Louisiana Newspaper Apparently Thinks Bengals' 'Who Dey' Chant Is 'Stupid'

It's been a long, long, long time coming, but the Cincinnati Bengals are finally heading to an AFC Championship again. And after enduring decades of ridicule for their hope and support, fans have earned the right to gloat a little.

But is Cincinnati's rallying cry of "WHO DEY" ridiculous? One Louisiana newspaper seems to think so.

The Advocate, Louisiana's largest newspaper, posted an editorial Tuesday morning with the headline, "Our Views: Cincinnati's 'Who Dey' Chant Is Stupid. Lets [sic] Loan Them Ours."

Ignoring that the Advocate editors forgot to include the apostrophe in "let's," the headline is needlessly aggressive and pretty much shits on what is an otherwise joyous moment for a fanbase that has taken its lumps for years.

At first, the Jan. 25 editorial professes that Louisiana supports the Bengals because quarterback Joe Burrow played at Louisiana State University in 2018 and 2019, earning the Heisman Trophy and a host of other awards. Likewise, wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase excelled at LSU in 2018 and 2019 and earned numerous awards, including being named the best receiver in college football.

But then The Advocate comes for "Who Dey."

And then there is the chant.

"Who dey, who dey, who dey think gonna beat dem Bengals?” sounds like a cheap knock-off of our more clever — and grammatically correct — Who Dat cheer.

The newspaper goes on to suggest that the New Orleans Saints could "loan" the Bengals "Who Dat" for the playoffs, implying that the Louisiana version is superior to Ohio's.

Ultimately, it doesn't matter. Bengals fans are excited. People are spending money at local watch parties and on team merchandise. The Bengals are motivated to win. A short staff editorial about a nitpicky subject from a newspaper 800 miles away really has no bearing on what's happening here.

But it's a weird flex, no?

The Cincinnati Bengals will play the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship at 3:05 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 30, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Fans can watch the game on CBS, Paramount + or NFL mobile options.

If the Bengals beat the Chiefs, Cincinnati will play either the San Francisco 49ers or the Los Angeles Rams during the Super Bowl on Sunday, Feb. 13.

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