CLEVELAND, OHIO (TheOBR.com) - Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
I'm in a bit of a philosophical mood this morning, which is always dangerous and usually the product of multiple inhalations of bourbon.
Maybe it's because I've already had too much coffee or because I decided to start the day with my U2 playlist, which takes me way back to my college days. Back then, I missed U2's first American tour in support of their debut album at a small club in Columbus because my horrible Thermodynamics prof decided to give us a take-home midterm the Friday before. The kicker? The mid-term didn't even count, because it was so hard that no one could complete it. So, I missed seeing a very young and pre-fame U2 at the Columbus Agora for no good reason. Not that I'm bitter about it, 40+ years later. Nope.
What's got me philosophical is the website I've devoted my adult life to, and the pursuit of money. Not that I have any particular qualms about trying to live off the proceeds of the OBR - I love what I do, and being able to do it for a living is a dream come true, even if it can be a struggle at times. I've helped others like me do what they love in exchange for money, generally for less than their talents deserve.
I'm more concerned about a larger arc, whether the NFL's love of money and desire to accumulate more and more will lead to the destruction of a sport that we love and helps bind us together.
My life's trajectory changed in 1995 when Art Modell decided to rip the Cleveland Browns from the city and move them to Baltimore so he could deal with inheritance taxes and hand it off to his spoiled son, David. Modell could have sold the team straight up back then and retired a hero, with his bust in the Hall of Fame for his role in the early broadcasting of NFL games. Instead, motivated by greed, he took Baltimore's cash, moved the team to Maryland, and went belly up anyway, having to sell it. Total failure and the wrecking of his own life, inspired by greed.
I was concerned back then that the NFL would destroy itself through greed, as individual owners began threatening cities with what Modell did unless the municipalities built them expensive, profitable new stadiums. My upset with how loyal Browns fans were treated was further exacerbated when owners around the league used the prospect of moving to Cleveland to blackmail the towns that supported them.
The NFL somehow survived, although many fans were priced out of being able to attend games. Just the cost of doing business.
There are several news stories this morning that triggered my concern once more.
The Awful Announcing trio in today's stack is worth your time if you like being annoyed by the business of sports — and judging by our readership, you are experts.
One piece argues the NFL is slowly killing the Sunday afternoon window, another says sports are reaching a breaking point in the endless pursuit of cash, and a third has Mike Florio saying the league is more interested in international expansion than the "integrity of the sport". None mentions the league's self-destructive embrace of gambling as another growth vector.
This is where I get old-man-yells-at-cloud, except the cloud now requires a separate streaming subscription and has exclusive rights to one divisional game from Munich.
The NFL remains king because we keep showing up. But every year, the league asks fans to solve a slightly more annoying puzzle just to watch their team. More windows. More platforms. More travel. More international inventory. More 9AM games. More standalone packages. More "please download our app" nonsense.
At some point, even the most loyal fans start looking at the remote like it's a hostage negotiation.
It's a smashed watermelon
It's a smashed watermelon. The reason I'm posting this is below. (Photo: Unsplash.com)
And I won't even speculate on the costs of PSLs (the ones that come with seats, at least) at the Browns' new fabulous stadium in Brook Park.
I'm once again wondering whether the NFL can destroy itself in its relentless pursuit of expansion and cash, thirty years later. I suspect that the NFL will once again survive, but there will be tradeoffs. It will become a TV sport for most, and an increasingly expensive one. We wondered back in the 1990s whether "pay-per-view" would take over the NFL, and it is starting to, in a fashion we never could have conceived, thanks to ubiquitous internet availability, apps, and 100-inch TVs.
Step by step, the league will take things away from fans in pursuit of money, and step by step, we will put up with it, rationalize it and adapt, because we love it so.
But don't be shocked when the growth slows a little as normal fans start getting frustrated with the cost.
I don't remember much from college, and nothing from that horrific Thermodynamics class, but I do remember that every action tends to have an equal but opposite reaction. As the NFL pushes its consumers further, at some point the shine will come off the NFL's polished chrome.
The basic laws of physics will come for the NFL; it's just a matter of where, how, and when.
Back to football tomorrow.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
Newswire Bloviation Archive
OBR GOODIES
OBR VIDEO
Elaborate 2026 Browns Schedule Video
OBR ARTICLES
Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 05/15/26: Florida, First Impressions, and Clown-Punching
FROM THE FORUMS
ASK THE INSIDERS (VIP)
Old is New Again
DW Dead Cap Hit
F/U on RC Post on Fanu
THE WATERCOOLER
Cavs/ Pistons Tonight!
Cavs/Pistons
Calling Barry - delayed posting issues
OT: Anyone Else Remember the Automat Downtown?
LiveWire Thread for 5/15 - Twitter, Video, Articles
Browns Nation: Deion Sanders about Berry and Haslam
Got home opener tickets- first Browns game in Cleveland
Browns/Bengals TV Conflicts
THE LIFT
Positive news from the world of sports and beyond...
Presented with unbelievable glee and no further comment, here's the Wanton Destruction of CBS Property clip from Stephen Colbert's show, featuring David Letterman. And some watermelons.
WRAPPING UP
When not wondering if he can expense a streaming-service spreadsheet as a business necessity, Barry McBride is the Publisher and Founder of the OBR and bloviates this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on Twitter @barrymcbride or write him at barry@theobr.com if you are so compelled.
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
CONTACT Barry to sponsor the OBR. We have plans for nearly any budget!
OBR Across the Internet
OBR on BlueSky
OBR on Twitter
OBR on Threads
OBR on LinkedIN
OBR on Youtube
OBR on Twitch
OBR on Facebook
Handy Links
Sign up for our newsletter
Sign up for breaking news text alerts
OBR Unpublished RSS Feed
If you have made it this far, you must subscribe to the OBR. Them's the rules.