The next BengalsGM fan highlight is Enrique Medina from our southern neighbor Mexico. I did not realize how much the NFL had grown in Mexico until reading about Enrique and his band of Bengal brethren. Make no mistake, this guy is a die-hard just like Divakar Sivasubramaniam. It just goes to show that you don’t need to be from the ‘Nati to share our love for the Bengals. Here is Enrique’s story:
| Please give me a background profile on yourself. Name, age, location in Mexico, interest in football? Enrique Medina, 43 years old. I live in Guadalajara, Mexico (2nd largest city in Mexico located on the west side of Mexico near Puerto Vallarta). My interest in football comes from a large family background in football; many people in the U.S. doesn’t know there’s a large number of football fans in Mexico. I think the NFL has started to be realized in recent years. In my family everything started with my Grand-dad, Enrique; he liked football and he started going to watch college football games in Mexico City in the late 60’s (yes, football or American football to be clear has been present in Mexico since 1896 when the Texas Long Horns played an exhibition game in Monterrey Mexico and became very popular since then) . My grand-dad was a huge fan of the sport itself. It is the family thinking that this is a great game based on the effort, teamwork, discipline and mentality. Our idea is that it helps making good friends for life and forming good people while exercising. That is how my dad and some of my uncles started playing on amateur leagues for several years. My oldest brother, cousins and I became fans of the sport and started to play too , I played in junior amateur national leagues for about 9 – 10 years (behemoth at 8 years old until 18). I played as offensive guard and that was my position all of the time. I did play defensive tackle too sometimes. My dad used to be QB, my older Brother was QB too and my other brother was the RB. The family tradition continues and as of today my son plays football too as a receiver. Before COVID he was preparing for his 8th season (he has played since he was 5-6 years old and started with flag football, junior leagues and now focusing on playing in high school). All of us play in full 11v11, with full equipment, referees and based on U.S. college rules. |
| How did you choose to become a Bengals fan? I can say I became in love with the uniform and then I fell in love with the team. The team was doing good in the late 80’s. Here in Mexico everybody loved the Cowboys & Steelers (Mexican TV used to air mostly those team games in the 1970’s so people used to follow what they see). In the 80’s they started to broadcast random teams so I had a chance to watch the Bengals from time to time. Based on our interest for football my dad got cable for us which included main networks from the U.S. (ABC, CBS and NBC) so we where able to watch more games. My dad and brothers also liked to watch college football but I didn’t like the qualification method for the NCAA that they changed recently so I still don’t follow college that much. |
| Have you ever seen a game in Cincinnati? I’m a professional pilot, I fly corporate and have never had a chance to attend a Bengals game. I’ve been to Mexico City, Denver, Houston, Miami and Chicago games but none of them against the Bengals. When I’m in the U.S. for work I always look for any NFL game and if I have the chance and money I go. Still a dream to go to PBS and see the Bengals live! |
| Who is your favorite player and why? From the current roster I like Joe Mixon and Carlos Dunlap. I think they are the igniters for offense and defense |
| Are you able to watch games in Mexico? Yes. When I was ~12 years old I had to stay awake until 1AM because they usually started the game at 10 PM local time. When cable became available there where more games. Since few years ago the SUNDAY TICKET is available for purchase every season, so I can watch all the Bengals games if I’m at home . |
| Are there many other Bengals fans to enjoy the games with? There’s a few that I know in my city but there’s a good number of fans in Mexico City and some in other places. The Bengals are not one of the most preferred team in Mexico; many people like the Cowboys, Steelers, Patriots which I think are the most popular in all places. |
| How many wins will the Bengals have in 2020? I’m hoping at least 8; the team is still adapting to new coaching staff and now will have a new QB. I still think the team will improve compared to last season. |
| Is the NFL popular in Mexico? A LOT; I can say Mexico it’s the second-most country with NFL fans. Years ago I went to Estadio Azteca for a preseason exhibition game between Denver and Miami and there were somewhere around 110,000 people that night, for a preseason game! Since, we have had a Mexico game which it’s always sold out. Like I mentioned there are a lot of American Football fans all over the country; we even have 2 small professional leagues and a bunch of public and private schools play in different leagues. |
| What is one thing you would like to tell Bengals fans about Mexico? Here we are! WHODEY! We support the team every week and we all dream for a trip and win in the Super Bowl! |
| What kind of food do you prepare on game day? If I’m at home and the game starts at 12 my wife and kids know that we will be having lunch after the game. We usually go for lunch outside on Sundays so will go after the game. I like to watch games at home alone with my family; if it is a primetime game we may go out and watch it at some restaurant with some other friends . In the US we eat chicken wings and Skyline chili but in Mexico I doubt that Cincinnati chili is easy to come by. We know chili but it’s not a very popular dish in Mexico. Still we do wings, nachos, tacos, ribs, snacks or anything else. |
| Tell me about your Mexico fan club that you are involved in. I have been a member since for 7-8 years. Most of the group members live in Mexico City and usually go to a Chili’s restaurant to watch the games. The group was founded in 2010 and we have a chat group on WhatsApp. Even in the off-season there’s always somebody writing and posting news. On Sunday as the Bengals’ game time comes closer the chat becomes crazy! |
