Ever since The Plain Dealer’s Dennis Manoloff reported on going undercover as a Ravens’ fan at the Browns-Ravens game, the newspaper has been innundated with comments from fans, mostly going against the reporter. I guess I should know better, but I am shocked at the negative reaction from Browns’ fans. As a season ticket holder for the Indians and Cavaliers, I stay away from Browns games for a few reasons, one of which is the make up of the crowd at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
The common defense of the feedback from Browns’ supporters is that it goes on at all NFL stadiums. That doesn’t make it right. So what if people in others cities act foolish. Behavior like this doesn’t make you more of a fan than anyone else. The problem is the NFL glorifies this type of fan, instead it should be making their stadiums a place where you want to take kids. Right now, it’s not a friendly place for children, unless you want them to pick up a very colorful vocabulary.
This only happens with football. Baseball and basketball fans don’t feel the need to talk like longshoremen in support of their teams. I’ve attended Indians’ games in Detroit, Tampa, Chicago, and Minneapolis and have never had anyone screaming in my face because I was wearing Wahoo gear. Basketball fans don’t seem to have the same "intensity" toward supporters of the other team, either (unless you are in Detroit or Indiana).
It’s obvious that most of this behavior is fueled by alcohol. You don’t see baseball or basketball fans gathering several hours before the game and drinking. And it doesn’t happen just in Cleveland, tailgating occurs in every city with an NFL team. Having a few drinks and watching a sport that is violent in nature brings out swearing, screaming, and over bizarre actions. It still doesn’t mean it’s acceptable. How many of these so called fans could describe a zone blitz or a cover two zone? Probably about half. The other half are there for a party, the football game is just an excuse.
That’s one reason why the Cleveland Browns continue to draw well despite having two decent teams in the last 15 years. It’s an event. These fans would prefer that the Browns win, but it’s not required for them to have a good time.
My favorite letter to the editor was the guy who didn’t see anything wrong with the poor language and allows his son to participate with chants that feature bad language. Fan of the year? Maybe. Parent of the year? Most definitely. Me, I’m happy to sit in my living room and watch the games on television. I don’t have to battle the weather in November and December, and my kids won’t pick up some new words that won’t be tolerated in my house.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 