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I didn’t go to watch a single Browns game at the Connecticut Browns Club all season. (Southern New England Browns Backers - SNEBB)

The preseason kneeling during the National Anthem ended my lifelong Cleveland Browns fandom. They’re a bunch of rich spoiled brat losers.

I honestly couldn’t care less about the Browns. Or the NFL. Not one iota.

But yesterday morning about 8:30 am I was getting ready to go for a walk (in the brutal cold wind chill) before church and I thought about the Browns fans who would be at SNEBB to watch the final game of an 0-15 team.

Several long-time friends of mine.

All of a sudden, I called John - the guy who has given me a ride to every game for the last 7 years.

He said “Sure!” “I’ll come pick you up after church for a ride to the Club.”

And so yesterday, I spent the afternoon at SNEBB.

There were a surprising ~ 20 people there.

Screaming, yelling and laughing. Every decent Browns play, it was like they were fighting for the play-offs.

For some reason it reminded me of that scene in The Grinch That Stole Christmas (where the Who’s don’t need presents or food or even a christmas tree to celebrate).

Then I realized the true meaning of fandom and my heart grew three sizes too big.

I still hate the Browns.

But I love Browns fans. Best fans in the world

I watched every game.

I was proud my team stood up for their beliefs by taking a knee.

I love my Browns and the NFL but don’t allow a win or loss to effect my day.

Yesterday morning on I turned on my TV and ate breakfast while I watched the game. Like I’ve done all year.

I love my Browns but find many of their fans whiny and unappreciative of the entertainment they’re being provided.

I love my team even though they’re the worst in the league.

I can’t wait until September 2018 when I’ll do it all again.

The first post made me hate being a Browns fan. But then I read Portland's post and can be happy for my team and my fan base.

Ofcourse you did.

Not sure what you’re meaning, “Of course I did”. Aren’t fans supposed to watch every game? Aren’t fans supposed to support their team?
If it was meant as snark, was I supposed to not watch? Was I expected to walk around all week with a sour disposition because of losses on Sunday? Am I supposed to not be a little sad that I don’t get to watch my team on Sunday’s anymore until next September? Am I supposed to not watch next year? Would that ‘prove my fandom?’
Please clarify.

I watch every game. In fact, I pay extra to watch my team.

I don't get that upset about it. I mean it's not real life. It's sports. It's entertaining. Yeah, it has not been very fun to watch, or very entertaining, but it has zero effect on my life.

I enjoy the game, although I do admit the failures of my team turns me off from the rest of the league, but I am more into college as it is.

As far as players protesting. I don't have a problem with it. I may not agree completely with what they are protesting, but they aren't hurting anyone, or anything.

I don't think it's disrespect to the soldiers or anything like that. In my eyes, our soldiers, past and present fought for the rights for people to make a statement like that. You think taking a knee during the national anthem in North Korea would fly well?

I think the whole thing was overblown by the media who had to make it an issue that divided our country. I hate the media for the way they have done that with social issues, political issues, etc. It's an absolute joke that people believe what they see on the news, believe what they read on social media, and make actual life decisions on those observations.

As far as the Browns go, it's everyone's own choice as to what they want to do. If you are tired of being let down every week, don't watch. If you can't stand player protests, don't watch.

If you change your mind, you're allowed to come back. There's nothing wrong with taking a break from your team or the sport. There are more important things in life. Freeing up your Sunday isn't the worst idea in the world.

Me? I'm in this for good. I can't see a reason outside of some Penn State type situation where I turn my back on the Browns. I want to see this thing through. I think there is a ton of potential with some of the players that are on the team, with the assets acquired by the front office, and the cap space available.

I don't like the decision to retain Hue Jackson. I hope there is some reason why Jimmy Haslam has been firm on keeping him (up to this point), but I have no choice but to give him another chance if he's the coach next September. The only thing I can do is hope things turn around.

24/7, 365 days a year, I still wear my Browns gear, Hats, shirts, pants, socks, shoes, shoelaces, watches, rings, jackets, coats.

I was born a Browns fan, I will die a Browns fan, and I have been and will continue to be a Browns fan every second in between.

I have said my vows "I GMdawg take you Cleveland Browns to be my lawful team. to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.

Haven't missed a Browns game since the very early 60's. During the year(s) of a few blacked out games there was always that bar in Old Brooklyn that pirated it so.....

I wear my Browns colors, hoodies, etc every day.

Last year down In Myrtle we couldn't find a dog sitter so I purchased the DTV NFL package at full price for 1 game.

Last year after week 14 I was 3rd in line at the bank and the female teller called out, "you still wearin that"? Me: What am I gonna do, become a "so and so" fan? That Sunday they won.

I'll never miss a game.

Rest assured, even if I'm dead............

I have not watched a game all year. If you want to root for a bunch spoiled elitists go ahead. I hear all you lefties saying its not disrespectful to the Military, Cops, flag and America. I 'm not buying it.
Looking at the stands it looks like a lot of people feel the same way,.
I was a big fan for probably more years than you. Went to games, watched on TV and bought the gear. But no more. I took their actions as a slap in the face.

