get him to post blogs, and two, who was I as a Bengals fan.
Brad has painted me as some sort of uber-fan, so anxious for a productive and entertaining season that I believe that the city of Cincinnati will sell out preseason games, and I began to wonder 'Am I?'.
Decidedly, I am not 'That Guy' as Brad proposes. I'm far too pessimistic toward the Bengals for that. But my allegiance to the team has evolved over the years. In the fall of 2001, I was in the 8th grade and becoming more understanding that there was a world outside of the tiny bubble I called my life. At that time I was a scrawny little kid who's only experience in organized sports was baseball. And I wasn't even very good at that. So football was not my wheelhouse. I had friends at school who played, sure, but I could not have been on the field with them. I'd have gotten snapped in half. So I lived and breathed Reds. But around this time, I also became aware that you could be a fan of a sport without ever having played it. The thought hadn't even crossed my mind. I began to expand my horizons.
It would have been understandable at that time if I had chosen to root for a team other than the Bengals. They were mired in something worse that terrible. I don't think anyone would have faulted me for rooting for Denver, Green Bay, or San Francisco. These were some of the biggest teams at the time, and perennials every playoff season since the inception of the sport. But the draw of staying loyal to the hometown appealed to me. And there was some loudmouth rookie receiver from Oregon State who proclaimed that he wanted to be in Cincinnati, to turn the team around. It intrigued me. I got hooked on the stripes.
Over the next couple of years, as the Bengals shifted away from being the Bungals, I grew with them, in my understanding of the game. I began to understand subtle nuances to the game. I started to understand how and why certain teams run particular plays at various times and with different results. It was a learning process that I began to enjoy. I relished watching each week. And while each year often starts with hope now, there's always that underlying Bungaldom that remains a part of every person who has ever rooted for them...and I too, have acquired that trait. I understand that with great expectations, comes great let down.
So while I am excited for the beginning of a fresh new season for a Bengals team that seems to be headed in a more positive direction than any Bengals team since I've been a fan, I can't say that I'm overly excited for the preseason. Because as you'll remember, I won't be getting to sit on my couch with a bowl of chips, enjoying the game. I'll be at work, making sure the game hits the air properly for everyone else.
So, I foolishly asked a grizzled sports veteran if he thought a meaningless preseason game would be sold out. And I got what I deserved; a snarky answer. But all I wanted to know was how many people he thought were going to care about this year's edition of the Bengals as much or more than me...and if I was going to get to go home from work on time.
