BENGALS NEW UNIFORM DESIGN GENERATES MUCH DISCUSSION

By: Rachael Bishop

It is an interesting time to be a sports fan in Cincinnati. F.C Cincinnati has just begun its third season in Major League Soccer, the Cincinnati Bengals revealed new uniforms for the first time in 16 seasons, and Cincinnati Reds- baseball’s oldest team- are first in the NL Central. 

Mo Egger, a radio host on ESPN 1530 Cincinnati, and a lifelong fan of the Bengals and Reds, thinks that the Bengals jersey redesign was much needed. 

“Here’s how I feel about the uniforms: there are two qualifiers, number one: for the last 16 years I have disliked their uniforms,” Egger said on The Rod Pedersen Show via video chat. “I’ve never done psychedelic drugs, but if I did and if I was a uniform designer, I think what we would have would be what the Bengals wore from 2004-2020.” 

Overall, Egger thinks the jerseys are an improvement, but is not wowed by them. “I’ll give them about a seven (out of ten),” Egger said. “I think the one thing they have done over the last 15 years is make orange a bigger part of what they do. Tigers are orange. They are not black with orange stripes; they are orange with black stripes.” 

It is not just the jersey redesign that is making waves. With the NFL Draft just one week away, and the Bengals’ lack of success in recent years, whom the Bengals will draft with their first-round pick at fifth overall is also a hot topic of discussion.

“You know this entire draft really, I think to a degree, may hinge on what the Bengals do because we’ve been having discussions for months about ‘alright the fifth pick if you have a chance to draft Jamar Chase, wide receiver from LSU, [who had a] 20 touchdown year two years ago with Joe Burrow throwing him passes. A record setting career at LSU, awfully enticing,” Egger said. “OR do you take Penei Sewell, regarded as one of the best offensive line prospects in this draft? I think what the decision comes down to is how do you feel about those players who play those two positions that you can get on Friday?” 

Egger also thinks that the Cincinnati Reds performance thus far this season has been promising. The Reds are currently first in the NL Central with a 9-6 record, led by Toronto native and star first baseman Joey Votto, a record that Egger calls “encouraging”, but with a 162 MLB season, he recognizes that “obviously, there’s a long way to go.”