And people complain that many of them are in the political forum not related to football. Which is true. Other than the draft taking place right now most are in the political forum. I'm sure I will also post about football. But I have been a poster since the Browns first returned. First on the main Browns site when it was Dawgtalk and then here when it formed as Dawgtalkers. For many of those years it's true that I was a devoted fan. In fact the main reason I even bought my first computer was due to the Browns returning in 1999.

You are certainly right that at one time I was certainly a "fan"atic. For decades in fact. I attended games, had a huge Browns collection and bought a lot of Browns gear. I have greatly downsized and haven't bought anything like that in years now. I was very much emotionally invested in this team. I drove from north of Dayton to Cleveland to attend games. Now I won't even bother to drive to Nashville to attend a game when the Browns come here to play and it's less than 30 minutes away.

The hours and hours I spent reading everything I could find on the Browns was just crazy. The time I spent and invested studying potential draft picks was also crazy. The money and time I spent on Browns gear and attending games I won't even get into but it was a lot considering my income at the time. I was a member of the Browns Backers.

To me that describes what being a "fan"atic means.

That all went out the window when they signed watson. I lost all respect for Haslam and this FO.

But maybe it was the biggest favor the Browns could have done for me. Before when we lost it was devastating and when we won I was over the top! Not anymore. It helped me realize what is truly important in life and put my priorities in perspective. Some things truly impact our lives and some things don't.... or at least shouldn't.

So while I still root for the Browns to win, while I still support them in spirit, it's not even close to what it was before. And nobody quite understands that difference more than I do.

Merriam-Webster

an enthusiastic devotee (as of a sport or a performing art) usually as a spectator

That doesn't quite describe me anymore.