CINCINNATI — A striking uniform and a city name just as unique. If that's not a good enough reason to root for a football team, then you probably won't understand Chris Hood.
The diehard Bengals fan has been supporting the team for four decades, but not from Cincinnati or anywhere in the Tri-State. Hood says "Who Dey" in Wales.
The 53-year-old lives in the country's capital of Cardiff. He loves soccer like everyone else, but his passion for American football started when he was a teenager in the 1980s.
"They actually showed some highlights on a Sunday evening, but it would be from the previous week," he said.
Hood kept tuning in until he realized he liked the sport enough to want to support a team. Though, while the rest of the UK was backing popular teams like the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco 49ers and now-Washington Commanders, Hood said he didn't want to jump on the mainstream bandwagon.
Enter the Cincinnati Bengals and an orange and black helmet to catch his eye.
"I just thought it was so great, and I heard the name Cincinnati and it just sounded cool and different and so I just went with that and just no looking back after that really," Hood said.
Hood joined the Bengals' wagon. Now, four decades later, Hood's 18-year-old son Monty is on board too.
"Sort of followed my dad but really it was Madden Mobile. I mean I looked and saw the team and same sort of story — just the colors looked cool. Chose them. Saw AJ Green highlights and was just like, 'This is the kind of guy I want to support,'" Monty said.
The 18-year-old is heading to university this fall, but he spent his childhood in a youth American Football League. He wasn't the only Bengals fan on his team.
"There's about three or four of us who support the Bengals so it's been —there's definitely a growing Bengals fanbase in Wales," he said.
The father and son have watched the Bengals play in London twice already, but the dream was always to cheer them on from inside The Jungle.
After a year and a half of planning — and British Airways' recent addition of nonstop flights to CVG — the two booked their flights to Cincinnati and secured their seats at Paycor Stadium.
They were in the nosebleeds, but that's exactly what the pair wanted.
"Because that's the view I've seen on TV sometimes. You can see the whole game. You can see the atmosphere. You can see the Cincinnati skyline. You see everyone in orange," Hood said.
Though it wasn't the outcome they wanted — the Bengals fell to the New England Patriots 10-16 — the two aren't discouraged. They're staying stateside for the rest of the week for a planned road trip to the Football Hall of Fame in Canton before heading to Kansas City where they'll cheer on the Bengals against the Chiefs on Sunday.
Had so much fun at the tailgates. Wasn't expecting to see anyone getting married!#Bengals #WhoDey #Cincinnati pic.twitter.com/Sf6PSDR81C
— Chris Hood (@wHOODeyCP) September 8, 2024
While they're memories the two won't soon forget, they're not the only ones father and son will cherish. Hood documented their trip on social media, sharing photos and tweets showing them visiting local landmarks and attractions including the zoo and Findlay Market and trying their first scoops of Greater's Ice Cream and first plates of Skyline Chili 3-Ways.
My son just got the Home Run ball?Let's Go Reds!#Cincinnati #CincinnatiReds https://t.co/rmOd5ao7jN
— Chris Hood (@wHOODeyCP) September 5, 2024
The two also met former Bengals running back Ickey Woods at a fan event at Fountain Square, watched the University of Cincinnati Bearcats and caught a home run ball at a Reds game.
"I was just watching it come past, like, wait this is going to land right next to us," Monty said. "It's crazy."
The trip to Cincinnati was long overdue, but it won't be their last. They're hoping to make it an annual tradition, Hood said.
"Just walking around the city and seeing the 'B' and the 'Who Deys' and people wearing replica shirts the whole time," he said. "It's like, it's like being in an orange and black Disneyland."
