The Cleveland Browns have called FirstEnergy Stadium home (albeit under a different name until 2014) since the franchise returned in 1999. But there’s a growing initiative at the top to get a new stadium in the near future.
Reports have circulated over the past few days that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is eyeing a new stadium in a new location rather than renovating FirstEnergy Stadium. To that end, he reportedly has two alternate locations that he’s looking into.
According to Neo-Trans.blog, Haslam believes that the cost of renovating the 23-year-old stadium nearly matches the cost of simply building a new one. The report says that Haslam might be inclined to tear down FirstEnergy Stadium and develop the land instead.
As with any debate on new stadiums these days, there’s some sort of rift within the fanbase. Some are warming up to the idea and think it might benefit the team as a whole.
Others are concerned that the taxpayers will have to foot the bill and don’t think the Browns deserve the financial support:
While FirstEnergy Stadium itself may be less than 25 years old, the land it sits on has served as the home of the Cleveland Browns for the whole of its history.
Cleveland Stadium opened in 1931 as a multi-purpose stadium for baseball and football. It also hosted concerts for some of the greatest musical acts of all-time, including The Beatles, The Jackson 5, Pink Floyd and The Who.
But when Art Modell moved the Browns franchise in 1995, the city of Cleveland demolished Cleveland Stadium in favor of opening a new one in its place.
Will FirstEnergy Stadium suffer the same fate as its predecessor in the near future?
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