City: Cincinnati, OH

Category: Spectator Sports

Telephone: (513) 621-3550

Address: 1 Bengals Drive

Description: A new coach and a new stadium have brought some optimism back to the Cincinnati Bengals. Marvin Lewis was hired before the 2003 season, and he led the team to an 8–8 season. The fans were back in the stadium, and the cheers of “Who Dey” were heard throughout the city. In 2005 the Bengals’ record was 11–5, and they won the AFC North Division. But they have never quite lived up to the hype and finished 7–9 in 2007.Some star players have raised the enthusiasm for the team, including Rudi Johnson (running back), Chad Johnson (wide receiver), and T.J. Houshmandzadeh (another wide receiver who was chosen for the Pro Bowl in 2008).Before the Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore, Baltimore first approached Bengal owner Mike Brown. It could have been the Bengals who moved to Baltimore. But Brown turned down the deal, saying his first priority wasn’t to make as much money as he could and that he was committed to Cincinnati. Before he moved the team, he said he would first give the people of the city a chance. That meant asking them to pay for the construction of a football-only stadium. So in November 1996 the fans matched Brown’s commitment by overwhelmingly passing a sales tax increase to pay for the stadium. Construction of the ultramodern Paul Brown Stadium was completed in 2000.But although fans gave Brown his support in the future of the franchise, many fans still question his management skills. The team has never had a winning season while he has been general manager. Each year, however, hope springs eternal. At the NFL draft, Brown has made some picks that should have helped the team. None of the draft picks ever seem to work out the way the team had hoped. And in the meantime, Brown has developed a reputation of being a tightfisted monarch, king of the family-owned business, who is unwilling to dip into the free-agent market and sign high-price players.Although it’s still a long way away, our thoughts are starting to drift toward the playoffs and—could it be?—a return to the Super Bowl. The Bengals have twice made it to the Super Bowl, losing each time to the San Francisco 49ers, darn it, in two of the closest Super Bowl games ever. Some of the greatest players ever to wear Bengals stripes played in those Super Bowls, including Boomer Esiason, Tim Krumrie, Isaac Curtis, Ken Anderson, and Anthony Munoz, the first Bengal to make it into the Hall of Fame. Future greats may lead the team back to the big game, and the city will be thankful they are ours.Ticket prices for Bengals games don’t come cheap. If you prefer to see the team play for a lot less, summer camp is at Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky, about 70 miles south of Cincinnati, near Lexington, Kentucky.