Last week, on August 7th, the Cleveland Browns franchise and the Haslam Sports Group announced all but official plans for a domed stadium in Brook Park, OH, roughly 15 minutes from downtown Cleveland, near Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport. These images caused a storm of social media posts discussing the implications of what this domed stadium location could bring, with a mix of emotions from fans and media members alike. Today, I would like to discuss the impact of this domed stadium if, and honestly when, it happens, and what it means for the city of Cleveland.

See the article from Haslam Sports Group with mock images below:

https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/a-letter-to-cleveland-browns-fans-across-northeast-ohio-and-beyond

The stadium’s interior is beautiful. A glass ceiling makes for an atmosphere of being outside while not having to deal with the outside elements of the greater Cleveland area. A dome also brings even bigger events to the city of Cleveland, such as the men’s Final Four, massive concerts year-round, WWE WrestleMania, and maybe even a Super Bowl. This talking point has long been stated, but the Haslam Sports Group doubled down on it, showing each of these types of events being hosted in the domed Cleveland Browns Stadium in their promotional video that was released along with their statement. Another positive aspect of the domed stadium is the funding, as the Haslams plan to use other publicly funded means aside from Cuyahoga County residents’ tax money to fund the stadium. Not to say they are paying the entire bill, but they plan to get this money from vendors who plan to move to the district of shops, apartments, and restaurants built around the new stadium in Brook Park. Parking and infrastructure surrounding the current stadium leave a lot to be desired, as it is a hike from the Muni Lot to the stadium, and parking prices rise yearly because all the parking is from 3rd party companies. This issue of parking would be abolished at a new location. Lastly, the stadium being built in a new location ensures that the Browns do not need to find a new home to play games while the current stadium gets renovated, as rumors of playing in Columbus or Canton began to swirl earlier this year when renovation plans were mentioned in the media by the city of Cleveland.

While the Brook Park location does solve a lot of the Browns’ current stadium issues, there has been pushback from fans of the franchise. The Browns have always played in downtown Cleveland during their storied history; fans, myself included, do not want to see this change. The feeling of a Browns game in downtown Cleveland on Sunday is unlike any other feeling, and to have that not be consistent for downtown residents and businesses alike would flat-out be a travesty. Other fans firmly believe the Browns should play outside, in the elements, as they always have. Some have critiqued the look of the outside, comparing it to an Amazon warehouse. A final popular argument is that the Brook Park location has nothing surrounding it, meaning no bars, restaurants, or currently established businesses that would become staples as the team moves to the new location.

As much as I think all of this pushback is valid—I even agree with some of it—Brook Park is not a location people visit; there isn’t much there other than the airport, and as a downtown Clevelander, I don’t want to see the team not be downtown, as there is truly nothing like downtown on a Browns gameday. However, in terms of the positives versus negatives, the Brook Park location has far too many positives in its favor. The amount of new business, new events, and new anything and everything the greater Northeast Ohio area could see come our way because of this stadium far outweighs updating a poorly placed, quickly built stadium that could be demolished to create room for a fantastic lakefront “boardwalk” of sorts, bringing even more new revenue for the region. As much as I will miss the downtown Browns, I think we as a fan base need to accept this Brook Park village render because it is here to stay, and I for one would rather be excited than upset.