Why am I a Cleveland Browns Fan?

That is a question I have gotten countless times over the years, especially when I living in California. After another extremely disappointing loss today, I even find myself asking that question too. However, after the sting of the loss started to wear off, I decided to put out my thoughts on this subject. So, here are the four reasons I am, and forever will be a Cleveland Browns fan, regardless of how they do.

1) I’m Not a Bandwagon Fan - I was born and raised in the Cleveland area. This is my team. Like a family member or a good friend, I do not give up on them because they have let me down. I can’t even imagine cheering for another team. I don’t even understand when someone is a fan of a team they don’t have any affiliation with. 

Without delving into why people do what they do, I lose a little respect for someone I meet that cheers for a front- running team when they have no affiliation with that team. By all means, you do you, but it just makes me wonder how much I can rely on you. Will you still ride with me if I go through a season of life not being exactly what you want me to be? The kind of fan you are tells me what kind of person you are.

2) The Browns Have Helped Build My Self-Esteem - The reason I say this is that I have had to learn to weather the criticism and the jokes and still be an outspoken Browns fan. Rather than derive my self-esteem from jumping on the bandwagon of a winning team, I have learned to embrace who I am regardless of what others might think of that. In fact, it really irritates me when the Browns begin to do well and all the bandwagon fans come out for them. Again, it tells me a lot about the person involved.

3) They Have Helped Me Learn to Deal With Disappointment - Let’s face it, disappointment is part of life. How you deal with it determines whether you move forward to stall out. Being a Browns fan, you learn to deal with disappointment and continually look to a brighter future. I see many fans of other teams wearing the colors proudly when their team is winning but seem to disappear when the team struggles. Or they start to make excuses as to why they expect the team to lose in order to avoid disappointment.

I go into every season / game hopeful for the best and deal with the all too often disappointing results. In some ways, I think this has helped me deal with and put disappointing events in my life in general in a better perspective and always remain optimistic for what lies ahead.

4) I Like The Climb - There is a part of me that actually enjoys the continual “next season” process. I like that not everyone is a Browns fan and that those of us that are remain united in our support and hope for the team. The adversity actually binds us together at a level that success never would. I secretly worry that if the Browns ever became a dominant team and won the Super Bowl that I might like them just a little bit less after they won the big game. I actually like the process more than the goal if that makes sense. 

Don’t get me wrong, if the Browns ever win the Super Bowl in my lifetime, I will likely cry like a baby and follow that with multiple days of celebration. However, once the dust settles, I feel like something might actually be lost in the success. I hope I am wrong, but it’s just a fear I have.

Hopefully this answers the question of why I am a Browns fan. They often make me crazy, prematurely age me and cause me to use language best left back in my Navy days, but I love them! I love the Cleveland Browns!...and I always will.