Is there a extra thrilling sports activities metropolis than Cincinnati proper now?

Certain, there are larger sports activities cities. Cincinnati doesn’t have the variety of groups that Los Angeles, New York, Boston, or Dallas have. Certain, Cincinnati is a small market metropolis, and, so far as nationwide media goes (cough…ESPN…cough), we’re principally in flyover nation. Except you’re from Cincinnati otherwise you grew up as a fan of one of many metropolis’s sports activities groups, otherwise you’re a sports activities fan on the whole, you most likely barely know Cincinnati exists.

The informal sports activities fan sees Cincinnati the say means I see Bellevue, Nebraska (the third-largest metropolis within the state… sure, I Googled it).

However, is there one other metropolis, in flyover nation or not, that has a bunch of extra thrilling skilled sports activities groups?

No.

There isn’t one other metropolis the place all three skilled sports activities groups are thriving the best way Cincinnati’s are. The Cincinnati Bengals are contenders and completed the final two years as AFÇ North champions and have gone to the AFC Championship recreation twice, profitable one and dropping the opposite by three.

The Cincinnati Reds are as scorching as any staff in baseball, and so they’re presently in first place within the NL Central.

Then there’s FC Cincinnati, who’re presently in first place within the MLS Jap Convention with 43 factors, which can be essentially the most factors of any staff in skilled soccer, er futbol (I do know subsequent to nothing about soccer, so bear with me).

I used to suppose that there have been three separate skilled sports activities franchises with three separate fan bases in Cincinnati. I’ve discovered in any other case. I’ve discovered that Bengals followers are supporting the Reds and FC Cincinnati, and I’ve discovered that baseball and soccer followers are additionally massive Bengals followers. Certain, there are some followers who’re baseball or soccer or soccer-only guys, however there aren’t many.

And, it’s not simply the skilled groups.

The College of Cincinnati Bearcats are coming into the Massive 12 on July 1 and might be within the energy 5 membership for the primary time. However, earlier than they had been within the membership, they weren’t stopped from crashing the social gathering as the primary non-Energy 5 staff to get into the NCAA soccer event to cap off the 2021 season. Then you definitely even have the Xavier Musketeers, who’ve made it to the Candy 16 9 occasions since 1990. They will not be grouped in with the blue-blood groups like North Carolina and Duke, however they’re not far off (as painful as that’s to confess from a UC grad).

And, I’d be remiss to not point out the Cincinnati Cyclones, who completed first within the ECHL’s central division and had been Kelly Cup Champions in 2008 and 2010. In reality, they’re the latest skilled sports activities franchise within the metropolis to win a championship. Even when they’re a minor league staff, it counts.

The dimensions of Cincinnati helps followers on this metropolis. The stadiums are all pretty shut to one another. The Reds and Bengals stadiums are inside strolling distance, and TQL Stadium is simply two and a half miles away from Paycor Stadium. When the Bengals and Reds had been slumping, and so they have lots prior to now, the school sports activities had been there to get us by means of, whether or not it’s basketball, baseball, or soccer. Clifton is only a brief drive by means of OTR and up the hill from downtown Cincinnati, and Xavier isn’t a lot farther down the street.

Simply give it some thought. The Mets play at Citi Area in Queens. The Giants play in MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. I simply appeared it up, and proper now, it’s a 48-minute drive from one stadium to the opposite. For those who began at Paycor Stadium and drove in any route for 48 minutes, you’d both end up in cornfields in Indiana, the holler in Kentucky, cornfields in Jap Ohio in your strategy to West Virginia, or cornfields in your strategy to Columbus. We’re so carefully packed collectively right here in Cincinnati that we kinda must assist one another.

Simply take a look at Twitter.

Orlando Brown Jr. was signed just some months in the past to be the Bengals’ new left deal with. He tweeted this out on Friday.

Principally, I’m saying we’re very fortunate to be the place we’re. Even if you happen to’re not tremendous into baseball, hockey, futbol, or school sports activities, you’ll be able to’t assist however really feel the vitality within the metropolis from the Reds’ 12-game win streak (any 12-game streak within the MLB isn’t a fluke) or by the footage of FC Cincinnati followers partying in a sold-out stadium for a futbol staff that’s solely been within the MLS for just a few years.

It’s an thrilling time to be in Cincinnati.

And if you happen to’re not from Cincinnati, and also you’re studying this as a Bengals fan from afar, like our personal Anthony Cosenza, who lives in California….. nicely, to you, I say September might be right here earlier than you understand it.

Till then, step out of your soccer consolation zone and luxuriate in another sports activities. You’ll be happier for it, and it’ll make Bengals soccer come again a lot faster. In spite of everything, time flies while you’re having enjoyable.

Nonetheless, if you happen to don’t need to, I’ve unhappy boy music lyrics only for you.

Relative music lyrics:

However I miss you within the mornings once I see the solar
Somethin’ within the orange tells me we’re not performed
To you, I’m only a man
To me, you’re all I’m
The place the hell am I purported to go?
I poisoned myself once more
One thing in orange tells me you’re by no means coming house.