I see the unarmed shooting of civilians and children by police as a slap in the face of the public. I'm glad that them and the Cavs have stood up for their rights and the rights of Tamir Rice. God knows the Police wouldn't have.

So why are you here?
Snowflake.
“I haven’t watched a game all year cuz those mean black players did something that made me butthurt. I’m a bigger fan than you but I don’t watch anymore because my widdle feelings were hurt.”
If you’re not a Browns fan go find another message board to whine on.

Boo Hoo.

News flash, most teams don't want a bunch redneck fans that don't want to see equality and justice for all in the USA.

Enjoy your Hockey.

Well, it officially cannot get worse. so we have that going for us.

AMEN and pass the AMMO. We will NEVER give up the fight.

It is disrespectful but only to America.. everything else is a subset of America.. it's supposed to be disrespectful to America.. from a group of people who feel that America is not equally respectful of all people.. that's the point.


It does crack me up every time I see the players referred to as "rich" or "spoiled" or "elitists".. when most of them grew up with less than most of us did.. but through some God given physical talent and a ton of hard work were able to be successful in something most of us only WISHED we could have been that successful at...

I wouldn't say I'm "proud" of them for their peaceful protests.. but I certainly didn't stop watching because of it. They have political opinions, those opinions are largely founded in some truth... America needs to be better and if America gets better because some high profile athletes show some disrespect.. that would be wonderful...

What they do before the game is the same to me as what they do on in the off season. It's none of my damn business. I worry more about what they do between the kickoff and the end of the game.

Freedom of speech is a two-way street. It means sometimes you're going to hear or read things you strongly disagree with. Some of you guys standing up for the players who kneeled for the Anthem should extend the same sense of tolerance to Dawg Duty that you feel the players deserve. It doesn't mean you can't disagree, but come on, at least keep it civil.

Direct quotes from Rockyhill...
“I honestly couldn’t care less about the Browns.” “I still hate the Browns.”

I’ll treat him like I’d treat a Steelers or Ravens fan that came here and bashed my team.
If you hate the team, why are you here?
If you hate the team don’t call yourself a ‘Dawg’.
The way I see it, leave the board to the fans of this team or take your crap to the Smack Shack. Don’t waste our time.

Some times you have to let people be mad for a while. He's obviously a Browns fan who is somewhat disaffected by the circumstances of having a generationally bad football team that also has some players who offended his sensibilities regarding proper protocol for our flag and anthem. That's his expression of free speech. I just feel Browns fans should stop telling each other that they are not real fans. I would rather players not kneel for the anthem and the flag too, but the truth is it didn't bother me enough to give up something as important to me as the Browns are.

You’re absolutely correct and I figure let folks vent for the next week and it should subside.

Maybe you’re right.
I’ve been feeling salty lately. I little less tolerance for it all.
I’ll try to be more kind.

You know me, I am going to need about 1,200 months before I change my mind

And that's fine. But let's look at what people fail to speak about when they decide to have rants such as yours.

There's a lot of good, honest, patriotic players in the NFL too. But you don't seem to speak about them. They aren't elitists as you portray in your post.

NFL players raise millions upon millions of dollars for charity and also donate millions upon millions of dollars to charity every year.

So if you wish to take the stand you do, that's all fine and well.

But I don't plan to stand by and listen to you trash an entire team or sport in general without showing that you seem to feel fine to punish an entire league of players for the act of a few.

You find many Browns fans whiny and unappreciative of the entertainment they're being provided? Did you write that with a straight face?

The BEST part of the Cleveland Browns is the fans. This is a die hard group whose loyalty is unmatched by any group of fans that I've ever seen. Look at the product we've been given over the years and Browns fans mostly keep coming back.

In one of these threads I was going to reference our 3-13 season from a couple years back but decided against it. The reality is 3-13 isn't that much below average for the Browns. We've won 38 games in the last 10 seasons. That is 3.8 wins per season on average for the last 10 years!

What is this entertainment that you speak of? Is it that during an average telecast, the cumulative time spent on commercials lasts 6-7x longer than the total live ball action?

It certainly can't be that live ball action. I remember one game earlier in the year. I ended up watching the end of the Browns game while doing cardio at the gym. I forget the exact details of what happened (like you, I also try not to harp on losses, no sense in letting it get you down). I think they choked away a 4th quarter lead, and then Kizer threw a comical interception and they lost in overtime. After the game, two good teams came on (Patriots vs Steelers I believe.) It's like they were playing a different sport out there. I swear, it's not even a cliche! The game looked totally different, as I watched the ball fly effortlessly through the air, to a wide receiver in the area, who actually caught the ball. It was amazing.

I still love the Browns; there's a huge amount of nostalgia there, but I no longer enjoy the product. This is a combination of several factors that I've written about on here elsewhere. Suffice it to say that this is a result of NFL/leaguewide issues as well as the completely inept product put out there on the field by the team.

