CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Bengals fans celebrated into early morning hours following Sunday’s lopsided victory over Buffalo Bills in western New York.
That excitement carried into Monday for many of those fans as Who Dey Nation prepares for a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship game in Kansas City against the Chiefs. A win would send the Bengals to the Super Bowl for the second season in a row.
What You Need To Know
- The Bengals second straight playoff run has brought new energy to Cincinnati
- Bars, restaurants and sports retail shops are seeing a boom in business as a result of the team’s success
- Fans believes the Bengals’ winning ways is good for the morale of the city
“We’re the bomb,” a jubilant, smiling Felter Hocker said of his beloved Bengals. “It feels like we’re unstoppable right now.”
Hocker, 64, took the day off work on Monday so he could head to downtown Cincinnati and continue some of the celebration from the night before.
Felter Hocker and his wife made a trip to the Bengals Pro Shop on Monday to look for new apparel ahead of the AFC Championship. (Spectrum News 1/Casey Weldon)
One of the first stops for Hocker and his wife, Katherine Jones-Hocker, was the Bengals Pro Shop at Paycor Stadium.
Both Hocker and his wife take their fandom seriously. The couple’s home in Mount Healthy is decked out in orange and black for the team’s postseason run.
They have a ton of Bengals apparel and swag already, Hocker said, but they were out Monday looking for new gear for their 11 grandchildren.
“And us, too,” he said with a laugh. “We need to look the part when we’re watching the game on Sunday.”
The pro shop didn’t wait long to put out shirts celebrating the Bengals’ divisional championship. Shirts promoting the team’s matchup with the Chiefs should be available by midweek, according to Aaron Ruschman, a sales clerk.
“Business has been doing pretty well today,” he added. “We’ve been pretty steady; definitely a lot of excited fans coming out.”
On Monday afternoon, there were a dozen or so people in the store at any given time picking out team hats, jackets and T-shirts. Tiger-striped pajama pants were prominently on display.
Sam Hubbard gear is popular right now, too, Ruschman said. The star defensive end had a game-winning 98-yard fumble return against the Baltimore Ravens in the opening round of the playoffs.
The top-selling items are any merchandise featuring wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and/or quarterback Joe Burrow, Ruschman said. That didn’t surprise him.
Aaron Ruschman said this season has been as hectic in the pro shop as last season, but fans seem just as excited. (Spectrum News 1/Casey Weldon)
“It’s pretty much always going to be this way, for men, women and children,” he added. “They’re both such big stars right now that everyone seems to want their jerseys.”
Business at the Bengals pro should continue to pick up in the days leading up to Sunday’s matchup with the Chiefs, Ruschman said. He noted that if the Bengals win, the store will open from 10 p.m. until midnight that evening to sell AFC Champion apparel.
Sales have been good throughout the season, Ruschman said. But to him, it hasn’t compared to the madness of last year when the team won its first playoff game since 1990.
“When we first won that first playoff game, everyone was coming out of the woodwork,” he said. “They were like, ’We’ve gotta get Bengals everything.’ So, this year, there’s still that excitement, but it’s not as hectic as it was last season.”
Hocker recalled fondly last year’s memorable run to Super Bowl LVI, speaking of the excitement of the fans and community’s support of the Bengals.
He attended the Bengals’ AFC Championship game in 1988, he said. This current run feels different to him.
“The city has really come alive around this team,” Hocker said. “There’s been a little bit more action. There’s been a little more love, from the city to the team.”
That vitality was on display Sunday afternoon at many bars and restaurants across Cincinnati, including Mr. Pitiful’s, a bar on Main Street in Over-the-Rhine.
“It was a lot of fun,” Laura Switzer, a bartender at Mr. Pitiful’s, said about the game. “(Customers) were screaming, yelling, supporting each other, supporting the team. It was just a high level of camaraderie — and a lot of shots.”
Leroy Ansley, co-owner of Uncle Leo’s in OTR, attended the Bengals-Bills game in Buffalo. He said the success of the team is good for Cincinnati. (Photo courtesy of Leroy Ansley)
Mr. Pitiful’s does pretty good business on most Sundays, Switzer said, but things ramp up when the Bengals are playing well.
“People want to go out and be with other people when something huge is happening, such as your football team winning a playoff game,” she said. “They don’t want to sit there and celebrate at home alone, so having them doing well gets people out and spending money.”
The Bengals-Chiefs showdown doesn’t kick off until 6:30 p.m. on Sunday. Mr. Pitiful’s plans to open a little later in the day and stay open later than usual so fans can watch the entire game, Switzer said.
“I’m expecting a huge Sunday,” she added. “We’re going to be packed for the game. All the bars and restaurants are going to be packed. It’s going to be great for the city.”
Leroy Ansley wasn’t at his OTR bar, Uncle Leo’s, on Sunday. Instead, he was with a group of six people in Buffalo to watch the game in person.
Only four members of the group are Bengals fans. Ansley is a Chiefs supporter.
But against the Bills, they were all cheering for Cincinnati. From what Ansley saw, they weren’t the only ones in the stands doing so, either. He said it felt like a quarter of the crowd was supporting the Bengals.
“There was so much energy at that stadium,” Ansley said. “The Bengals fans constantly chanting ‘Who Dey,’ Bills fans chanting ‘We got this,’ and both fan bases chanting ‘Screw the Chiefs’ — at least they both agreed on that.”
Ansley said the atmosphere is always great on game days at Uncle Leo’s. While it’s not a sports bar, it turns into one when the Bengals are playing.
The bar, which can accommodate a few dozen guests at a time, plans to serve Sloppy Joe’s and offer drink specials on Sunday.
“As a lifelong Chiefs fan, I obviously will be rooting for my team on Sunday. But as someone who really loves Cincinnati, I know another Super Bowl run would be amazing for the town,” Ansley said. “This weekend is going to be fun.”
