David Pepper Profile picture
Feb 3, 2022 16 tweets 5 min read Read on X
A BENGALS THREAD: Evolving into a Burrow-style Bengals fan:

The Bengals had just lost two home games in a row, falling to 7-6 and behind their rivals in the AFC North.

The team was heading to Denver, where we always lose

The once great season looked to be coming to an end

1/
And then something happened.

It was the 3rd quarter. We weren’t playing well and Denver was hanging around.

Bengals fans like me had seen this all before. Filled with dread about the inevitable end

But then, texting with my brother @dougpepper , I did something crazy…

2/
Somewhat tongue in cheek, against all that I was actually feeling at the time and 30 years of fan experience, I texted three words: “We got this.”

Doug responded in exactly the way I would’ve if he had sent the same message.

3/ Image
I knew he was right. But I decided to run with it.

So I doubled down with this:

4/ Image
Not only was I predicting a win, when a season-killing loss was looming, but I now was going a step further.

First place!

Doug, of course, was uncomfortable with this newfound approach to watching games.

It was all so foreign.

5/ Image
His fear only spurred me to up my confidence in the inevitable win:

6/ Image
Yes, with our theoretic victory in hand (although it wasn’t at the time), I wanted to watch our rival Ravens lose so we’d get into first place.

Fear left Doug—this new level of fan boldness inspired amusement. Laughter!

7/ Image
But I didn’t let that stop me.

I was on a roll. And it felt empowering.

Back came more optimism. And for the first time, some self-awareness of an evolution taking place. Then even more confidence. Trash talk, even

I declared “ballgame” long before the outcome was clear.

8/ Image
But I turned out to be right.

And yes, I then enjoyed watching the Ravens lose in disastrous fashion.

But Bengals fans will also remember that at the end of that game, Mixon looked to be badly hurt.

Of course, that sour point was the focus of Doug’s next message.

9/ Image
A very Bengals fan instinct. Doom dead ahead.

But no, I was not going to let that worry change my new attitude.

I did an instant medical analysis from my couch and declared all to be fine.

10/ Image
It was clear I was making progress, because in his next text, brother Doug mentioned two words Bengals fans never utter unless reliving painful memories (Ie. Billups, Krumrie, Wilson, Montana-Taylor): “Super Bowl”

Still, it was laced in pessimism about the injury.

11/ Image
Again, I pushed back. All would be good.

12/ Image
And lo and behold, Mixon did come back.

With the win, we climbed to 8-6 and first place. And never looked back.

The rest is history.

And it all started with that Denver road win.

13/
Now I’m not saying my new attitude is what changed the trajectory of the season.

If others, on reading this thread, want to give me credit, that’s fine with me. 😎

14/
But what I will say is my decision to approach Bengals games as a fan w the same confidence that Burrow and the team have approached the games themselves has made the ride SO much more enjoyable

I can’t recommend it highly enough.

It’s a new team. A new era.

Burrow time!

15/
So in the next 10 days, when people yell “Who Dey?” and I respond with “Nobody!”, know that I absolutely mean it.

You do the same.

END

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with David Pepper

David Pepper Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @DavidPepper

Jun 30
🚨 🚨

LAUNCH DAY: “Saving Democracy, Second Edition”

“David Pepper has the experience and the skills to help us make a better American future. Read, learn — and act."

- @TimothyDSnyder

1/ Image
“In Saving Democracy, David Pepper explains the tactics of authoritarians in America and offers strategies to fight back. For anyone who wants to know what to do and how to make a difference, this book provides a practical and badly needed road map.”

- @anneapplebaum

2/
Friends-

In recent months, I’ve been working hard to update my most recent book (from 2023): “Saving Democracy: A User’s Manual.”

3/
Read 13 tweets
Jun 28
🚨 🚨

If Project 2025 had had a chapter outlining the role the federal judiciary could play in putting all its dark promises into place—and allowing authoritarianism to advance quickly and broadly—here are what the key elements would be:

1/ Image
1) create immunity for federal officials engaging in official acts

2) make it as difficult as possible for courts and those aggrieved by illegal acts to stop them—even after they have been found to be illegal or when they are blatantly illegal

2/
3) use rulings to create a culture where federal district court orders can be regularly ignored with incredibly slow or no repercussions whatsoever

3/
Read 16 tweets
Jun 27
🚨 🚨

Ohio: an analysis finds that the following rural hospitals are most at risk of closing due to Medicaid cuts:

1) Bucyrus (Crawford County): Bucyrus Community Hospital

2) Cadiz (Harrison County): Harrison Community Hospital

1/
3) Coshocton (Coshocton County): Coshocton Regional Medical Center

4) Dennison (Tuscarawas County): Twin City Hospital

5) East Liverpool (Columbiana County): East Liverpool City Hospital

2/
6) Greenville (Darke County): Wayne Hospital;

7) Jackson (Jackson County): Holzer Medical Center

8) Portsmouth (Scioto County): Southern Ohio Medical Center

9) Seaman (Adams County): Adams County Regional Medical Center

3/
Read 5 tweets
Jun 25
🚨 🚨

A huge ruling in Ohio yesterday: universal vouchers struck down as unconstitutional

A 🧵 on some of the damning facts:

1/ Image
1) Columbus City Schools receive only $2,800 per student (45,000 students) from the state, while the 7,500 voucher-funded private school students within its district are funded at more than $5,400 per student

2/
2) Cleveland/University Heights: $1,700 for each public school student vs. $5,500 per private/voucher student in the same community

3/
Read 17 tweets
Jun 20
🚨 🚨

Husted, We Have a Problem

A 🧵 on the Golden Opportunity to Flip Ohio’s Senate Seat Blue in 2026

Last week, Chuck Schumer flew to Ohio in a not so subtle effort to recruit @SherrodBrown to run for the US Senate in 2026.

The dinner meeting was caught on camera…

1/ Image
…leading to a national story, and a whole lot of people from beyond Ohio asking who the @rooster_ohio is

But these same people should also be asking, more and more intensely, who the sitting Senator is.

His name is Jon Husted, he is a deeply tainted and untested candidate,

2/
and will play a pivotal role in the Senate map next year.

Here’s why.

1. He’s gearing up to support the deeply toxic Big Ugly Budget Bill

Husted is in overdrive touting the budget bill that polls show is deeply underwater. And few states will be hit harder by its worst…

3/
Read 28 tweets
Jun 11
🚨 🚨

A Tale of Two “Public Servants”

A 🧵

Yesterday, I drove to a food pantry in rural Ohio where I was told they were running out of food.

Here’s what I learned.

1/
The food pantry itself (in a town called Manchester) is doing heroic work to help those in need.

The dedicated staff and volunteers—aided by donations from local churches, Kroger, and some grant funding—are doing what they can.

Here’s what they told me:

2/
1) People generally come by the food bank once their SNAP benefits run out. So later in the month, as food support from SNAP runs out for families, the busier they get.

3/ Image
Read 25 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(