While no two Bengals fans are the same, finding pocket of people who rock their Black and Orange like you is an important part of Who Dey Nation.One group of women have roared into the Cincinnati fandom scene thanks to impressive growth seen during the postseason.The Who Dey Ladies is a community started by the Bengals as a way to intentionally include and boost support among women. The Who Dey Ladies provide a way for women to learn more about football and the NFL while not having to limit any portion of their diehard fandom."Sometimes, in a crowd situation, it's difficult to really talk and engage and feel like you know what you're talking about," Who Dey Ladies member Lisa Raterman said. "But, in this environment, we get to talk about the team, talk about plays, talk about things that are important to us. And you don't really feel stupid, you feel empowered and engaged and other women have the same types of questions that you do so you feel like you're really in a great environment to share those experiences."The group started more than five years ago, but has seen substantial growth thanks to the team's historic postseason run culminating with the Super Bowl on Sunday. The group's private Facebook page membership has quadrupled since December.The Bengals put on several events for the women throughout the year including a private NFL Draft party and VIP training camp experiences. The women also join together to volunteer in their own communities by serving with current and former players' foundations. The women also get together to attend games at Paul Brown Stadium, tailgate and attend road games.Recently, Raterman shared the Who Dey Ladies were invited by the Bengals to join a Zoom call that featured NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell."We were allowed to submit questions," Raterman said. "And so I did regarding female fan bases. I had recently read some articles that the fan base nationwide is 45-50% female and so I asked Mr. Goodell what he thought the trends were. Did he expect that to continue to grow and why he thought that was happening. And it was really great to hear him just talk about women seem to be more educated about football. They enjoy it more. And they're participating more and they're out there and they're supporting their teams as much as the guys are. And so it was kind of cool to hear that from him."After taking the Who Dey Ladies on the road to Nashville for the Bengals playoff win against the Titans, Raterman and a group of nearly 20 women are flying to Los Angeles for the Super Bowl. She said they do not have game tickets but are hoping to score some once on the ground. As a nod to Quarterback Joe Burrow, Raterman already packed more than 400 bubblegum cigars to use for Who Dey Ladies hype and celebrations in anticipation of a Cincinnati Super Bowl victory.To join the Who Dey Ladies, click here. Registration is free. To join the group's Facebook page, click here.
While no two Bengals fans are the same, finding pocket of people who rock their Black and Orange like you is an important part of Who Dey Nation.
One group of women have roared into the Cincinnati fandom scene thanks to impressive growth seen during the postseason.
The Who Dey Ladies is a community started by the Bengals as a way to intentionally include and boost support among women. The Who Dey Ladies provide a way for women to learn more about football and the NFL while not having to limit any portion of their diehard fandom.
"Sometimes, in a crowd situation, it's difficult to really talk and engage and feel like you know what you're talking about," Who Dey Ladies member Lisa Raterman said. "But, in this environment, we get to talk about the team, talk about plays, talk about things that are important to us. And you don't really feel stupid, you feel empowered and engaged and other women have the same types of questions that you do so you feel like you're really in a great environment to share those experiences."
The group started more than five years ago, but has seen substantial growth thanks to the team's historic postseason run culminating with the Super Bowl on Sunday. The group's private Facebook page membership has quadrupled since December.
The Bengals put on several events for the women throughout the year including a private NFL Draft party and VIP training camp experiences. The women also join together to volunteer in their own communities by serving with current and former players' foundations. The women also get together to attend games at Paul Brown Stadium, tailgate and attend road games.
Recently, Raterman shared the Who Dey Ladies were invited by the Bengals to join a Zoom call that featured NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
"We were allowed to submit questions," Raterman said. "And so I did regarding female fan bases. I had recently read some articles that the fan base nationwide is 45-50% female and so I asked Mr. Goodell what he thought the trends were. Did he expect that to continue to grow and why he thought that was happening. And it was really great to hear him just talk about women seem to be more educated about football. They enjoy it more. And they're participating more and they're out there and they're supporting their teams as much as the guys are. And so it was kind of cool to hear that from him."
After taking the Who Dey Ladies on the road to Nashville for the Bengals playoff win against the Titans, Raterman and a group of nearly 20 women are flying to Los Angeles for the Super Bowl. She said they do not have game tickets but are hoping to score some once on the ground.
As a nod to Quarterback Joe Burrow, Raterman already packed more than 400 bubblegum cigars to use for Who Dey Ladies hype and celebrations in anticipation of a Cincinnati Super Bowl victory.
To join the Who Dey Ladies, click here. Registration is free. To join the group's Facebook page, click here.
Source link
