This Decision Is The Browns’ Only Realistic Stadium Option

The Cleveland Browns, Cuyahoga County and City of Cleveland are all politicking over the team's future venue. But no matter what any of them say publicly, there's only one option that makes sense for the region.

Cleveland Browns new stadium rendering of dome in Brook Park. / Cleveland Browns and HKS.

There is a growing divide among Cleveland Browns fans.

With their stadium lease set to expire after the 2028 season, the Browns are actively trying to determine what the future of the franchise looks like on game days. While they've publicly laid out the two options that team owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam are considering, there is really only one choice that makes sense.

It's time to build a new indoor, multi-purpose facility in Brook Park.

It's been a strange week in some ways, watching the team, city of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County politicking for what each wants to see happen in a series of press releases.

First, the City of Cleveland submitted a massive renovation proposal of the current 65,000-seat stadium, that would also result in a major re-development of the area surrounding the stadium.

Following the $461 million downtown renovation proposal, the Cleveland Browns released a letter to season ticket holders and fans, several statements on social media and a nearly 3-minute video with renderings of the proposed indoor facility in Brook Park. The $2.4 billion projected cost for building a dome in Northeast Ohio is eye-popping for sure, yet there was a palpable excitement on social media from fans across the region.

The Brook Park site is the most compelling option for a dome for several reasons: its central location for our regional fan base, its proximity to downtown, the RTA and the airport, and its strong existing infrastructure. pic.twitter.com/T36yXZAm8q

— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 7, 2024

Of course, with plenty of support for the Brook Park dome comes droves of fans that prefer the downtown renovation project, and still others who would like to see a dome built downtown over the current stadium (even though that is not even an option).

Cuyahoga County officials appear to be a major advocate for the City of Cleveland's renovation proposal, which is particularly interesting because both cities are in Cuyahoga County limits.

As the Browns, city and county officials continue to hash out future plans, going back and forth with statements on social media, it doesn't seem like an official announcement is coming soon. It's pretty clear that the Haslam Sports Group is pushing for new construction.

Ultimately, the safe bet is that ownership will end up getting what it wants because their plan is the only one that makes logical sense for the future of the Browns and the future of Northeast Ohio.

A downtown stadium renovation is unnecessarily clinging to the past when it is time for a major change. For those who oppose the dome in Brook Park, don't forget what Art Modell did back in 1996.

Moving the organization to Baltimore didn't just take football out of Cleveland for a few years. It set the hopes and dreams of this city back for decades. The expansion Cleveland Browns franchise rushed to build a stadium so they could play the 1999 season on time and the venue is often considered as one of the worst in the NFL. It's an average facility at best and it took over two decades to establish a team capable of winning eight or more games in back-to-back seasons.

Even though it was a major victory for Northeast Ohio 25 years ago when it "got the Browns back," this franchise has had to trudge through some pretty difficult times for nearly 2 decades. Since the Haslam's bought the team in August 2012, it took eight years for the front office, coaching staff and roster to finally click together.

Not only have the Browns turned things around on the field, but it's important to consider what the Columbus Crew is doing under the Haslam's ownership.

They recently built Lower.com Field to be the state-of-the-art home for the MLS franchise in Columbus, while the area surrounding Historic Crew Stadium turned into the training grounds for the team. The OhioHealth Performance Center is a world-class training facility which has helped the team substantially.

All while these changes happened, the Crew turned into a major threat to win the MLS Cup every season. Not only are they the defending 2023 MLS Cup champions, but the team is currently sitting third in the 2024 Eastern Conference standings with the best goal differential in all of MLS. They should have a realistic shot to win back-to-back championships this fall.

After seeing the investment in the Crew paying off, and with the current Browns team and front office seemingly in sync, Cleveland needs to trust the Haslam's vision for building a spectacular venue for Northeast Ohio. They are currently heavily investing in renovations at the Browns' training facility in Berea, further cementing their commitment to building a winner.

Perhaps the two most popular counter-arguments to building a new home in Brook Park have involved football being an outdoor sport and playing in cold weather helps the Browns, as well as not wanting to lose the aspect of games being downtown.

