What kind of Bengals fan are you?
You were called a lot of things during this Super Bowl season, and not always pleasant. And by each other.
Bandwagon and Fair Weather, for instance, are thrown out as insults, pulling us apart instead of together.
Time to change the vocabulary.
Let’s start with the experts.
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Ever heard of the Psychological Continuum Model (PCM)?
Basically, researchers Daniel Funk and Jeffrey James in 2001 identified four stages in your sports fandom (or personal connection) for a team: Awareness, Attraction, Attachment and Allegiance.
Allow me to interpret ... with the help of insights and research from Daniel Wann, James and their book, “Sports Fans: The Psychology and Social Impact of Fandom.”
Let’s call this: The 4 Stages of Bengals Fandom:
Awareness: You know the Bengals are there. How could you not? You simply are not interested in them. You know Cincinnati chili is there, even if it isn’t your taste. Maybe you just don’t like the NFL. Or football. Or sports.
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Attraction: You like the Bengals. They are your favorite team, maybe because they were your parent’s favorite team. You might like the Bengals because you live in Cincinnati, or because they are winning, or because the games are fun, or because your friends go, or because they have cool uniforms.
Attachment: You feel the Bengals. Inside. They are more than just entertainment or a common interest with friends. You identify with the Bengals. They are part of you. You care whether they win or lose. You know the history, the schedule and the Bengals’ strengths and weaknesses. If you leave town, you will carry the Bengals with you.
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Allegiance: Your connection to the team is deeply personal, deeper than in the Attachment stage. The Bengals are ingrained in your identity and a source of pride and self-esteem. Criticism of the Bengals can feel like criticism of you, so you might see others as wrong or to blame. No matter what happens, no matter what anybody says, no matter who is on the team, nothing will affect how you feel about the Bengals.
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How would you classify yourself from those descriptions? One of those? A combination? Do you remember when you shifted levels as a Bengals fan over your lifetime?
Reading the descriptions, it might be easier to understand why some fans come, some go and some stay. The more personally invested you become, the harder it is to leave. Good luck getting an Allegiant fan to bolt.
Don’t like those descriptions? No problem.
Let’s create some new labels. This could be fun.
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I started toying around with some different descriptions for different kinds of Bengals fans.
Adopter, Sampler or Secondary Fan: Enough with the Bandwagon label. You support the Bengals for whatever reason, for however long, and you choose wisely. You like the Bengals because they are winning after so much losing, or because they were a refreshing change from the usual Super Bowl contenders, or because Joe Burrow is cool, or because of the all the Louisiana connections. You might primarily be a fan of another team, but yours struggled or was eliminated, and you found joy in this one.
Ambassador Fan or Fanbassador: You welcome all to Bengaldom. You enjoy doing that for newcomers and for your team. You share what makes the Bengals so special. These folks might be more likely to stay Bengals fans. They might tell and attract others. At worst, you spread goodwill. Wouldn’t you have appreciated being treated that way when you adopted another team all those years when the Bengals were eliminated?
Devout, Loyal or Faithful Fan ... or Diehard Fan: I don’t think Diehard has an overly negative, but I am flexible. In any case, you are committed to the team and proud to call yourself a Bengals fan. You lived through the lows and can better appreciate and feel the joy that was this season. You will be a Bengals fan no matter what happens next season or any season that follow.
Sunny Dey, Selective or Conditional Fan: So long, Fair Weather label. You are appreciated for joining the party and adding to the atmosphere, a sign this is special. You only rediscover the Bengals when they are good, and this season was so much fun, you bought some Bengalwear and got to know the players by name. Every fan makes a choice, and this one suits you.
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Royal, Aristocrat or Eminent Fan: You consider yourself the only real Bengals fan. You commit for life and see all others beneath you on the fan hierarchy, if even a fan. You don’t publicly ridicule the poseurs; you prefer to avoid them. Instead, you belittle them privately to fans who share your values and are worth your time. You might acknowledge the commoners help the brand and bottom line, and added to this season’s excitement, but you feel a sense of nobility for always being there. You wonder where the franchise would be without you.
Enforcer or Hatekeeper Fan: This replaces the too-mild Gatekeeper label. You require each Bengals fan to commit for life and show it, and you attack the pretenders. You talk down to them. You bully them. You are judge and jury. You make the laws and hammer the offenders. Your definition of fan should be everybody’s because it is the only right one. You detest and shame the imposters so they will see their inferiority, and conform or leave.
“(I’ve) had another Bengals fan downgrade me as a fan for attending my first home game this season,” @MeganJarica recently tweeted to me. “He said I was only a fan because of this season since I’ve never been to a home game (prior) to this season.
“I honestly didn’t respond to him. 😂 I know who I am, he doesn’t.”
Let’s imagine if we all felt the same way.
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You have every right to be the Bengals fan you want to be.
You can describe your Bengals fandom using the PCM. Or the old labels. Or ones I threw out as a conversation starter. Or ones you like better (which I’d love to hear).
Or you can defy all labels and embrace the one that ties us together.
Cincinnati Bengals fan.
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.
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