DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum How did you become a Cleveland fan?

Well, my story is probably like most... My parents were both born in Bedford up in the 50s. They went to high school, fell in love, got married when they were young. My father is a construction worker, so he moved down south for the business, and this was when I was born. I still have family up there, all over... Aurora, Strongsville, Parma, Youngstown.

Funny thing is, my parents weren't big-time Cleveland fans. They were proud of the teams accomplishments, and I remember vividly putting our Indians flag up when they went to the Series in '95 and '97. But besides that, there wasn't much talk about the teams. I kind of came into my own as a fan. This last summer, I made a trip up to Cleveland... Met some of my fellow DTers, went to training camp, an Indians game, and the first preseason game against the Chiefs. My first game at CBS was amazing, just walking to the stadium could have been enough. I only wish I was able to make it to the Muni.

I remember calling my old man when I got into Cleveland... He said something that I will never forget: "Cleveland is more home to you then Florida." Hit the nail right on the head.

So, what's your story?

Born and raised here

I was originally born in Ohio and lived there till I was 11. I've lived in Florida for 2-3 years now, I can say sometimes it doesn't feel like home for reason..I dunno.

But my family still has our Browns season tickets. Had them since '99. I haven't been able to go to a game since '04. But, were renting our tickets to my Gpa&Gma and my Uncle and Aunt till we find a cheap round flight to Cleveland...Maybe outta St. Pete/Clearwater for all the TB area dawgs that know what I'm talking about..

Ohio never had a hockey team till the Blue Jackets and I never liked them..I was a Lightining fan even when I was in Ohio, so moving to Tampa Bay was just sweet.

I am a Cleveland fan just for the sole reason that my parents are die hard Cleveland fans..Born and raised on the Cleveland Browns. (And the Indians and Cavs.)

Never have, never will root for the Rays, Bucs, or Gators. Florida State I don't mind, but USF all the way!

A Cleveland what fan? I'm not an Indians or Cavs fan...just the Browns.

Browns NFL Birthdate is 1950 and I was born in Cleveland in 1950. Meant to be!

I am on the fence. ..I like the Browns because the fans hung in there after they lost their team and I also like the underdogs.. ..Still like my Ravens though....

My dad grew up as a Browns, Buckeyes, and Reds fan and he didn't really care about basketball. He liked the Browns and Reds simply because the Browns were here first and the Reds were here first. And we live closer to Cincy than to Cleveland. And my mom only roots for them because it will make us happy when they win. I root for the Cavs but I really don't care and I don't know if I would consider myself a fan of them. I just really don't like the NBA.

Michelle and others are from southern Ohio. A lot of southern Ohioans follow Cincy sports but not the Bengals due to growing up in housholds that were Browns fans before there ever was the Bengals.

Tecmo Superbowl.

Seriously.

I liked the Browns name, helmet, and their digital dudes. When I got into non-video game football, my affinity carried over. I've never lived in Ohio and only been there three or four times.

Anyone beat that for weirdest reason for fandom?

Was born in Ohio and lived in the Cleveland area from the age of 4 until 19.

Been gone ever since, but my pro sports heart remains in Cleveland.

I was cursed... er... born and raised there.

I was actually a Cowboys fan when I was little. The Browns left and I thought the outcry and fan loyalty was amazing and when they came back I started watching them and haven't looked back since. I didn't know much about football when I was little but the Boy's were always tough so I liked them because I didn't know better.

Never even liked basketball because I thought it was boring but when LeBron got drafted there was so much hype I had to watch it. Now I love it. It isn't anywhere near as boring as I thought it was. It's actually exciting as hell.

Always liked the Indians ever since I can remember. My grandfather gave me a "Destruction Crew" baseball card with Calavito, Doby and Minoso on it when I was really little and I think that is about the time I started liking the Indians. Haven't got to watch them much the past few years but I used to watch them faithfully.

So I haven't been watching the Browns or Cav's as long as some of you guy's but there is one thing I know. I won't ever go back.

Born and raised in Cleveland.

W. 142...West Park!!!

As a kid growing up in Dayton, the Browns were always on the television at the house!

