About a week ago I was looking over my site statistics and came across a new country highlighted in my latest hits. It turns out I had a visitor from the country of Malaysia. My first thought was that this may be a VPN for a bot coming out of China or perhaps a web crawler but later on some Bengal fan pages I saw a posting from Divakar Sivasubramaniam hailing from……the country of Malaysia.
Divakar mentioned that one day he was hoping to get to a Bengals game but it was difficult since he lived so far away. I had to know more about Divakar and how the heck he became a Bengals fan and what his story was. I reached out to him via Facebook and he asked him a few questions. He obliged and I thought it would be fun to highlight a fellow fan across the world. Here is his story:
Please give me a background profile on yourself. Age, location in Malaysia, interest in football? “I am 58 this year, I am located in Kuala Lumpur which is the capital of Malaysia. My interest in American football is confined to Cincinnati Bengals only as there are not many NFL fans here and games are not telecast here.“
How did you choose to become a Bengals fan? “It was a stroke of luck. I was in Canada in 1980. I turned on the TV and I watched the Bengals playing the Jets in Meadowland and Ken Anderson was at the helm. We beat the Jets. I got hooked ever since. Plus I love the uniforms and the helmet.”
Have you ever seen a game in Cincinnati? “Never watched a game in Cincy. I bought airline tickets to watch them in Wembley Stadium. Twice. Cancelled the tickets as my dad felt sick 1 month before the first game so I did not go. Second game was against the Rams. Dad passed away about 2 weeks before the game. Again I did not go.”
Who is your favorite player and why? “Few players come to mind. Class of 81 and 88. But Ken Anderson is my favorite player. He is always calm and collected. I became a Bengal because of him.”
Are you able to watch games in Malaysia? If so are there any other Bengals fans to enjoy them with? “No, I have the Bengals app on my phone and I watch it on it. NFL is not popular here and its not telecast here. Viewership is minimal if not none. There are no other Bengals fans here. Only me. That is why I wear my jerseys on my charity rounds, To create awareness. and many have asked me who are the Bengals and I explain to them. I have all 3 colors jerseys plus a couple of caps and a whole bunch of wristbands. The game comes on at 4AM Malaysian time Monday morning as we are 12 to 14 hours ahead of USA. I watched the games then go to work after that.”
How many wins will the Bengals have in 2020? “I think 4 maybe 5. Burrow is a rookie and it will take him time to adjust to the roughness of professional football. Plus if the O line gives him good pass protection he will have more time to throw.”
Is the NFL popular in Malaysia? “No. Many are not aware of its existence. There are a smattering number of fans . These are people who spent some time in USA or Canada earlier. Most are Cowboys and Giants fans. again very few NFL fans.”
What is one thing you would like to tell Bengals fans about Malaysia? “Malaysia is a country made up of many ethnicities. We have many lovely buildings just like in USA. http://www.kuala-lumpur.ws/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia“
Have you ever played football yourself? “No, I have thrown a few balls in Canada but not here as we do not have American footballs here. They don’t sell them here.”
What kind of food do you prepare on game day? In the U.S. we eat chicken wings and Skyline chili. I don’t prepare anything as I am the only one watching the games on Bengals app. Plus its 4AM so I don’t really eat anything. But our food is Asian plus western. I will send some pictures to you on a later date.
Final Thoughts: “I have been a Bengal for 40 years now. Watched them lose 2 super bowls to 49ers, Heart break.“
Bengals fanhood has no territorial boundaries. Our pain and heartbreak is shared and when Joe Burrow hoists that Lombardi Trophy up it isn’t just for the team, it is for all of us and especially Divakar! Whodey brother!