Steeler fans: How did you feel when the Browns were moved in 1995?

[Copanut]

When the Browns and Colts both left their cities, it sent a shock to all franchises. How could that happen when all the games were sellouts? Ah, money talks. Even the Rooneys were talking about moving until they got a new stadium, and it only took 16 months to do it.

Screw the NFL, I'm putting my money in Little League.

[DaBurgh]

The NFL needs to ban domes and start playing Super Bowls in cold weather cities. Also a return to rules that don't allow a team to throw the ball around like arena football would be nice, for people like me who prefer low scoring defensive wars.

[trotter_rej]

Originally Posted by tranceFusion

I'll give the opinion of a Ravens fan, even though you didn't ask..

I was young when the Colts left, but people were extremely bitter about it for many years. The Redskins marketed the area heavily to the disgust of everyone.. Despite proximity, Baltimore has its own culture very different than that of DC.

Some people thought the Browns coming was a bit weird and it wouldn't be the same as when the colts were there or if we had gotten a new expansion, and others were excited just to get a team.. The youngest generation didn't care either way, because they had grown up without football being part of their Sundays.

However, any concern about the Ravens just being the "old browns" faded pretty quickly. Turnover in the NFL is high, and most of the old Browns were gone before anyone knew it. Billick took over, and soon the team was bought by Steve Bisciotti, a Baltimore native, a self-made billionaire who was likeable, already known by many, and a local at heart..

So, had you asked in 97, and maybe even after the superbowl win, you may have had some naysayers in Baltimore, but in what seems like a short time, the team is ours.. We have our stadium, our owner, our coach, our quarterback. After Stover getting shown the door, the only remaining tie to Cleveland is Ozzie Newsome and he has done such wonderful things and become so well endeared locally that this is easily overlooked. The flags are flying and the town is bleeding black and purple..

This is what I don't get. I'm glad Baltimore got a team back (much as I root against them), especially after theirs was stolen out from under them. But as a fan, how can you support a team that is also stolen? I don't specifically mean you, as you said you were young when the Colts moved, but I don't see how an established Colts fan could support a team they got that way. I guess having a new owner helps, since he wasn't the greedy jerk who moved them. But I think I'd still have trouble cheering for them.

[tranceFusion]

Originally Posted by trotter_rej

This is what I don't get. I'm glad Baltimore got a team back (much as I root against them), especially after theirs was stolen out from under them. But as a fan, how can you support a team that is also stolen? I don't specifically mean you, as you said you were young when the Colts moved, but I don't see how an established Colts fan could support a team they got that way. I guess having a new owner helps, since he wasn't the greedy jerk who moved them. But I think I'd still have trouble cheering for them.

I guess I never really got the whole "stolen" argument. The NFL is an entertainment business, not a birthright. Yeah, I'd be upset if the Ravens left, and if some other team came into town it would be weird for a while, but I am sure enough brats, beers, and community cheers would make everything ok again..

Of course, I haven't been bred into the rabid multi-generational fanaticism that your average Steeler fan has been, either.