Bengals are the epicenter of a Cincinnati sports renaissance
The late 2010s brought nothing but apathy for Cincinnati pro sports fans. A city that grew accustomed to having two professional clubs in the Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati Reds suddenly had three with FC Cincinnati getting promoted to the MLS. None of the three could conjure any measure of success as the decade neared an […]
The late 2010s brought nothing but apathy for Cincinnati pro sports fans. A city that grew accustomed to having two professional clubs in the Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati Reds suddenly had three with FC Cincinnati getting promoted to the MLS. None of the three could conjure any measure of success as the decade neared an end.
Fast forward a few years, and suddenly winning looks like second nature to all of them. The Reds are victors of 10 straight games as they've risen to first place in the NL Central. FCC is 9-0 in their last nine matches and has a comfortable points lead on the Eastern Conference.
As for the Bengals? Well, they've won more games over the past two seasons than 29 other franchises, and finished the 2022 campaign winning 10 of their last 11.
The actions of an NFL team have zero bearing on what goes down in two completely different sports. Differences in management and financial hurdles will never create congruent comparisons.
What does spawn from the Bengals being first to climb out of darkness is a rise in expectations, a spotlight that looks the brightest as the main attraction in a revival along the banks of the Ohio River.
The Bengals becoming not just good, but championship-caliber good re-established belief in Cincinnati, maybe even nostalgia. The Reds are actual championship winners in their history, a history that has felt so very distant in light of recent memory.
It's been a long time since a championship parade strolled through the streets of Cincinnati. The Bengals nearly bringing it to reality has made FCC and the Reds' resurgence that much more meaningful.
"We owe it to (Cincinnati fans)," Reds first baseman Joey Votto told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "We just owe it to this fanbase. This fanbase has been able to support a Super Bowl-caliber football team. And we owe it to them to give them a championship-caliber baseball team. I love this city. And they have been so steady, and so supportive. But I know they expect more. And we can give them more."
Specifically with the Reds, they've transformed into the hottest team in baseball a year after crudely asking loyal fans "where are you gonna go?" The injection of young talent, and the willingness to make room for it has everything to do with it.
No one has brought more excitement than Elly De La Cruz, the former No. 1 prospect in the sport. De La Cruz's debut games even caught the attention of the city's biggest sports star.
"He’s exciting to watch. You kind of see how the city rallies around guys when they are up and coming and have a chance to be great," Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said last week. "It’s exciting that the city embraces you like that. Those guys over there are starting to feel it because they put together a little run here. That’s something we’ve felt with FC Cincy, too, the energy in the city right now is exciting."
It's an energy that is unlike anything else, especially for a community desperate to see victories pile up.
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Featured image via © Kareem Elgazzar-USA TODAY Sports
