Comments on: Browns fans: Don’t protest

By: Mark

Mark — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 05:32:32 +0000

TheDarkHorse:

I am you, except I lived in Cleveland in those days (and still live nearby now). I was very lucky to be at last night’s (Dec 10 2009) win over Pittsburgh. I hope you enjoyed it in warm L.A. as much as I did in 10-degree Cleveland Browns Stadium. I appreciate what you wrote here, and I agree completely. I continue to believe in the Browns. And it’s reading things like this that remind why I’m a Browns fan. Thank you!

By: What Terrible Football Organization Will You Be Protesting This Weekend? [Protests] - ATotalDisaster – Celebrity Gossip, News, Sports

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:07:16 +0000

[...] aren’t alone however. Browns fans are actually fighting with each other over the best way to voice their displeasure with the team’s “rebuilding” [...]

By: Jeremy Smyczek

Jeremy Smyczek — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:31:48 +0000

Hockeyman, I’m really not sure what your point is. First of all, the “weak and whiny” meme is simply pathetic–trying to make people feel ashamed for their disgust toward a perpetually bad team by calling names just makes you seem–if I may call names myself–bullying and obnoxious, and like a stooge for the current ownership. And the idea that fans are powerless may well be so–although they may be able to chase this horrible excuse for a team out of town. But the suggestion that powerless fans should simply shut up and spend money on an assiduously wretched product makes absolutely no sense. My original point was that there is no particular honor in squandering time and money on a team that is not competitive–and you can “weak and whiny” until the cows come home, but you can’t realistically deny either the right or the good sense of fans trying to send that message.

By: hockeyman

hockeyman — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:46:48 +0000

Don’t go, give tickets to charity or eat the cost. That is a protest. Send the tickets back. Whatever. Showing up late will make no difference Jeremy, but by all means, do it if you think it won’t make you look weak and whiny.

No matter what fans do, it will not improve the team now or make the people who can actually do something (players, coaches, management) try any harder. That’s a fact- YOU are helpless in this situation.

By: Jeremy Smyczek

Jeremy Smyczek — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:12:08 +0000

What twaddle. Fans should decline to perform the only kind of protest available to them–and even then, these are fans who have already bought the tickets, so it’s not much of a protest–so that extraordinarily wealthy young athletes don’t get their feelings hurt? Supporting teams in tough times makes a fan; supporting organizations that are inept from top to bottom for a decade straight simply demonstrates a willingness to throw away money. And by the way, West Coat boy, it’s COLD in Cleveland in the winter, and the excitement of the game is what makes three hours in a frozen stadium enjoyable. Games that are over by halftime are not enjoyable, and paying for tickets so that the team will be better next year is not how anyone approaches any other form of entertainment. Just think of buying a CD that sucks or watching an awful movie because the follow-up might be better: you simply wouldn’t reward an artist or studio financially for producing an inferior product. Only is sports to rah-rah, rally-the-troops folks folks get to paint their fellow fans as somehow unpatriotic for recognizing when they are being fleeced by ownership that is either greedy, inept, or both.

By: hockeyman

hockeyman — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:52:30 +0000

Saw your story reposted on another message board. You are getting tons of props over there- as you should. Who are you man? Well written and strikes at the heart of what we are all going through, not just as fans of the Browns, but as passionate people who have no influence over that which we are passionate about.
“the whole protest thing reeks of entitlement and weakness to me” Exactly.

By: Twitted by mlopez215

Twitted by mlopez215 — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:35:16 +0000

[...] This post was Twitted by mlopez215 [...]

By: Idiedn95

Idiedn95 — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:10:00 +0000

I started as a browns fan in 86 too. Great team great pride and great tears. I want that passion again because I died as a browns fan in 95. I then became a NFL football fan. I had no team but in three years I found love in watching great football no matter who is on but I still don’t feel the way I did before they left. As a kid I just loved to see that brown and orange run on the field now its seems it still is all I have to cling too. Those colors our colors we fought for. Thank you Cleveland fans and all the citizens for keeping it!

NOW! I disagree with DARKHORSE, we need to make a stand. WE the fans are the only thing that will be around for years. I’m not going to throw every player into this category but do you think the players bleed our orange and brown??? It’s a business and they WILL go where they are most valued! Its a business! Loyalty is gone and we then need to start reacting like its a business! Hurt them where the ownership can feel it. I agree with a protest but, this protest will only show that we are frustrated! How is it hurting them by not showing at kick off. I mean back after 911 when security was on high alert everyone was late getting to see kick off. Do you think they were worried then that people weren’t in their seats? My point is we are not hurting them, only flipping them the bird which we all know is just a statement. Don’t just make the statement hurt them where it counts. The owners pocketbook! Have the protest but for the remaining home games stop buying concession and merchandise. I mean haven’t we all filled up enough on brats and beer, tailgating and bought t-shirts from those guys in the parking lots already! I know for some its hard to go to a game and not buy a beer or dog but come on how is not going to your seat right away going to effect them other than saying, nanha nanha nahna nanha!

We fans cant do it all and we must open our eyes to the reality that it takes a system to get back to where we were in the 80′s and it may take time but, if we are going to make a statement we must think of the bottom line, like the ownership does and if we can somehow effect it maybe we will get the change (Lehner) we are looking for!

By: Allan Chandler

Allan Chandler — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 04:01:57 +0000

Appreciate your passion, but you don’t get it. Lifelong Bengals fan here. Both of our teams have idiot owners who can’t understand modern football.

The only way to hurt these fools is to stay away from the game and hit them in the pocketbook.

You know what a football town Cleveland is – how embarrassing for Lerner would it be to see empty seats on MNF? It needs to happen so good change can happen.