For starters, the theory of playing in cold weather actually being an advantage for the Cleveland Browns is one that can easily be debunked. Back in 2022, FOX Weather posted a story to show how teams performed across the league in cold weather games (temperatures at 34 degrees or colder at kickoff). Believe it or not, the Browns were one of the worst cold-weather teams from 2008 through 2022, going 14-34 in such games.

Cleveland's winning percentage of .292 was only better than the Los Angeles Rams, who were 2-8 (.200) over the same time. In other words, this franchise has not been a good cold-weather team. After that story was posted in November, the Browns lost 17-10 to the New Orleans Saints on December 24th in the second coldest home game in team history. Despite only being six degrees at kickoff, a team from Louisiana (which plays indoors, if you need a reminder) walked away with a victory in the Cleveland cold.

Not only have the Browns not had an advantage in cold-weather games, they've actually been terrible in those circumstances.

NFL rules have also evolved over time that have tended to give the offense an advantage. Adapting to the current era of the game is important for future success. The Browns are 4-3 in road games played in domes the last three seasons.

Inside of Cleveland Browns' Brook Park dome on game day. / Cleveland Browns and HKS.

Although playing Browns games inside should help the team from a football perspective, the most important reason for an indoor facility is for it's usefulness beyond NFL games.

At the moment, Cleveland Browns Stadium only allows for some concerts or other events during a small, nice-weather window from May to September. Other than that, the Browns specifically bring the city one or two minimally attended preseason games, eight or nine regular season games, a handful of high school football games and they have yet to host a home playoff game since the team returned.

A building that hosts 15-20 events per year isn't a responsible solution for the region.

Other major events like the Final Four, Big Ten Championship, Super Bowl, professional wrestling, international soccer matches and major concerts should attract large audiences beyond Northeast Ohio's footprint. Just think about how many more things the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission could bid on with a facility like the one being proposed.

There are plenty of lodging options within 20 minutes every direction of the new proposed site. While some people would care about proximity, others will certainly still stay downtown to enjoy the other things Cleveland has to offer. It might have some effect, but the economic impact to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Arcade, the Flats, many restaurants and other tourist attractions downtown wouldn't crush their businesses.

The 176-acre property in Brook Park would allow for the required infrastructure to be built around the stadium for hosting major events. In addition, the Haslams are committing to privately financing the entire operation surrounding the stadium, with hotels, restaurants and more being added to that campus.

Speaking of financing, for those concerned about taxes significantly increasing, the Haslams proposed a 50-50 public-private split. This actually means that with the owners willing to take on $1.2 billion of the dome project, while also funding the surrounding Brook Park complex, that would equate to about 70 percent of the costs privately funded.

This leaves the remaining 30 percent (roughly $1.2 billion) to be publicly funded. Ultimately, this would likely end up being about how much it truly costs to renovate the current stadium. With the 50-50 split, $500-600 million would still need public funding with the renovation.

Cuyahoga County taxes are likely going up either way.

As far as the geographic location is concerned, Brook Park is an ideal spot. A new stadium instantly becomes the focal point of the city, right next to the airport. Fans near and far have easy access to the stadium from I-71 and I-480, and there are also several RTA stops in the area for public transportation on game days.

Above shot of Cleveland Browns' dome in Brook Park with city ahead in the distance. / Cleveland Browns and HKS.

It's understandable that some fans feel nostalgic and argue the team should continue to play its games on the lake front, where it has for decades in the heart of the city.

I would also miss the stadium being lakefront property downtown, but sometimes you have to give up something to get something much better. It's not possible to put a roof on the current stadium and the timing would never work to tear down the current stadium and build a dome in the current location. An indoor facility should take priority over the downtown location and Brook Park is the only feasible way of making this happen.

The choice is clear. This decision is going to have a lasting impact on Northeast Ohio well beyond the 30-year lease agreement the Browns would sign. The Brook Park stadium will allow Northeast Ohio to attract the same kinds of national events that cities like Atlanta, Los Angeles, Dallas and Las Vegas currently host. This world-class venue will transform the city's future for the better.