Why Cleveland Sports Fans Don't Respect The 'Nati

It's because of the Tri-State. And Art Modell. And grief.

I’ve got a secret to share with you. The real reason why people from up north look down on Cincinnati’s sports teams.

We don’t think you’re sufficiently pro-Ohio.

And to be fair… you’re not!

Cincinnati is a tri-state area. It’s just geography. But that geography influences what behavior is or is not acceptable.

You may recall this then-viral speech (for what counted as viral 29 years ago) from Bengals head coach Sam Wyche. Do we throw things? Guilty. It’s cost us! Though we do have that reputation, especially in the Dawg Pound, we’re not as bad as Philly, the reputation is deserved.

Our fandom is different than yours, and it’s because Cleveland is not a Tri-State fanbase. We’re just believers in the No True Ohioan fallacy.

Yes, some people from Michigan, Pennsylvania, or elsewhere, end up in Cleveland by fate, and either by choice or cruel parenting, end up fans of the Guardians, Browns, or Cavs. And they keep their allegiances, too.

But the main difference is that Cleveland fans, as opposed to Cincinnati fans, are overwhelmingly Ohio State fans. And that’s not true of Reds fans or Bengals fans.

There’s no official map of fandom. People move, more so now than when these franchises got their starts, but we have more geographic competition (and a Great Lake) up in Cleveland than you guys do down south.

When Jimmy Haslam drafted Baker Mayfield, he drafted a guy who stuck Oklahoma’s flag right in the center of the block O at the 50 yard line after beating the Buckeyes.

Browns fans were unsure of Mayfield. And when he got to Cleveland? There were doubts about whether his apology was sincere enough. It was later reported that Oklahoma forced his hand and it was not at all sincere.

He explained it was about winning, something the Browns have had historic problems with in recent decades, and fans generally accepted that, because they wanted to win, too.

Of course, Haslam has worn down the fanbase with his smarmy Tennessee charm, many of whom accept Deshaun Watson’s abhorrent (and potentially illegal!) off-field behavior as a trade off for winning. Friends of mine know that I do not accept this, and as a result, do not root for the Browns when he is playing.

Caron Palmer’s antics would not have gone over well in Cleveland. This ad still makes me laugh, though.

You’ll recall when Carson Palmer said this:

"I don't watch what I say. . . . I cannot stand the Buckeyes, and having to live in Ohio and hear those people talk about their team, it drives me absolutely nuts.

"It's amazing to hear what those guys think about that university and that football program and (coach Jim) Tressel and all the crap I've got to put up with being back there.

"I just can't wait for two years from now (actually 2009) when SC comes to the 'Shoe. Hopefully, we'll have a home game that weekend and I go up there and watch us pound on them on their own turf and put all the talk to rest, because I'm really getting sick of it.

"I just can't wait for this game to get here, so they can come out to the Coliseum and experience L.A. and get an old fashioned Pac-10 butt-whipping and go back to the Big Ten. I can't wait."

That would not fly in Cleveland. Carson Palmer did not have to live in Ohio, either. We would have thrown things at him for talking so much smack about our beloved Buckeyes. We would have booed him.

Baker Mayfield knew that, and as such, eventually earned a beloved status until our owner, “truck fraud magnate” Jimmy Haslam, as The Rooster’s D.J. Byrnes calls him, traded him to the Panthers.

We replaced Brian Hoyer, a Cleveland native and high-school classmate of mine for this trainwreck. Great job, Jimmy Truck Stops.

We expect that if you grew up in Cleveland, you’re also a Buckeyes fan.

But life happens, love happens. People move. Kentuckians who cheer for the ‘cats and Hoosiers move. It’s civil and neighborly to accept that while you might both support the Bengals, you might not also be a Buckeye fan. Cleveland also lacks popular D1 sports programs, so Ohio State it is. As a result, we’re also a little less civil and neighborly, because we don’t have to be.

After Art Modell punched us in the gut and moved our team to Baltimore (don’t get me started on Ravens fans), part our collective psychosis was lifted.

Bengals fans knew Art Modell was a piece of shit long before we could accept it. They benefited from it, as the team was created in the wake of Paul Brown’s firing. Truthbetold, we joke about Cincinnati’s obsession with Paul Brown because we haven’t moved on from his firing. The Bengals, set up by Brown, played football the right way, as the Browns did when he was coach.

And by the right way, I mean outdoors. No matter the weather. That is how Ohio football is to be played. Jimmy Haslam does not understand that.

If he gets his wish, and Cleveland taxpayers (and maybe us, too, in Cincinnati) contribute to it, the Bengals will have a very avid and motivated new fan.

Until that happens, at least we can agree: Fuck the Steelers and fuck the Ravens.