CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Lakefront stadium in Cleveland or domed stadium in Brook Park?
A new survey suggests a majority of adults living in Northeast Ohio want the Browns to continue playing downtown in the existing stadium.
The survey, conducted by Marshall Marketing for 19 News, is the first of its kind to be released publicly.
But what does Northeast Ohio want? Finding the answer to that question is why 19 News commissioned this survey.
Here’s what we asked: **Do you think the Cleveland Browns should continue to play at the existing stadium in downtown Cleveland or build a new, domed facility in Brook Park?**
What we learned is that 57% of those surveyed want the Browns to play downtown, 29% wish for a new dome and 14% just don’t know.
“Most people just want to see the team win. Let’s be clear about that. A winning team will draw fans no matter where they are,” Cleveland city councilman Kris Harsh said. “But people enjoy the experience of going downtown. They enjoy the outdoor aspect of it, they enjoy being on the lake.”
Harsh said he spoke with fans on a game day in August and asked the same question.
“The truthful answer is they want the team to stay. Your survey bears that point, my survey bears that point,” Harsh said. “If you ask most fans they want to stay and that should matter, that should count to the Haslams.”
The current stadium was built in 1999 back when the new Cleveland Browns took the field for their first season following the original team’s move to Baltimore in 1996.
That notorious move by the team’s former owner is a big reason why city leaders are doing all they can to block them from possibly leaving again.
The team’s lease at the city-owned stadium is up after the 2028 season when the stadium will be almost 30 years old.
“Nobody complains about the age of ‘The Shoe’ in Columbus, nobody complains about the age of Lambeau up in Green Bay, it’s not that the stadium is 28 years old, that can’t really be the reason some people want to abandon it,” Harsh said. “There’s money to be made for the Haslams if they leave and go somewhere else.”
Harsh said the data shown in our poll further emphasizes the need to keep the Cleveland Browns the ‘Cleveland’ Browns.
“I don’t think that moving the Browns indoors to a suburban, vanity project for the Haslam Sports Group is really going to improve the fan experience,” Harsh said.
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