The easiest way to start a conversation in western Pennsylvania is to wear a Bengals hoodie. Whether it's a joke, a jab, or genuine football talk, someone is going to say something.
When you live deep in the heart of Steelers country, football isn't something you leave behind at the stadium on a Sunday or Monday. It becomes part of everyday life. Local news with Steelers storylines, sports talk radio spending hours dissecting every roster move. Grocery stores selling black-and-gold everything, all year. At work it isn't uncommon to see Terrible Towels hanging in office cubicles or waving from car windows.
Then there's you... the one person wearing black and orange while everyone else is in black and yellow.
Being a Bengals fan here means you are almost certainly in the minority in most occasions. Every Monday morning after a loss you get the same comments from, "I thought this was your year", "Six rings, baby", "The Bungles are back". It doesn't matter if it's a co-worker, a neighbor, or a cashier at the grocery store. If you're wearing Bengals gear, someone usually has an opinion. Meanwhile, every Steeler victory is treated like a holiday. You learn very quickly that wearing a Bengals hoodie is not just a fashion choice, it is an opportunity to invite either a conversation or ridicule.
Surprisingly enough, that is part of what makes it fun — and why Week 3's showdown in Pittsburgh is such a momentous occasion.
The Rivalry Never Takes a Day Off
Most of the time a rivalry will last for a week or two during the season, but when you live in your rival's area, it lasts all year.
There is constant conversation between co-workers, friends, and relatives discussing who became better from the draft, whose quaterback is going to be able to position their team for success better, who has the better set of offensive weapons etc.
There isn't an offseason from hearing about the Steelers, which means there isn't an offseason from defending the Bengals.
Winning Feels Different
I was born and raised in the Cincinnati area, the Bengals have been a way of life for me since I can remember.
However, when I lived in Cincinnati a Bengals win is exciting because everyone around you is celebrating, one of my best memories, I was at Dave and Buster's in Springdale, OH and it was during the Divisional round against the Titans in 2021, you know the one, where Evan McPherson sent us to the AFC Championship. I have never experienced that much excitement for Bengals football at one time, other than being in the stadium when we have won the division. However, in western PA, a Bengals win means something else, it means walking into work with a little swagger, it means the jokes stop... for a while at least. It means the people who spent months reminding you about six Super Bowls suddenly don't have much to say.
When Cincinnati beats Pittsburgh, it doesn't matter where the teams are in the standings, it means I can walk around with a little bit of smirk on my face, a little bit more gravitas if you will. The jokes seem to go away, and for one week the conversation changes.
Those moments become the most satisfying because you've spent months defending the Bengals and the moves they make, not to mention constantly hearing that they just aren't good enough.
Expectations Have Changed
For years, the Bengals have struggled to be a team that could keep up with the Steelers on a consistant basis. The Steelers were a model of stability, never having a losing season (even though they had mediocre seasons numerous times), and the Bengals were always looked at as a franchise that was trying to catch up.
Joe Burrow changed more than the Bengals' record. He changed the conversation.
Bengals fans no longer enter the season hoping to sneak into the playoffs. They expect to compete for championships. Even Steelers fans, whether they'll admit it or not, know Cincinnati isn't the same organization it was a decade ago. That confidence is something Bengals fans experienced prior to 2021.
That is why being a fan in western PA can be so enjoyable as a Bengals fan. Every prediction becomes a debate. Every divisional game has more meaning. Every win has bragging rights attached.
Respect is something Bengals fans have spent decades trying to earn. Living in Steelers Country reminds you every day that it still has to be defended.
Behind Enemy Lines
Being a Bengals fan in Cincinnati felt natural. While being one deep in Steeler Country is a choice you have to make every day.
You have to have a thick skin and be able to laugh at the jokes, be prepared to answer the questions, and make sure to wear your Bengals gear regardless. When Cincinnati delivers on the field, the victories feel just a little sweeter because you know you'll be hearing about football all week.
As another AFC North season begins, I know exactly what's coming. Every prediction will become a debate. Every Bengals loss will become another opportunity for Steelers fans to remind me of their six Lombardi trophics. Every Bengals win will give me another Monday where I can finally do the talking. And honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.
Living behind enemy lines hasn't made me any less of a Bengals fan. If anything, it's made every black and orange victory feel a little sweeter.
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