Do you want to know Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert is so popular in Cleveland?
He gets it.
He understands what the sports fans of this area want, and he in uncertain terms, wants the same thing. He wants to win and he tells everybody exactly that.
Yes, he mixes in a helpful portion of marketing schmaltz, but most fans on the North Coast would agree that Gilbert wants to win.
Contrast that line of thinking with the other two professional teams in town, the Indians and the Browns.
The Cleveland Browns, the hallmark franchise for this city, a team that has undying support even though success on the field has been a rumor for most of the 12 years since they’ve been back in the NFL, simply have no clue what fans want.
To be sure, team president Mike Holmgren and GM Tom Heckert have a plan to return to return this franchise to the glory days of the 1950’s and 60’s. They simply do a poor job of communicating it to the fans.
First of all, calling together a gathering of the media so Heckert can answer questions, but not allowing cameras and/or recording devices in the room is idiotic. After all, don’t they understand the media’s job is to share the front office’s thoughts with the Browns’ fans, and what better way to do this than to let general manager be seen and heard?
Secondly, instead of dismissing big splashes in free agency, why not tell the supporters of the team that another 4-12 or 5-11 season isn’t acceptable, and the organization will do everything and anything to make this team a contender. And a contender as soon as next season.
It is understandable that Holmgren and Heckert are sensitive about the past. After all, they cannot be held responsible for the job done before them by the likes of Carmen Policy, Butch Davis, and Phil Savage.
Still, Browns’ fans are frustrated and rightfully so. They witnessed just two winning seasons since 1999, and most of those losing seasons aren’t 7-9 campaigns. The ledger is filled with 4-12 and 5-11, just like the last four years.
Their frustration wasn’t eased over the weekend when Washington trumped Cleveland, and moved up in the draft to take Baylor QB Robert Griffin III, the hope for many Browns’ fans.
On the other side, the Indians have the PR game figured out, unless someone named Dolan decides to speak to the media.
They are very polished, citing statistics and market trends to support their way of doing business. It certainly sounds good.
Still, it hasn’t produced success on the field. No matter how the Tribe tries to paint it for the fans, the truth is eight losing seasons out of the last ten.
The latest Indians story is the two games theory. If they had won one more game in 2000 and 2005, they would have made the playoffs each of those seasons.
And if my aunt had…
The point is they didn’t.
It’s like Mark Shapiro and crew are lying to themselves trying to convince themselves they are doing the right thing.
If saying the right thing was a competition, there would be a world championship trophy at Progressive Field.
Which is more frustrating? The Browns don’t seem to understand they need fans, and the Indians take too much time trying to explain why they can’t compete.
With the title drought for the city’s football team at 48 years and the Tribe’s last World Series title being 64 years ago, the time for discussion is over.
As Al Davis would say, the best advice for those teams would be to just win, baby!
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 