EDITOR’S NOTE: This is a weekly column from former sports reporter and editor Mike Bass. Bass will be contributing to The Enquirer by offering advice for sports fans, athletes and youth sports parents and coaches through a weekly Q&A. You can reach him at [email protected] or on Twitter @SportsFanCoach1.
Last week, we addressed the grassroots campaign to add more Bengals to the Pro Football Hall of Fame so Anthony Munoz will have company. A group of fans stumped in Canton last weekend, and the conversation was not going to stop there. Which brings us to this email:
"Sad that “The Great One” is the only Bengal in Canton. I blame this on the Bengals organization for lack of aggressiveness in getting the accomplishments of players to the sportswriters in America.
The Bengals sit in the middle of the country, not the glamour of the coasts. While every sportswriter follows the league, how many actually see a Bengals player? Heisman trophies are often the result of great SID’s in college. I have to believe that Canton inductees are at least partially a result of teams touting their stars.
Heaven forbid that Mike Brown (who would recycle toilet paper at his stadium if he could) invest in a media relations guru.
His team has been the butt of more jokes than any franchise. Two Super Bowl appearances have only glorified the Joe Montana legend. 30+ years since a playoff victory.
Not much to get worthy players endorsed.
Am I off base here or is the target of my blame correct?"
Dave, Fort Wright, Kentucky,
Season ticket holder from ’75 through ’16,
when Mike and Marvin (Lewis) finally broke me.
More:Bass column: Can you help Bengals into Pro Football Hall of Fame?
Great question. Asking that says a lot about Dave’s openness and willingness to hear other views.
First, let’s imagine you are Dave. See from Dave’s eyes. Feel Dave’s frustration.
You want to blame … somebody. You want answers. And you are not alone.
Considering the failure Dave perceives, of course he is frustrated. No wonder he canceled his season tickets.
Feel free to debate some of Dave’s individual points, but respect the sentiment. His opinion is not right or wrong, but the viewpoint of a longtime fan who cares a great deal about a team that has disappointed him and who sees the Bengals through the lens of being a franchise at fault.
Dave and you have every right to look at the Bengals and see failure, especially the last few decades. I am not here to judge Dave or you.
Maybe identifying a cause helps you make sense of it all, channels your anger and empowers you to act. Maybe cursing the fates or the Brown family feels cathartic. Maybe believing your team faces a no-win situation protects you from getting hurt. Maybe commiserating with other fans, wallowing together over what you can’t control, provides a common bond.
And if any of that works for you, great.
If not, what is another way to look at it?
More:Inside the Cincinnati Bengals plan for running back Joe Mixon in 2021
Let’s start with the Hall of Fame snubs. Dave sees worthy Bengals lost in organizational and promotional failures. Voters told the Enquirer that all-decade and Super Bowl-winning candidates have an edge, making it harder but not impossible for Bengals hopefuls. What if even a P.T. Barnum-level P.R. campaign could not have elevated more Bengals into the Hall? What about blaming the Hall for limiting Senior inductees to one per year now?
Other fans choose to ignore all that and stump for Ken Anderson and Ken Riley, anyway. They see an opportunity to celebrate Bengals alumni, raise awareness and the level of conversation, and maybe help a Bengal reach Canton in the next class — after toasting the best of their team’s best in the new Ring of Honor.
The Bengals’ two Super Bowls in the 1980s? Dave sees only Montana. Vikings and Bills fans might relate to his frustration … or fire back with an “Oh, yeah?” Minnesota lost its four Super Bowls in the 1970s. Buffalo lost its four straight Super Bowls in the 1990s.
Other Bengals fans might take pride in reaching a pair of Super Bowls, laugh at the Browns for reaching zero, and find glory in the Freezer Bowl, the Ickey Shuffle and two AFC Championship rides.As for canceling his season tickets? Dave opted out because Brown and Lewis broke him. Other fans love the Bengals and the social aspect of games, are not deterred by the owner or coach, feel the energy in Paul Brown Stadium, and missed the full-stadium experience in 2020.
The 30-some-year run without a playoff win? OK, that’s not good. Still, other fans might bask in their Bengaldom and enjoy the journey, including each of the 52 wins over five seasons in the early 2010s and the Monday Night Football upset of the Steelers last season. And now they might see hope in quarterback Joe Burrow returning, reuniting with Ja’Marr Chase and reviving the franchise.
Are the Bengals the NFL’s favorite joke? Hmm. The Lions have one playoff win in the Super Bowl era.
Look, the Bengals have had issues. The record shows it. You want accountability. Looking for a scapegoat makes you human. I admire Dave’s courage to ask if his blame is on target, and Brown is always a popular choice.
What if these issues are more complicated? Dave’s email shows him to be a thoughtful person. How important is it for the Bengals to be the heavies? What if this is about more than blame? What about credit, too?
And what kept him coming back all those years?
As fans, we might jump back and forth from what Dave is feeling to the enthusiastic faith of a diehard. It’s natural. You have every right to stop going to games and focus on blaming. Or you can find reasons to keep watching.
Your perception. Your reality.
Your choice.
Remember to email Bass at [email protected] or reach out to him @SportsFanCoach1 on Twitter if you want to be included next week. His website is MikeBassCoaching.com.
