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Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
It's pretty grim out there for Browns news. Reporters and others are wisely taking vacation before the craziness starts anew in late July, and the Browns' headquarters is not as bustling as usual as the only real downtime of the year kicks in.
Even your humble newsdork will be taking a vacation starting at the end of next week, putting the Newswire on hiatus from June 27 through July 5. Of course, I may make appearances on the forums or elsewhere if I simply can't resist. However, the idea is nonetheless to try to disconnect for a week. Hopefully, the news will continue to be slow because, if it isn't, that usually indicates off-field trouble, which this team doesn't need.
I could only find a handful of stories this morning that weren't either clickbait, paywalled, or otherwise unable to snake their way through the Barry Filter(tm).
The highlight, to me at least, is this upbeat story in the NeoTrans blog, which argues that Cleveland will ultimately benefit from the relocation of the Cleveland Browns Stadium from downtown to Brook Park. The author wisely notes that the likelihood of the IX Center's closure to exhibitions will prompt many to relocate to the Cleveland convention center, bringing people downtown. The move to Brook Park will open up the space dedicated to the stadium and adjoining parking lots for everyday use.
While I think that the Stadium move will impact some local businesses that need the 10-day-a-year influx of Browns fans, there's potential for that land to bring people downtown every day of the year. While I also don't believe that Jimmyworld will contribute significantly to the Northeast Ohio economy, the best result may simply be allowing Cleveland to utilize that area more effectively.
This is why I initially argued that Jimmyworld was inevitable, and that the city should have maintained a positive approach to working with the Haslams, who have shown an interest in downtown development, rather than engaging in a futile fight to enforce the "Modell Law". Anyone who lived through the 1990s knows that the spirit of the Modell Law was considered a means to keep the Browns local, not specifically within city limits.
But politicians do what politicians do, and here we are. Perhaps a positive outcome in the relationship between the City and a local billionaire is still possible, but I think it starts with the City and County joining the rest of us in accepting the reality that the dome development will happen regardless, and that their attention should be focused on how best to spur lakefront development. From challenge comes opportunity.
Tumbleweed
Our annual Tumbleweed photos emerge from hiding. (Photo: Unsplash.com)
BUT WAIT!! THERE'S MORE(?)!
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
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