Browns stadium drama overshadows an abysmal season
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Stadium status. Photo: Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images
The biggest drama surrounding the Browns this season has nothing to do with quarterback play, personnel decisions or on-field blunders. It's all about the stadium.
Why it matters: The plan by owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam to move the team to a domed stadium and sports complex in Brook Park has divided fans and dismayed city officials.
Catch-up quick: Last month, the Haslams informed Mayor Justin Bibb of their intention to vacate the city-owned stadium on the lakefront and build a projected $2.4 billion complex when the team's lease expires in 2028.
- The move could cost the city of Cleveland $30 million in annual business activity and $11 million in tax revenue.
- The Haslams said "transformational economic opportunities created by a dome," including concerts and other potential year-round events, "outweigh" a renovated lakefront stadium.
What fans are saying: "The Browns desire to move out of downtown is, sadly, greedy and selfish," Ken Krsolovic, co-author of "League Park: Historic Home of Cleveland Baseball," tells us.
- "It is about controlling a majority of the ancillary income created by the team's existence and, ultimately, is about increasing the resale value of the franchise for its owner."
The other side: Longtime fan Daniel Lavelle welcomes the move, saying the "lakefront land has so many better uses than for 10 football games and a few other events per year."
- "It can generate much more revenue for the city and make better use of the most unique, valuable and limited resource we have — the lakefront."
Between the lines: How the Haslams will pay for the Brook Park project and how much public money will be involved is still up in the air.
The bottom line: The Browns' season will end in two months, but the debate over moving the team will likely continue all off-season and beyond.