Open Thread Question of the Day: Cincinnati is a Reds town or a Bengals town?

ohio is a football state. yes, we love our reds, but football is the topic of conversation year round and it has a collection of the most die-hard fans i’ll ever meet. in my opinion it’s no question—football trumps baseball in this entire state let alone just cincinnati.

to comment on “Mr. NC-17”s post, there are no draft parties for baseball, period. the draft is in the middle of the week during business hours and until recently wasn’t even televised. the NFL draft will always be infinitely more appealing to viewers than the baseball draft but that doesn’t mean much in this conversation. other than that, i agree with everything.

But I think it’s a seasonal thing.

Reds town.

Admittedly, I’m more of a Bengals fan, but c’mon, the Reds were the very first professional baseball team. Yes, perhaps sometimes the Reds have trouble filling seats, but they have like, what, 90 more home games to worry about? And I think to this day people still remember The Big Red Machine more than they do a specific Bengals team/group (I could be totally wrong, I was born long after BRM was dismantled, and was too young to remember either Bengal Super Bowls)

You can’t compare selling out 8 games vs 82. Otherwise I would say well the Reds draw 1.5 million fans per year and the Bengals only draw 500,000. The stadiums are also different sizes so, so there are too many things that go into attendance. Other teams fans will buy up open seats in Paul Brown because they don’t get a chance to see their team but once every 3 years or so, sometimes longer. If you’re a Mets fan then you get a chance to see them every year so you may not go the park.

I honestly think the majority of Cincinnati fans in general are bandwagon jumpers with their money up for grabs. The cash goes to whatever team is winning. You couldn’t get people to fill UC’s stadium 5 years ago with $5 tickets, now they are good and suddenly the city is behind them. It’s the same for UC basketball, now you watch them on TV and there are open seats in the gym. When Kenyon Martin, and Nick VanExel was there the whole town loved them some bearcat basketball. When the Reds challenge, not lately then the park is full. The year they played the play in game against the Mets. I went to Riverfront Stadium on a Wednsday to watch them play the Cards. The pace was packed…. because they were winning. Cincy has seen so many bad teams the money, and “loyalty” goes to whoever wins.

It’s not a popular view but that’s how I see it. Oh and I’ve been a Bengal fan and a Reds fan my entire life.

If the Bengals ever field the equivalent of the Big Red Machine, then we’ll talk. For my money, championships trump trendiness.

I’m 30 and have seen sadly more good Bengals years than Reds years, yes, the Reds had the championship 20 years ago and the Bengals have none, but all in all, I think it is a generational thing and a winning thing, I’d love to share it with championship for both teams, but i think the way to answer this would be “who would you rather win a championship in 2010, the Reds or the Bengals”? Honestly, would choose the Bengals. I love baseball, but Who Dey!

well im from charleston sc and im a die hard bengals and reds fan….how ya loooove that

The Reds lend more legitimacy to Cincinnati’s contributions to sports history.

No one can argue the fact that the Reds were the first professional baseball team even before the turn of the century… Taft was the first president to throw the “first pitch”… Our ancestor’s had GREAT pride in baseball in the city of Cincinnati…With that said the football boom across the enitire country the last 60 year’s has brought great pride to our fathers and grandfather’s about the having professional football in the city.. which has trickled down to us.. The big red machine gave the city a lot of pride right around the time the Bengals were getting off there feet and also gave us the 1990 WS… For the younger generation’s like my self the Bengals are more exciting because of the sport they play… However for our father’s and grandfather’s the Reds were more exciting due to the lack of football and great success the team enjoyed… Until the Bengals are over a 120 years old I have to vote this is a Reds town even though I enjoy the Bengals more.. We can’t forget all the people the walked our street’s before us and there are many more Reds fan’s than Bengal’s fan’s when that is considered..

The Red’s actually originate back to 1866 but not being officially a “professional” team until 1869… This is a good read guys check it out…This in my opinion put’s to rest this question..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnati_Red_Stockings

We love our Bengals and it’s a Reds town.

Is the thought that these guy’s went from your what was your average mens softball league back then in to what is now “The Great American Ballpark”. Those guys had no idea what they were starting and what it would amount to today…

Cincinnati will always be a baseball town. Right now football is garnering more interest because the Bengals and other NFL teams have a much more equal playing field than the Reds compared to other MLB teams. I remember the ‘90 Series win. It made me feel really good about my fanhood. Especially with some of the heart breakers we have endured as Bengal fans. In 1990, I was still in elementary school. Now I’m 27 going on 28, and I’m hoping both of the city’s professional sports franchises can get in the playoffs this year.(Ok so with the Reds that might be too much to ask this season, but I’ll be happy with a winning season). But the history and tradition of the Cincinnati Reds is matched by very few teams in any professional sport, and to me that is why Cincinnati will always be a baseball town.

both teams have sucked for so long.