John 3:16 Jesus said "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
Part of me wonders, had I chosen a team that had won (born in WI) if I would have ever gotten as deep into learning about football and all things NFL as I have..
I've met many a fan of "good" teams that have no interest in FA news or the Draft, because they "know" their team will be good anyways..
Am I the only one that pronounces hyperbole "Hyper-bowl" instead of "hy-per-bo-le"?
“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.”
Personally, I was born into it. Mom's been a fan since the beginning. She's 88 this year. By the time I was five I was a fan. That was 1967. I've suffered through the Mike Phipps years, RR88, the drive, the fumble, the move, the return and all the losing inbetween. It's hard damned work being a Browns fan. From the looks of things it's going to get a lot harder before it gets better(if it ever does).
Part of me wonders, had I chosen a team that had won (born in WI) if I would have ever gotten as deep into learning about football and all things NFL as I have..
I've met many a fan of "good" teams that have no interest in FA news or the Draft, because they "know" their team will be good anyways..
I have a neighbor who is a pretty big sports fan and a Patriots fan (he is from Mass.).. 2 falls ago (fall of 2014) he was out mowing his yard on a nice fall Sunday afternoon when I knew the Patriots were on.. I asked him why he wasn't watching the game, he said he didn't really get interested until the playoffs were about to start.
I think it depends on why you follow sports first.
If you like the game and you enjoy the soap opera-like drama of coach and player movement, then it doesn't matter who your team is. It's a hobby that fills up time.
If you're following a certain team with the expectation that you get to win a title every few years, then you're probably going to be upset often and might end up questioning why you follow them.
I think fans forget that sports provide entertainment, win or lose. Even in a terrible season, as we all know too well, that's still "entertainment". And I don't mean the games are still enjoyable, I mean that even when they're terrible, they elicit an emotional response. That emotional response is why you watch. It's the same response people get when they buy a book, watch a movie, or turn on the TV when they know the ending might be sad, scary, depressing, offensive, thrilling, or funny. We don't know the ending and want to take the chance.
I grew up a Browns, Indians, and Cavs fan because that's where I lived and the first teams I saw live. I used to expect a title like it was a birth right, but now I watch for the response. I know the Cavs will probably lose in the Finals, the Indians will finish 10 games out of the wildcard, and the Browns will be lucky to win 3 games but that won't stop me from "going on the journey". It'll stink, but it is what it is.
“...Iguodala to Curry, back to Iguodala, up for the layup! Oh! Blocked by James! LeBron James with the rejection!”
The worst thing I ever did was to get my son and daughter hooked on them.
I have gone out of my way to not make the same "mistake".
I haven't bought my kid any Cleveland sports items and make it very clear they can like any team they want, which will probably be Chicago based teams.
“...Iguodala to Curry, back to Iguodala, up for the layup! Oh! Blocked by James! LeBron James with the rejection!”
Cause its what we know spirit. I am 54 and in the same boat you are my man! Trust me this new regime will get it right and we will be rewarded for our dedication and patience. I believe SIR do YOU?
LETS GET THIS RIGHT FELLAS...ENOUGH LOSING IS ENOUGH!
That is littlebrownie on the far right. My mistake.
I guess I got excited when I read the "..SIR do you." comment (because littlebrownie was a proud, gung-ho, marine and that triggered the connection). And the fact that LittleDAWG's age (54 years-old) was about right for littlebrownie today.
That picture was taken at a motel near Berea. We were all there for a couple days of Browns summer training camp during the Butch Davis era. Probably 2002.
Butch Davis seemed to have the Browns headed in the direction of perennial contenders. We had just made the playoffs in 2002 after three losing (rebuilding from scratch) seasons.
Yeah, we were a confident group at that party.
Instead we became perennial losers. What happened?
It takes a strong HC combined with people in the FO to sign and draft the right talent. We haven't had anyone that owns this team know how to put such a group together. All you need to do is look at our draft history and failure to keep our own drafted talent in house to see this.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
Ad libbing from Stripes: We're all very different people. We're not white collar, we're not band wagoners, we're Browns fans. With a capital "B", huh? And you know what that means? Do you? That means that we root for the Browns no matter how terrible they are and no matter how much we are ridiculed for doing so. We are the wretched refuse. We're the underdog. We're mutts.
After 55 years, I'm walking away from this dumpster fire. Good luck to everyone who continues to hang on. You'll need it.
Dan Snyder, Washington Redskins - Committed to winning, but not deferring to better qualified people (he thinks of himself as a genius and maybe he is)
Al Lerner, Browns - Not committed to winning above all else.
No SIR I am not him. I'm just a lifelong browns fan who is damn sick of losing and constant turnover. Let's get this thing right this time and start kikin some arse! I believe in this regime I really do, what I want to see immediately is some frikn results, and believe me it can turn around in a hurry and I'm hoping this is our time!
LETS GET THIS RIGHT FELLAS...ENOUGH LOSING IS ENOUGH!
Ad libbing from Stripes: We're all very different people. We're not white collar, we're not band wagoners, we're Browns fans. With a capital "B", huh? And you know what that means? Do you? That means that we root for the Browns no matter how terrible they are and no matter how much we are ridiculed for doing so. We are the wretched refuse. We're the underdog. We're mutts.
I've never tried to push the Steelers on my kids, because we live in Cleveland. My 17 year old son is a sports nut, a varsity hockey and baseball player as well. He has had no interest in the Browns for many years and neither do most of his friends. Mostly because of the Browns record over the last 15+ years. He has been a Patriots fan most of the time.
I'm concerned (mostly because I live in Cleveland), that the Browns have lost almost an entire generation of fans. That's going to be hard to make up.