But hey, those of you committed NFL fans who want to spend 10 hours on Sunday watching football, another 4 on Monday, 4 more on Thursday, and God knows how many hours throughout the week checking forums, Profootballwhatever, tweaking your fantasy team, etc., more power to you.

What I ended up doing for part of the season was I basically just advanced the week one day. So I just started doing my typical Monday work routine on Sunday (perks of a flexible schedule) and then took more time off on Friday and Saturday. There were other Sundays I spent time with non-football watching friends/family and others where I did watch the Browns and/or other games.

Once the habit and conditioning are broken-- once you realize that you aren't obligated to watch every game, that it is kind of odd to live vicariously through athletes you've never met, and who aren't even from the area where the team plays-- the league kind of loses its effect on you. The games are not very exciting by themselves, which is why so many people have to drink, be with other people, have their iPads and smart phones out, etc. in order to get through them. What does it say about a form of entertainment, when other forms of entertainment and stimulation are used by most fans in order to get through it?

Prediction: We will be better next year.

That's pretty bold!

Hey " 40 " has always been cutting edge !

The NFL has been more entertaining and fun this year than in any year since Goodell. However, I still can't imagine not doing something else while watching the games. Who the hell watches commercials? I get that you would want to watch the half time show if you didn't have NFL Redzone or Sunday Ticket, but the half time show sucks. Who wants to hear Boomer Esiason and Terry Bradshaw talk about football? Whatever, guess there is a sucker born every minute.

ESPN doesn't pay $2 billion a year for Monday Night Football so people can hang around after and watch SportsCenter.

The protests while founded on some truth, were largely founded on lies, misinformation, and ignorance of the facts of many of the situations they deemed unjust. It was also telling that the majority of players who "protested" didn't start doing so until Trump weighed in on the subject. So in reality the bulk of the protest was against him, and not so much the social justice aspect of things. They were in support of idiots like Kapernick and Bennett to express their message, not so much in support of the message.

Having said that, I didn't let the protests impact me to the point where I refused to watch the game any more than a nasty fart would. I even bothered to go to the Raven's game.

Frankly, I've seen enough things that occurred on the field over the years that have been way more offensive than the protests.

I think the worst part for me is that I no longer have strong feelings about the Browns anymore. I used to burn vacation time to catch the game at the local Brown's Backers. I'd stress about making it to the couch with beer in hand before kickoff (I'm the guy who hates being late to the movie previews). I can honestly say that had we beat the Steelers, I wouldn't have felt any kind of satisfaction. It would have been a meaningless win... it wouldn't have represented an organization on the upswing, it wouldn't have represented a culmination of whatever the hell they've been trying to build, it wouldn't have vindicated a damn person. It wouldn't even be an appropriate reward to the 30-40% of fans who bothered to stick around until the end of the season.

My wife is a Colt's fan. I told her it was up to her if we renewed the NFL Ticket. If we don't, oh well. I know I certainly won't bother to go to the local ale house to catch the game. Call me fair weather or whatever, I really don't think I'll bother to tune in until we string together at least 2 wins in a row.

j/c

Once again some people tend to focus on one subject. While they rant about the protests, they refuse to mention the millions up on millions of dollars that NFL players raise for charity and donate to charity.

They refuse to recognize that the vast majority of NFL players do not engage in the protests and at least one player, DE Chris Long, donated his entire 2017 salary to charity.

So maybe people should be even handed in their approach to NFL players. Maybe they should recognize that nobody is stopping you from standing and singing the National Anthem and at the same time, many worthy charities are raking in millions due to the good things that NFL players do.

Two separate issues here. Giving to Charity and disrespecting the Nation.

If you were to donate money to a good cause while burning our Flag on national tv, I would call you a generous bum.

I see it as picking and choosing. If we're going to put a negative spin on the NFL and its players, I believe we also must recognize all of the good they do. It's called looking at things in the big picture rather than accentuating the bad while ignoring the good.

So, you're saying that ray rice is a decent guy because he only hit her once? Same logic.

The whole protest to me is much ado about nothing. Want to protest? Then protest. If your boss is nice enough to allow you to do while working? Then your boss is a lot nicer than any I have ever had lol.

If the NFL wanted it to stop it would stop fast. They could just dock the pay of anyone who protests about anything during games since it hurts the company image. Any other employee would risk getting fired to do the same thing these guys are doing during games. That's my only beef with it.

j/c....
I understand the kneeling, but at the same time I feel they could do it before or after the anthem. This is a time that differ,s from when I grew up and i'm trying to adjust.This has nothing to do with sport,s. But more of where our country is heading. I used to fly from Vegas every year to watch the Brown's. I just moved back to Ohio to be close to my aging parent's. And have yet to go to a game, but watched every one.You either are a fan or your not.

If you were to show unconditional support of a world leader that is constantly victim blaming, disparaging minorities, Gold Star families, women, and the mentally disabled in Tweets and on National TV. I'd call you a deplorable human being.

So the Political Thread is over here now?

Some folks just life it 24/7 ..

Yeah, abusing women is the same thing as a peaceful protest. One is a crime and the other just makes people butt hurt.