After Cincinnati Bengals fans soaked in the Super Bowl experience last year. There are many reasons for Bengals fans to feel content with this year. Even with their team not advancing to Super Bowl LVII.

Cincinnati’s local newscasts won’t be all Super Bowl all the time

During the Bengals playoff runs this year and last year. Cincinnati TV newscasts went all in with around the clock Bengals coverage. One would think the Bengals postseason was the only story in the Cincinnati area. Had the Bengals advanced to Sunday’s Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, AZ. Cincinnati TV viewers would know more about the news in Arizona this week. Then they would know about the news in their hometown. This year Bengals fans and local media can effectively avoid the overdone Super Bowl hype.

Other sports teams are reclaiming the local spotlight

There was an unfortunate side effect to the Bengals playoff run. Other local teams were effectively put on the back burner media-wise. From Xavier’s nationally ranked men’s basketball team. To coverage of Friday night high school basketball games. Now those highlights are back, while the Cincinnati Cyclones navigate through their season. The Cincinnati Reds will head to Arizona for Spring Training next week. While FC Cincinnati’s preseason is already underway.

Many Bengals fans are saving thousands of dollars

By not advancing to the Super Bowl, many Bengals fans are saving a fortune. By not taking on massive travel and other game day expenses. Many Bengals fans will also get to avoid stress at the airport. Plus, navigating through traffic as fans and media from all over the world head to Arizona. While a trip to Arizona in mid-February sounds nice. Sitting in a traffic jam in dry heat does not.

Bengals fans also get to avoid paying for one of the most expensive tickets in sports. According to data from TicketIQ cited by The Sporting News writer Zac Al-Khateeb. The average ticket price for Sunday’s Super Bowl is $8,837. Fans can attend a Bengals home game or several Cincinnati Reds game for under $100.

We still get a Super Bowl packed with many intriguing matchups

History is being made at Super Bowl LVII through a phenomenal quarterback matchup. With Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes facing Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. This will be the first Super Bowl where both starting quarterbacks are Black. Coming 35 years after Doug Williams became the first Black starting quarterback in Super Bowl history. This is one of a series of noteworthy matchups that will play out on Sunday.

This year’s big game could be dubbed the Kelce Bowl. With Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce facing his brother and Eagles center Jason Kelce. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was previously the Eagles head coach. Guiding the Eagles to Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005. Philadelphia’s current head coach Nick Sirianni’s first NFL coaching job was with the Chiefs. Sirianni worked as a Chiefs offensive coach from 2009-2012. He was not retained by the Chiefs when Andy Reid became the Chiefs head coach in 2013.

Cincinnati’s Mayor can focus on more important things

If a mayor is going to draw negative national headlines for anything. I would rather it be for a trash talking proclamation ahead of a sporting event. Instead of genuinely serious things like corruption. It’s not as if classified documents were found at Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval’s house. Unlike the current and former Presidents of the United States.

With the Bengals now in their offseason, Mayor Pureval can focus on serious matters. Such as Cincinnati’s efforts to combat gun violence. Through a new measure passed unanimously by the city council this week. That strives to prevent people convicted of domestic violence from owning a gun. Had Cincinnati advanced to the Super Bowl. Pureval might’ve spent part of the week taking a selfie in front of a cactus. Or making food-related bets with the mayors of Philadelphia and Glendale, AZ.

Bengals fans still get to bask in the glow of their team’s national relevance

The Bengals embraced their inner Rodney Dangerfield during January. They felt they got “no respect” and let the nation know it. One shouldn’t blame the Bengals for feeling disrespected. They went into this season as the defending AFC champions. Yet they had to face the concerns of some nationally that their 2022 playoffs run was a fluke. Fortunately for the Bengals, this season showed that their run last year wasn’t a fluke. Nor should people blame those that doubted the Bengals this season.

After all, this is a franchise that endured a 31 year-long playoff losing streak. The Bengals won just two games in 2019. America was used to the Bengals being mired in mediocrity. While Bengals fans are giddy about the new and improved Bengals. The rest of the NFL is still adjusting to this.

Motivation for the future

There’s the old saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Missing out on this year’s big game will make the Bengals hungry to advance to next year’s Super Bowl. The Chiefs were motivated in this year’s AFC Championship Game. By the result of last year’s conference title game. Not only because they lost to the Bengals, they were also a third consecutive Super Bowl appearance.

Last year’s Bengals Super Bowl run, coupled with the Cincinnati Reds’ lackluster 2022 season. Likely made many local sports fans appreciate this year’s Bengals playoff run even more. The Bengals are eager to show that last year wasn’t the peak. Instead, the Bengals and their fans have reasons to feel happy about the franchise’s future.