The Browns want a new home. City and county officials are opposed. But what do you think of the plan?
The Cleveland Browns plan to move to a domed stadium in the Cleveland suburb of Brook Park was never going to be as simple as shovels in the ground in 2026, see you at kickoff in Week 1 of 2029.
After all, the Browns have played on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland since the franchise was founded in 1946, first at Cleveland Municipal Stadium and, since 1999, Huntington Bank Field and its various names over the years.
Still, with new stadiums already under construction in Buffalo and Nashville and one planned in Washington, D.C., it should not be that difficult to pack up and move approximately 13.5 miles down the road while still staying in Cuyahoga County.
This past week, however, highlighted just how much work there still is to do.
First, the Greater Cleveland Partnership, the “largest metropolitan chamber of commerce in the nation,” jumped in with its support of the domed stadium as the practical choice.
That provided Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, Cleveland County Executive Chris Ronayne, and Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin the opportunity to remind everyone that they prefer the Browns stay downtown. After all, what is good for Cleveland is good for the region, at least in the eyes of city and county officials.
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Cleveland’s other professional sports teams, the Cavaliers and Guardians, also weighed in with both teams reportedly expressing concern over the possibility of county sin tax dollars being diverted to the domed stadium project, leaving less public money to maintain Rocket Arena and Progressive Field, according to cleveland.com.
Some of this is just political theater. No politician wants to be viewed as one that “let the Browns leave downtown” even if deep down they know that is what will ultimately happen.
And when you have a town with multiple pro teams, especially one that consistently ranks as the second-poorest large city in the country, the other teams are going to be wary about losing any public money that is coming their way.
Lost in all this is what the public thinks. You know, the ones who vote, who fill the Muni Lot on game days, rain or shine, and support the team through the good times and bad times.
What about them?
Turns out that is something that EMC Research, a “national leader in opinion research since 1989,” was interested in finding out so they conducted a poll earlier this month of 850 likely voters in Cuyahoga County, the results of which were leaked to the NEOtrans blog.
According to a memo from EMC obtained by NEOtrans, the poll asked voters their feelings about Cleveland’s sports teams, the current state of the facilities, if they would support an increase in the sin tax, and what they thought about the Browns planning to move out of downtown.
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The results?
- 85 percent of voters say the teams are either extremely important or very important to the region.
- 48 percent believe minor repairs are needed to the current venues, with 16 percent saying major repairs are needed.
- Voters responded “strongly” to messaging about the economic benefits the teams bring to the region.
But what about the Browns and the domed stadium plan? Well, things were not quite so positive:
- A “large majority” opposes the team moving to Brook Park.
- If part of the sin tax is dedicated to funding the domed stadium, it “would be likely to fail” come November’s election.
- 90 percent of respondents have a favorable view of the Guardians and Cavaliers.
- 49 percent have a favorable view of the Browns.
- 61 percent oppose the Browns moving to Brook Park.
Those numbers do not look good for the Browns, but some of it is understandable. The Cavs and Guardians have had recent success, while the Browns … have not. The surprising part is that 61 percent are opposed to the team leaving downtown, although this poll only covered 850 people, so who knows how much they truly reflect the feelings across all of Cuyahoga County.
On that note, tell us what you think. Are you in favor of the domed stadium plan, or would you prefer the Browns stay downtown and renovate the current stadium? If you live in Cuyahoga County, what are your thoughts on any potential tax increases to fund all this?
Have your say in the comments!