Cleveland is the smallest American city with professional baseball, basketball and football franchises. To keep them -- without shorting other public needs -- we must preserve what we have (and reject a wasteful national fad of cities replacing sports franchises on their 25th birthdays).
Thankfully, two of our franchises (Cavaliers in 2017; Guardians in 2021) opted for lease extensions tied to facility renovations. By contrast, the Browns’ $1.2 billion public ask -- the second largest stadium subsidy in American history -- would replace a well-maintained 25-year-old lakefront stadium with a new suburban covered stadium.
Now consider an Ohio Senate amendment to Gov. Mike DeWine’s biennial budget. It would tell Cuyahoga voters (who in three polls have preferred the lakefront site by a 2:1 margin): “We’ll let you vote on whether to increase your sin tax to fund sports facility upkeep, but only if you include a new Brook Park covered stadium as an eligible recipient.”
This amendment punishes franchises (Cavaliers, Guardians) which have been fiscally prudent and fielded competitive on-field products, while rewarding a franchise (Browns) displaying neither quality. When coupled with the Browns owners’ political contributions, the outcome, whether intentional or not, is rotten to the core.
Kenneth Silliman,
Cleveland