Not A Dawg

January 1991 - If You Won't Leave Me, I'll Find Someone Who Will.

I’m a Brown’s fan. Not their biggest fan. Not a Dawg. I’m just a fan of Cleveland’s professional football team.

I became aware of pro football in the early sixties. We lived in Columbus, and my father would fall asleep in front of the television on Sunday afternoons. Dad enjoyed the games, and he would cheer for the Green Bay Packers or the Browns before he nodded off. I was fascinated by Bart Starr, Jim Brown, Paul Warfield and 300 pound men whose last names always seemed to end with “ski”

During the early seventies, when Miami was perfect and we were lost behind Pittsburgh, I never felt that I needed to switch teams. From 1976-1979, I lived in Phoenix. Now there are Browns Backer clubs around the country. Then, I was the only Browns fan at parties or bars.

I moved back to Cleveland in 1982 at the end of the Kardiac Kids era. Brian Sipe was leading the Browns as much with his brain as his arm. Our country had a dullard for a President while we had an intellectual for a quarterback. I was impressed.

Our fortunes changed in 1985. Oh, we didn’t get to the Super Bowl, but we were damn close. Winning seasons. Play-off Games. The stadium, packed. Dawgs. Monday Night Football and the buildings lighting up Cleveland’s sky. It was exciting. It was fabulous. But for at least a season or two, it’s over. Period.

No team can stay on top forever. And no team that drafts as ineptly as the Browns can hope for more than four or five really good years in a row. This season was no surprise. Most football fans knew that last year’s success was the stuff of miracles and mirrors. Most of my friends predicted six or fewer victories this season way back in August.

I bring all of this up as my way of saying, “IT’S ONLY A GAME.” I feel badly when they lose. The team feels badly. But really…Signs suggest that the team’s owner should commit suicide? Listeners of local sports call-in shows whine about “their” embarrassment? One moron even decided that Cleveland would be better off without the Browns since they are such a lousy team.

Enough! These aren’t fans. These are people who need hobbies (no guns, chains, or anything sharp). These are people who need to get a life. The Browns will be back. Last year the Dallas Cowboys were 1-15. They were awful. This year they may make the playoffs. That’s the system. All teams go through this cycle. It’s unavoidable. The official name for this is parity. What it really is, is spreading the wealth. Everyone gets a winner now and then.

Playoffs. 11-5. 10-6. These have been great years for Browns fans. Could you imagine what this city would have been like if the Indians had enjoyed similar success?