Last month news broke in Northeast Ohio that Cleveland Browns owners the Haslam family are in the process of purchasing a 178-acre plot of land in Brook Park Ohio.  The plot is located directly across from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The news did cause a dust up with many Browns fans and people in the Cleveland Sports Media. But the move would make sense for the Browns and everyone else involved.

Let’s first start on where the Browns play today. Cleveland Browns stadium is in downtown Cleveland Ohio. Tailgating in the Muni lot before games is a longtime tradition for Browns fans. However, the stadium is now outdated. The original construction from 1996-1999 was hastily rushed. This was because they had to have the stadium ready by August of 1999. It is poorly constructed and in desperate need of serious upgrades. The lease with the City of Cleveland expires at the end of the 2028 season. And the City of Cleveland has other priorities than a football stadium overhaul- or building a new one. That leaves the Haslam family with a difficult decision to be made.

Starting in 2029 the Cleveland Browns could be playing outside of the City of Cleveland. The proposed location is about 10 miles south of downtown Cleveland. It is not that far away from the city. The actual stadium itself will most likely be a domed stadium. This would be for economic reasons. With a dome other events can be hosted by the greater Cleveland area. NCAA Final Fours, Wrestlemanias, and Super Bowls would be possible. Currently WWE is close to finalizing a deal to have 2024 Summer Slam at Cleveland Browns Stadium. So, the relationship with WWE would already be in place. Many Browns fans do push back on playing indoors.

Since the Super Bowl era began in 1967, only 4 dome teams have won Super Bowls. The 1999 Rams, 2006 Colts, 2009 Saints and the 2021 Rams. But for a long time less than 1/3 of the league’s teams play in dome stadiums. Right now, there is 11 teams that play indoors. Colts, Texans, Raiders, Cardinals, Rams, Chargers, Vikings, Lions, Cowboys, Saints, and Falcons all play indoors. It is expected that the Bears and Titans will build dome stadiums as well. The Browns would be the 15th team to have a home field in a dome. That would be almost half of the NFL.  Browns fans would be critical of negating a weather advantage in cold weather games. That can be understandable from a fan’s perspective. But take a moment and think that though completely.

The team was horrendous from 1999-2019, and that had nothing to do with the weather either. It had everything to do with talent on the field and the overall organization. Simply enough if you are good enough to win a championship, you will win it regardless of where you play.  The NFLPA Surveys were critical of the Browns because of lack of space and outdated facilities. The land purchase and new stadium would address that. Browns fans may not like the change at first. But if the team wins games consistently in the new stadium. Browns fans will do what they always do, they’ll make it home!