I‘d like to call myself a die-hard Cleveland sports fan, for the Browns, Cavaliers, and Indians. I grew up in a huge sports family, where we basically lived by sports. Anytime there was a Cleveland professional team playing, you bet the game was on. From my parents, I learned at a young age what a true fan was all about. Being a true fan is about loving your team through the good, bad, and the ugly.

In June the Cavaliers won the NBA Championship and just a couple months later the Cleveland Indians were in Game 7 of the World Series. Thinking about Cleveland sports in the last few months, why wouldn’t anyone from Northeast Ohio not want to be a Cleveland sports fan? Well there is one more Cleveland sports team, the Browns. The Cleveland Browns are currently 0-9 for the season. Unlike all the other Cleveland sports teams, they are not winning, so why should you be a fan right?

I have even seen and heard people who call themselves true fans say the following:

“It’s an embarrassment to be called a Cleveland Browns fan.”

“I’m not going to go to a game to just watch them lose, and I can’t even give my tickets away for free because they are so bad.”

“At least I have good Cleveland teams I can cheer for and support a.k.a. the Indians and the Cavaliers.”

“Cleveland shouldn’t even have a football team because they never win.”

Now hearing those things or seeing them on social media, bothered me a lot. So let me say this, even though the Browns are 0-9, I’m still proud to call myself a Cleveland Browns fan. I’d jump at a chance to go to a game if I had time and here is why.

For example, the Indians blew a 3-1 lead in the World Series and lost in Game 7. You do not see people who call themselves Indians fans saying how it was an embarrassment to be called a fan because they blew a huge lead. What makes the difference? Any team at any given day can win or lose. Right now, the Cleveland Browns are just not having a good season, but that doesn’t mean you as a fan should stop supporting them, should put them down, not go to games, or even say how it is an embarrassment to be a fan. Just a year ago the Cleveland Indians could not fill their seats at Progressive field because they were not having the best season, and look at how far they came this year. The Indians made it to Game 7 of the World Series, which is as far as you can get. Plus the Indians had multiple sold-out games this past season. The Indians and Cavaliers winnings seasons mean much more to a true fan who was around through the worst times for them.

So now take a look at the Browns this season. They are having trouble filling their seats, and they aren’t having a good season. People are giving away their tickets because “they don’t wanna go and watch them lose.” But that doesn’t mean you stop supporting them, it doesn’t mean you stop going to games, or just say how it is an embarrassment to be a fan. That should mean you support them more than ever, and you try to go to more games then you’ve ever been to. So when the Browns do win, like the Indians did this past season, you can say “I’m a true fan, I was there for them, supporting them through everything.” Plus I believe sports are all mental, no matter what level you play. If the Browns know their fans don’t believe them or support them anymore, how can they believe in themselves to win?

I have forever and will forever be an all Cleveland sports fan, including the Browns. So if you want to talk bad when they aren’t doing well, then turn around and be a huge fan when they have a winning season, and they have sold out games. Go ahead. If you want to not attend games because you don’t believe your team can’t win. Then don’t. I’ll go to the game, I’ll take your tickets because it is just like any other game you pay money to see, where you don’t know what the outcome will be, either win or lose. I’ll support my team. I’ll believe in my team. I’ll be proud of my team no matter what the outcome is. So when the Browns start winning, and start having sold-out games, I can say I supported them through everything, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I can say I am a true die-hard Browns fan. This is because win or lose, I’ll always love my team. GO BROWNS!