Cincinnati Reds or Cincinnati Bengals: Who wins a championship first?

With the Cincinnati Reds ready to compete for a division crown, will they win a championship before the rebuilding Cincinnati Bengals?

Cincinnati sports fans have been waiting a long time to see a championship team return to the Queen City. The Cincinnati Reds haven’t won a World Series title since the wire-to-wire victory in 1990, and the Cincinnati Bengals have yet to win a Super Bowl in the history of the franchise. Which team will bring a title to Cincinnati first?

Now, that may seem like an odd question. After all, the Cincinnati Reds have just expanded their payroll and brought in several top-level free agents. Combine that with an elite-level pitching staff, and the Reds should be favored to win a championship before a football team that won just two games last season, right?

Not so fast. Remember that these are vastly different sports. The baseball season is 162 games, spanning six-plus months. The ability to win in Major League Baseball requires longevity, durability, and, of course, talent.

Professional football offers a much shorter season, but is perhaps more grueling sport. A 17-week season, limited to just one game per week, is filled with hard hits, collisions and organized mayhem. While durability is certainly key to a team’s success, speed is essential, and the game is becoming increasingly dependent on one elite player.

So, let the debate begin. Which professional sports team is more likely to bring a world championship to the city of Cincinnati? Will it be the Reds, who appear primed for a run at the NL Central Division crown? Or, might we see a quick turnaround from the Bengals, who hold the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft? Let’s look at several factors.