Cincinnati Bengals ARE the AFC Champions
Pack Mules Roll the Dice on a Super Bowl "Less" Experience
LA wasn't even on our radar this travel season. Who would have expected our beloved Cincinnati Bengals to win their first playoff game in over 30 years, then win their next playoff game on the road against the number 1 seed in the AFC, and finally win against the power house Cheifs on their field. Not many. Hell, they were predicted to win no more than 6 games this season.
Well, it happened and when you are a Pack Mule you go where the opportunities await. That meant LA bound to soak in the whole Super Bowl Bengal vibe even if it means not going to the game. Lower expectations means fewer disappointments. Wait a minute, that is NOT us. We always expect a positive experience because if you take that route, that is what you get. You are always meant to be where you are at.
Making the commitment to leave our tropical vacation in Aruba early, get flights and book a fairly expensive accommodations near the stadium for 6 nights in a city we have already explored may be super hype or a total dud.
We booked and made all these plans knowing that we will not likely get tickets to the actual game. We can purchase tickets, but in no way would we spend that kind of cash on a game. (Tickets are $14 thousand dollars for 2 of us) It is obnoxious, the price is obscene, it has become an event for the elite. Our intent was to be in the city, soak up the experience with thousands of Bengals fans, and feel some of the excitement.
Yes, we love the simple joy that the Bengals and the NFL brings us each September-January. It is part of what we do as a couple. As red neck, shallow, sexist, greedy or whatever some may classify NFL football as, we look at it as entertainment, period. All we want is to continue having a blast supporting our team. So......here we are LA.
We attended a pre-pre-pre- Bengal tailgate
get together with about 50 other fans was hosted by Bengal Fan of the year, Jimmy Foster. Boy, are we glad we did. We were happy to grab a Lyft and head to Manhattan Beach for the afternoon and evening. They call this district "The Bubble"of LA and for good reason. It was "chill" LA, a far cry from some of the other high speed, high dollar, high everything vibe. #bengaljims_btr
Just Be Yourself and Put Yourself Out there
This is were shit gets interesting. We met some great Bengal fans from all over and some from the local area. One couple in particular, Richie and Sandra, were nice enough to offer to watch the game at their house since we didn't have tickets. By the end of the night they had 2 tickets that someone else "upgraded" so they had an extra set. They were generous enough to sell them to us for a price that we offered. It was a gift to us and we plan on paying that one forward. Thank you Richie and Sandra, we know you could have sold your tickets for much, much more.
We met Bengal Jim and a host of his friends 4 years ago at a tailgate he hosts in Cincinnati. He is now kind of a big deal and was named by the NFL as the Bengals 2021 Fan of The Year. His "stardom" has not gone to his head. He is about as humble, cool and genuine of a human you will ever meet. We are grateful for him and his efforts to promote the team we all love.
Then we attended another Pre-Game Event
Luckily we were one of the 700 fans who got on-line (while we were in Aruba) and got tickets to the Saturday night tailgate event in downtown LA. It was at a local brewery in the Arts District which included the empty property next to it. It was inside and out, packed with Bengal fans of all kinds. We met the Mayor of Cincinnati, rapper Coolio, Bengals Legend Icky Woods, the CEO of Graeters Ice Cream, #graetersicecream plus over 1,200 #WhoDey fans thrilled for the opportunity to watch history be made for the city. One day earlier we were like a lot of the fans at this event and did not have tickets to the game.
FOOTBALL was the reason
we were in LA, and that it was. We enjoyed every second. Sitting in IHop for breakfast FILLED with Bengal fans was just one moment you had to just pinch yourself.
Stopping at a crosswalk and someone from across the street yells "Who Dey" about gives you the shivers.
Seeing the "BENGALS" black and orange in the end zone when you walk into SoFi Stadium, didn't even seem real.
The kind Ram's fans who were nothing but modest winners, straight up great fans who were welcoming even after the excitement of the big win. Lots of "great game" and well wish comments as we left the stadium. We believe if the coin would have been in our favor, we would all have been screaming our heads off and taking over the streets of neighboring Compton.
One of my favorite moments was the look on a Rams fans face when the loud speaker in the stadium played the old school Bengals Fight Song. It is a very old school, polka maybe even kind of high school ish sounds song. Nothing that would have come out of LA. It rocks and we sang it loud. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upHWtPkuD5s
Watching Brett the entire week with a smile so big it could have possibly added lines to his face. He probably said "I can't believe this" at least 30 times. This was a great experience for us, but even more a long time coming for Brett a fan for so long he is not exactly sure when he first started watching them. He told one person who asked how long he said "since I was born" It was pure joy.
So many stories from fellow fans as to "why" a Bengals fan. We met them from not only Cincinnati, but all over the country and even other parts of the world.
Just a few LA Photos. The City worked hard at cleaning things up prior to the event. We verified that they moved thousands, and thousands of homeless people and camps out of the areas where NFL Fans were going to be. The homeless problem is certainly still evident. It is mind boggling as we travel domestic and internationally that the USA with all its resources still has such such high rates of homelessness. This YouTube video from a spirited "German in Venice Beach" tells it all if you are interested. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-eNoc1rYNU
LA is SO huge, it is like several cities among cites with all different flavors. We decided to hit Randy's Donuts (an LA staple), a walk through the fashion district, the LA Convention Center area, and the Arts district before going to the early evening party.
History is being made. Cincinnati has not been to a Superbowl since 1988. They are yet to win a Super Bowl Championship, but they are SET to win a Championship and the Pack Mules are here to witness it. We all know the outcome was not what we wanted but the game was nothing but thrilling and the experience more than we could have asked for.
#NoFanLeftBehind was a non profit that printed shirts of recently lost Bengal fans that never made it to the Super Bowl. There were over 700 shirts that found a volunteer like us to wear the shirts to the game, tag the photo so the loved ones could share
Everyone was talking up SoFi Stadium, and we kind of blew it off. Well, it was pretty darn cool. The view of the setting sun among the backdrop of the California mountains was pretty outstanding.
We were super surprised that the security wasn't that tough getting to the actual stadium on game day. We entered the lines and stadium as if we didn't have a ticket---and actually they didn't do a scan or ask for our e-ticket until right before we stepped in. We totally could have PACK MULED our way to be very close if we didn't have tickets. (but reallllllly glad we had tickets!)
The Bengals lost 23-20 in the final seconds. It was a game to witness. Super Bowl LVI is in the books and the Pack Mules are happy we took the chance to go there without knowing the outcome of our place at the table. We love having the freedom to bop around and chase events, and this was certainly one worth chasing. Our iPhone says that our LA foot miles clocked over 50, I think we covered some ground.
Comments