Hopeless in Cincinnati
How one man's greed has taken hope from a lifelong Bengals' fan. 
by Michael Abromowitz
Senior Writer
9/26/08

If I would have to describe myself right now, I would say I am pretty happy.  I would like to think I am an optimist, but I think the reasoning for my happiness is my acceptance of disappointment.  I have become so used to losing that it has become my norm, and victory doesn't even register with me anymore.  I may see a light at the end of the tunnel, but instead of even chasing after it, I just give up already knowing that I will never reach it.  What's the point of expecting something that you will never get?

That is what it feels like to be a Cincinnati Bengals fan.  I know sounds depressing doesn't it?  Some of you probably think I should see a shrink for my depression.  However, it is not depression, it is reality. 

As long as Mike Brown and his family own and manage the Cincinnati Bengals organization, there will be no light at the end of the tunnel, there will be no championships, and most importantly there will be no hope.  How can a fan have hope from an ownership that has changed little in the past 15 years?  After years of losing and failure to win a single playoff game, a solid business mind would come to the conclusion that changes needed to be made.  Without looking too in depth in the organization there are many things that jump out:  smallest scouting department in the NFL, nepotism in the front office, failure to invest in team facilities, failure to lure in free agents, poor drafting (talent and character), and an owner who puppeteers his coach.  

Knock knock to Mr. Brown, what you are doing isn't working and firing Marvin Lewis won't do anything, but prolong the losing.  The only cure to this is to either fire yourself and sell the team or finally open that wallet of yours.  You know that wallet you got because you just happened to win the gene pool.  Grant it a lot of people from famous wealthy parents have been successful on their own:  Paris Hilton, Nicole Ritchie, and Michael Douglas.  I have to agree Michael Douglas is a great actor, but Kirk Douglas is the main reason for his success.  

Mike Brown isn't an idiot, actually he is a freaking genius.  I prefer the term mad genius.  He is doing exactly what makes him and his family the most money.  With stadium seats sold out for another year and the NFL revenue sharing program, Mike Brown is racking in a ton of money.  That money could be used to invest in the team.  Maybe build a nice practice facility for his team, you know an indoor practice field instead of just having a patch of grass outside the stadium that looks elementary compared to what they have at Ohio State.  The Bengals don't have to have a $30 million castle like the Baltimore Ravens, but something is needed to not only attract free agents, but to keep players' morale up.  Cincinnati Bengal players know all the luxuries other NFL teams have and when Willie Anderson got waived by the Bengals and picked up by the Ravens, he mentioned, "Over in Cincinnati, we were always kind of envious of how this organization was run."

Mike Brown could also boost his sparse scouting department.  The addition of scouts would certainly reduce the labor on his coaches and allow them to instead focus on game planning instead of scouting.  Other expenses could be used to hire personnel who have been successful in management and negotiating contracts.  The Bengals seem to always have NFL Draft holdouts and failures to complete a contract or trade.  Just remind Bengal fans of Warren Sapp or Shaun Rodgers.

But why should Mike Brown spend that money?  More wins would be likely, but minimal additional revenue would be coming in.  And if we knew anything about a business, its stupid to add excess cost if you can't gain it back in revenue.  So instead Mr. Brown chooses to keep the money for his family and watch the Bengals suffer on and off the field. 

The likeliest of way to see any change in the Bengals' organization is for Mike Brown to sell the team.  A sports owner's main intention in running an organization should be about winning, not making money.  Successful franchises have very rich owners who want to win, even if it means taking out their pocket book.  Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones is using his own money to pay the construction costs of the new Cowboys' stadium.  Mike Brown on the other hand forced Hamilton County taxpayers to take the burden.  He told the county that the new stadium was the only way for the Bengals to be competitive.  So Paul Brown Stadium was built thanks to a 1% tax increase on the citizens of Hamilton County. 

I will continue to be a Bengals' fan because that is the team I grew up with and I am too loyal to turn my back on them even though they have turned their back on me. The Bengals franchise should be about the city of Cincinnati, not about a greedy owner.  The city deserves better.  The players even deserve better.    

Just maybe, I will chase that light at the end of the tunnel.  To see that day though, I would have to see a new face in the owner's box.  As long as the Brown family owns the Bengals, I see no hope.  And that is a very sad truth.   And that is coming from an optimist.

Michael Abromowitz was quoted in an article titled "Now or never for Lewis?" by Dustin Dow of the Cincinnati Enquirer:

There is a perception throughout the league that Lewis has been hamstrung in part by Bengals ownership, said NFL analyst Michael Abromowitz. Abromowitz pointed out Brown's resistance to hiring a general manager or increasing the team's scouting department.

Even if Lewis is on the hot seat, Abromowitz said the coach's reputation should remain intact.

"After the amazing turnaround he's done with Cincinnati," said Abromowitz, president of TheFootballExpert.com, "every team would be happy to take him. It is not Marvin Lewis that should be on the hot seat, but rather the Brown family."