When the Bengals became a frachise team, I just could not get into them, ugly helmets, different players, I just had no interest!

I always enjoyed watching Jim Brown, one of the most exciting running backs ever......among other players such as Gary Collins, Frank Ryan, Lou Groza.............among many others!

I noticed that when the Bengals started having a few winning seasons.......some people in Dayton started to become Bengals fans!

I have lived in about fifteen cities in this country and the Browns fans are all over the place...........that is very cool.

GO BROWNS!

I grew up in a nonsports nut household in NW Ohio. I'm the only football fan. I started out a Rams fan back in the 70's. Mainly because I liked their helmets. Then In 79 the Squeelers beat my Rams in the SB. I became a Stealer hater. The next year when I started actually watching the games, and understanding the game, I started watching the Browns. How convienient as they "hated" the Stealers also. That and they were on the local Toledo channel each week. So it was more by default that I became a fan. ( God forbid I could have become a Lions fan or something!) But it doesn't change my love for them. I've been aboard since the season of Red Right 88.
I hold no allegience to Cleveland per say. As I've never lived there and have only been in Cleveland about 4 or 5 times in my life total. My Dad took me to see the Tiger's play a lot when I was young so I'm a Tiger's fan. That said, tonight, GO TRIBE!!

I was born in Canton, OH and my grandfather went to every Browns home game. He always took me to the games with him since I was 5 years old. Been hooked ever since.

I think it was in 1980. I watched my first Browns game against the Vikings. I wanted to check the game out, because I was born in Cleveland but had moved to San Diego in 78, and I wanted to see the team from my home town.
That was an exciting but disappointing loss, ( we lost on a last second hail mary), but I was hooked. I have been a die hard Brown fan ever since. My earliest Brown memory is a TD pass from Brian Sipe to Ozzie Newsome.
Thanks for the memories Brian, Bernie, Ozzie, Clay, etc etc.

I squirmed out of my mom barking.

Scared the hell out of the Doc from what I've been told.

Hurricane...we've got some parallels there.

I've never lived in Cleveland a day in my life. My mom and dad were born and raised there...mom in Maple Hts, dad in Bedford. And like you, neither my mom nor dad were that big of sports fans.

But my grandfather was. And all of my cousins on my mom's side. In the summer after my 5th grade year, my parents started sending my sister and I to Ohio for the summers to spend with my grandparents. I learned to love the Tribe and the Browns especially because my grandfather did and my cousins did. I remember my grandpa taking me to Training Camp before the '89 season. Seeing Bernie and Slaughter and those guys up close...man, I can't describe to you what a thrill that was.

Anyway, the Browns were good then and I also remember my grandpa watching the playoff games during the holidays during the late 80s. I remember how disappointed he would get when the Browns lost. Somewhere along the way, I became emotionally attached myself, and I've never looked back. When I was a kid, I used to get physically sick before games because I would get so nervous and excited at the same time. Needless to say, my parents thought I was a nut.

The Browns are one of my all-time passions. They are a link to my mom and dad and their moms and dads and my extended family and my childhood of which there are many great memories. They hold a special place in my heart and always will.

I went up to TC this year, and I think I'm going to start making it a ritual every year.

It was the first time I had been since I was a kid. And it gives me an excuse to get up there and spend some time with family.

And it sure as hell beats going up there in the winter. .... although I'd gladly do it to watch a Browns game.

I'm going to try to make it to a Browns game this winter. My ma and I have always talked about going up there and seeing family, so maybe we'll just go ahead and do it this year... I would have zero problem going to a completely freezing home game, I think I could handle it.

born, bred, and cursed...my family has had season tickets to Indians and Browns games for over 30 years. Nights like this are still painful, but what makes me so proud to call myself a Cleveland fan, is that we go on cheering anyhow

What a feeing it is to be a Cleveland fan on the bad nights... I remember Game 5 of the Eastern Conference playoffs, when LeBron scored 29 of the last 30 points. Coming back on here I said something along the lines of "This is why we're all fans." And it's true... We have had our fair share of these bad nights, but how great will the feeling be when we know that it wasn't in vain? One day y'all, one day.

