Pretty Cool I Guess: This Guy Who Played On The Bengals For Two Years Is Here To Talk To Your School About Something
In the world of sports journalism, there’s no such thing as a guarantee. Like sports, you’ve got to roll with the punches, or you’ll wind up getting knocked out.
That’s exactly what I did last week when I traveled to Cincinnati to interview Zac Taylor, the Bengal’s new head coach. Soon after my plane landed, I learned that the website had made a mistake. Instead of booking the rookie coach, they had scheduled an interview with the owner of a small sports memorabilia store, Zach Taylor, who was under the impression that Sports Riot had flown me all the way to Cincinnati to write a puff piece on his dinky little shop.
Still in need of a story but aware that it couldn’t be about some unknown autograph peddler, I headed to nearby Turpin High School, where a former Bengals’ defensive back was speaking to students about leadership. It seemed like the perfect story: underprivileged kids getting the chance to meet and learn from a professional athlete. What’s better than that?
When I arrived at the school, the air was thick with excitement. The gymnasium was packed with hundreds of students, many dressed head to toe in Bengal’s apparel. Several students had even painted tiger stripes on their faces, while others had come to school dressed in full tiger costumes.
A hush came over the crowd as the speaker wearing a faded t-shirt which read, “Bengal’s Training Camp 2002,” approached the stage. Before he reached the microphone, an overeager student yelled out and asked, “Are you Ocho Cinco?”
“No,” the player responded.
“Do you know Ocho Cinco?” shouted another student.
“Kind of,” replied the former member of the Bengal’s roster.
After deciding I couldn’t bear to spend another second in that room, I left. I don’t consider this experience worthy of being written about, but the company already paid for my plane ticket, so I had to write something. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I wish I’d just interviewed the memorabilia guy, pretended to care, then taken a red-eye flight back home.
