Photo: Provided by Dayton City Administrator Jay Fossett
A crew adds a "Who Deyton" banner to the Bellevue-Dayton Firehouse.
The Cincinnati Bengals are inspiring all kinds of good things during their first playoff run in 31 years. Quirky shirts. Tasty treats. And now a whole new name for a local city.
The city of Dayton, Kentucky, is going that route. On Thursday, Dayton Mayor Ben Baker signed a proclamation saying that on Saturday, Jan. 22 — the day the Bengals will take on the Tennessee Titans in the AFC divisional round — Dayton would become "Who Deyton."
Saturday also will be "Cincinnati Bengals Day," Baker added. Dayton's history with the Bengals involves more than its proximity to Cincinnati, a press release from Dayton City Administrator Jay Fossett says. The 1937 Bengals held its first workout in the city's Tacoma Park; later that year, the team also held its first scrimmage at O.W. Davis Field.
Watch Baker's proclamation below.
Similarly, Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval had proclaimed that Jan. 15 was "Who Dey Day" as the Bengals prepared to play the Las Vegas Raiders last weekend.
A number of football experts are predicting that the Bengals will topple the Titans this weekend, including CBS Sports' Bryan DeArdo. The writer says that quarterback Joe Burrow, the defense and a hungry attitude will pull the team through.
Cincinnati was 10-7 on the regular season, while Tennessee went 12-5.
The AFC Divisional round will be played in Nashville at 4:30 p.m. Saturday and will be broadcast on CBS and Paramount+.
After last week's AFC Wild Card win, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow became an internet star/meme, thanks to his distinctive sunglasses. Cincy Shirts has commemorated the look with a new shirt design.
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