I wish more than anybody that that one day would come somewhat soon, because it's not like we're getting any younger... But the wait will make the victory taste so much sweeter.

Amen to that man, I remember that night how I was so ecstatic, so excited!

The feeling was just incredible.

j/c

I'll tell you what, God better give us 3 championships in the same year with the Browns, Cavs and Indians...because he owes us 3 of them.

I hate it when I have to hear about how the Cubs fans are "cursed"...BULL SPIT! Try not having ANY team in your town win a championship since 64!

The essence of Cleveland sports....the Indians are 1-9 in the last 10 games they've had to clinch a series. When is this ever going to end?

We blew such a golden opportunity. Baseball is the most fickle of all the sports. Year in and year out the toughest post-season race is in Baseball. Up 3-1 with our 2 aces on the mound and a World Series birth at stake, who knows when we'll have a better opportunity then this one.

My dad grew up on the west side of Cleveland and my earliest sports memories were courtesy of Muni (I loved that place). To this day, I still don't understand why this stuff always seems to happen. It seems we invented the phrase there's always next year.

Fell in love with the Browns during the Fumble Game - 20 years in January. I didn't pick them, they picked me if ya know what I mean.
I live probably 1500 miles from Cleveland and had no allegiance to the city or state. It was just another U.S. rust belt city to me.
I've known a woman for about 8 years - she grew up in Parma Heights but has lived in my area since the 70s. Her father was a cop in C-Town and she works with abused women now. I speak with her occasionally and I always bring up the Browns haha.
I don't care about basketball, or the Cavs... no offence.
The Tribe are a team that I've never disliked or liked, they were always losing when I was growing up & I was an Expos fan.
I like the Tribe now, but not passionately.... Sorry they lost to Boston, BTW.

Born in Cleveland, grew up a die hard Browns fan during the Kosar/Martyball years. The Indians, I watched and suffered through the 100+ loss seasons till the mid 1990's. Cheered for them, lost a lot of interest in them when Thome left. Grew up watching Price and the Cavs' and got use to having my heart ripped out by Jordan and the Bulls. Lost a lot of interest when Price got traded.

Grew up hearing about the Curses (Rocky and Paul Brown) having to live through them (Jordan) the near misses (1997 World Series, 2005, 2007 ALCS, 2007 NBA Finals) The bad memories (The Drive and The Fumble) and the nightmare (1996 - 1998)

Heard the stories of Bob Feller, Herb Score, Rocky Colvito, Jim Brown, Otto Graham, Lou Groza ect. the 1948 World Series title, the 1964 NFL Championship. The glory days of the Browns, the Miracle of Richfield.

Got taught Browns football as a second religion, remember always being out of church at 12 pm during the season so you could get to the game or be home in time for kickoff. Also got taught that no matter how close we come, something will always happen to make sure we come up short. I've seen enough in my life to believe that.

I heard Chris Rose say "Cleveland sports fans are 90% scar tissue" I can do one better. "Cleveland sports fans are 80% scar tissue, 15% bad memories, 5% fear that we're waiting for something else to go wrong".

Born in Parma. Raised in North Royalton. My Mom and Dad's sides of the family were all born and raised here and all of our allegiances lie here.

With all of my heart I love this city, this county, and this state. That will never change. It sure as hell hasn't been easy this year... or any year for that matter. But that's what makes Cleveland, Cleveland. I hate accepting less than a championship and saying it was a good season... but it honestly was a good season for the Tribe.. and the Cavs. From opening day in the snow to my soon to be unused ticket to game 1 of the World Series, this baseball season was extremely bipolar and unusual. No matter what though, I'll be driving 120 miles North next April to cheer my Indians on at the begining of another marathon season and I'll keep doing it for the rest of my life, no matter how long I live or how far away I am. The same with the Wine and Gold and especially the same for our Brown and Orange.

It's been a tough year, and, frankly, a tough century for Cleveland, but for those of you born, raised, transplanted, or in some other way affiliated with this great city, I'll go out on a limb and say we'll always be here. No matter what, we'll always support Cleveland because it's truely in our blood. We're the loyalest of the loyal and above all else Cleveland still rocks and it always will.

