Changes

There are two things that I try never to write about and they are politics and sports. The reason is simple. I always feel as though nothing that I say will either matter or have any effect as a result. Still, it's hard not to pay attention either.

When it comes to sports I feel confident when talking about at least one of them in particular, and that's football. I played football for 5 years in junior high and high school and I've been watching the sport since I was 3 years old.

Things inside professional sports have changed over the years, and in football most necessarily. It's been said that money changes everything. If your're a fan of pro sports then you may have witnessed that this is true. But despite the changes that have taken place, as a fan, what interests us most has pretty much remained intact.

However, there was a time, back in the 60's when football was a "fan's" sport. Fans would pack places like Lambeau Field, Wrigley Field or maybe even Cleveland Municipal Stadium for a game, whether it was raining, sleeting, or snowing. Neither the high heat of late summer nor the freezing cold of mid winter could keep fans away from the game that they loved.

In the 70's, football became a players sport as we watched individual effort become the hallmark of every winning team. There were stand out players at just about every position. And some names became legend. Names like Jack Lambert, Paul Warfield, Lynn Swann, Larry Sconka, or Roger Staubach always seem to come to mind when you think of the wining or championship teams of that decade.

When the 80's rolled around, football seemed to become a more of a coaches sport. Strategy and player usage was the key to many major victories. Football became chess like as coaches strolled the sideline adjusting their game plans. Names such as Mike Ditka, Joe Gibbs, and Bill Walsh come to mind, as they coached their respective teams to championship victories.

Things were a bit different in the 90s, as the owners took the spotlight. The fate of some teams were completely turned around by a change in ownership. While other teams returned to prominence through the steady leadership of a long time patriarch. The Halas' or the Rooney's, or maybe Jerry Jones might fit this category. Most were low key and classy but they always made sure that their team maintained a high profile.

Here in the 21st century, and this is just my opinion, we've watched as football has become a corporate sport. Owners looking for the cash that they need to procure the best of the marquee players, either from the NFL Draft or from free agency, have reached out to corporations in exchange for a mention, logo placement or maybe even the rights to name the teams stadium or playing field. Lucas Oil Stadium, Sun Life Stadium or FedEx Field come to mind.

This second decade of the 21st century is only a year and a half old at this writing, so whatever will happen in pro sports and football  in general still remains to be seen. One thing we can be sure of is that there will be change. One such change is about to take place in the relative future, as the Cleveland Browns are about to be sold. While this may not concern football fans on the whole, it is on the minds of those fans in Cleveland and northeast Ohio.
Many are wondering if this will mean that the team will leave town, again. Current team owner Randy Lerner has assured all, that any contract to sell the Browns will have language written into it that will stipulate that the team remain in Cleveland.

The teams has struggled over Lerner's ten year tenure, but it would seem that even the teams harshest critics are eyeing the situation with a certain level of objectivity. Will this be good or bad for the Browns? Like most of us who've been watching this expansion team version of the franchise, the most import thing that may have been forgotten, is that they are an expansion team. They like any other expansion team deserve the right to be given a chance to build and grow. While it is true that they've been in the league now for what will be their 13th season, many changes have taken place, sometimes yearly.

Yes, Browns fans have suffered mightily. Yes, it is hard to be patient when the Browns are one of only a handful of teams that hasn't won a Super Bowl, yet still have a very proud and storied football tradition. Growth has often been slow to invisible. But, this could be just another step in the evolution of what may one day become a great football franchise. We will all have to wait and see.