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Sports Opinion: the art of Cincinnati fandom

Staff writer Danny O’Malley breaks down the faults of Cincy sports fans

By Danny O'malley
On October 5, 2012

I've grown up surrounded by the professional sports world. When it came to my friends and family, I naturally gravitated toward die-hard sports fans, exposing me to the world of professional sports fans.
What I learned during this period of time is this: Cincinnati sports fans are generally some of the most unintelligent, undedicated, apathetic, inconsistent and hostile fans.
At every single Reds game I've been to there's always been an argument between a Reds fan and opposing fans. Multiple times, I've witnessed Reds fans scrambling to pull up baseball knowledge on their smartphones while the other fans casually delivered stats off the top of their heads.
The Reds have also been successful the past few seasons, winning the division in 2010 and recently clinching to make it into the playoffs again.
While this team is pretty good, it has upset me when I converse with Reds fans and they have no idea that their team is in first place and can't even name the typical starting lineup. Come the end of the season when they're in place to make the playoffs, my Twitter feed is bombarded with Reds fans celebrating.
I would normally be okay with this, but at no other point in the year were there tweets celebrating a Reds victory.
These fans are like that friend who has you hold their place in line when waiting for tickets. When you get to the front of the line to finally get the tickets, that friend jumps in line just in time for the best part. Where have these fans been all season? They come out of the woodwork only to feast on the success of a team they barely know.
Also, an unnamed Cincinnati fan that I know said this: "I will not be a fan of the Bengals until they are good again." That quote speaks for itself.
There's never been an NFL Sunday where I've heard Cincinnati fans say they're setting time aside to watch the Bengals game.
I constantly hear about people getting pumped to watch their favorite team, but the one team that's actually on local TV (unless it is blacked out, which is often), the Bengals, is never ritually watched by fans here.
Cincinnati fans are also rude and never cheer for their team, but instead cheer against the other team.
When I went to the Browns and MatsushitaBengals game, fans heckled, hated and bashed the Browns on every play.
There were few plays that I'd think, "Great pass Andy Dalton," and instead would hear, "See?! That's why the Browns suck!"
It's sad when you care more about the other team losing than your team winning. In fact, it makes me wonder whether they care to win at all.
If you're a Cincinnati "fan" reading this right now, you're probably in defense mode and that's understandable.
There are many Cincinnati fans who are good fans, but I'm referring to the majority.
If the fans care to prove me wrong, then I suggest setting a good example for the rest because they're far from having other people's respect.


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