I know this post may not completely encompass the question posed by this thread and it may be off topic, but it's been a crappy night and I needed some place to vent. 43 years, [censored] everyone else, lets go Browns, Cavs, and Tribe (next season).

It all started at conception for me. I was born with x, y, and C chromosomes.

Was born and raised in Youngstown, where the fan base is split fairly evenly between Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

By the Grace of God, I was raised correctly as a Browns fan.

Now living in the Columbus area where we have a good number of bandwagon Bengal fans (at least for another week) as well as Browns fans I am raising my kids correctly as Browns fans, too.

My story is pretty odd I bet. I grew up outside of Pittsburgh PA.. Mom, Dad, Brother, Uncles, Aunts and cousins all Steelers fans..

But I visited a cousin here in Cleveland when Jim Brown was still playing.. I was young,, 7 or 8 years old.. My uncle and cousin took me to a Browns Game and I was hooked.. totally hooked.. Even at that young age, I did a little research (way pre internet) and found that over the course of the Browns existence, they'd been winners... The Steelers,,,,well, not so much.

Thus I became a Browns fan living in the midst of Steelers fans... You wanna talk about growing up in a tough sports situation,,, well,,,

My mom and dad are from North Canton, and they both grew up as Browns fans. I was a Browns fan from birth (as seen by my name). There was a time when I was in grade school that the Eagles were probably my favorite team (I always liked Randall Cunningham, and they had a great defense), but the Browns were close behind, if not tied.

When the Browns came back, they were the only team for me.

Ok, I'll write this out for Jules and anybody else who thought that at one point I lived in Ohio..... nobody in my family was EVER from Ohio. My family went back 4 generations in the same small town in Maryland, about 2 hours southeast of Pittsburgh, 2 1/2 hours west of Baltimore and 2 1/2 hours west of Washington DC... The town was probably 60% Steelers fans, 30% Baltimore Colts fans, and 10% Redskin fans... My dad, in his youth, picked the Browns, probably because they were good and because his dad and his big brother (my uncle) were Steelers fans... my dad just wanted to be contrary and difficult (thank God I didn't get any of that... ) So my dad liked the Browns since the early 50s... My brother who is 3 years older got right into and liked the Browns from the get go. Me on the other hand, I tinkered with the Colts for a while, probably for the same reason my dad liked the Browns, to be difficult... but my dad was eventually able to do what his dad was not and convert me to his team.... so at about the age of 9, I decided it was the Browns for me too... The other Cleveland teams just sort of evolved from that... Now my son and my daughter are both Browns fans too...

I guess growing up in Cleveland started it,...but when I was young there wasn'y much to cheer about with the Browns.....I was more of a Greg Pruitt fan back then,...I used to LOVE the highlit films of Pruitt and back then they had the "tear away" jerseys which made it really cool.

Along came Brian Sipe and the cardiac kids and that's when the true love began.

i grew up in Cuyahoga Falls, and at an early age got to meet a couple of browns players.

Mike Pagel, Big Daddy Hairston (who i hid from under a table at age 6) and then i got to meet Ozzie Newsome around age 8. (i still have an autographed kids sized jersey of his!)

i remember making big signs for the browns in their championship days, i remember making a big sign of elway getting kicked squarely in the nuts at age 7.

i watched with my dad and grandpa later in my childhood, and i remember my dad and i really liked Eric Turner, i still think he was one of the best.

when the browns went away i was 16, and really, not having an NFL team during my formative years kept me from playing high school football (i didnt understand the game, because i didnt watch it) i think i would have been good!

when they came back, i was just graduating from high school, and didnt much care. i really started to get into them the beginning of the 2002 season (when they went 7-9) and have been die hard ever since.

I know that some people have been browns fans for YEARS, so my die hard since 2002 doesnt hold much water, but i did the best i could with what they gave me.

I was born and raised in NE Ohio and my dad was a Cleveland sports fan I guess misery loves company......lol, j/k. But really I grew up watching these teams with him so those are the teams I root for.