To fully grasp the intricacies of rooting for a Cleveland team, there are agreed-upon criteria that one must understand, starting with "The Decision." LeBron James's choice to bolt for South Beach was relatively easy. If we all get honest, Cleveland screwed up, not James. However, being die-hard fanatics, we’ve all collectively agreed to get upset with LeBron and express how we’ve turned our back on him primarily due to Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert's infamous letter.[1]. Dan had the stones to write, “I personally guarantee that the Cleveland Cavaliers will win an NBA championship before the self-titled former 'king' wins one.” Yikes, we all know how that worked out. Even my sixteen-year-old knows better than to bet on any Cleveland team to win, and she is only starting her losing journey. Despite the ineptitude of the Cavs' front office with head-scratching moves like signing mediocre player Larry Hughes to a $70 million max contract and, who can forget, passing up the opportunity to trade for a proven superstar, Amar’e Stoudemire, LeBron had no right to leave. If you’re a “real” Clevelander, the decision was a mistake by King James and not a brilliant career choice.
"Only in Cleveland" is more jargon for any outsider. For instance, in 2017, after not winning one game that season, fans of the Browns had an unofficial parade to celebrate the occasion. Granted, only three thousand fans showed up, and the parade route was short, but I still say this sent a message to management. The fans were fed up and wanted to express their anger with team owners Jimmy and Dee Haslem. Nevertheless, could you imagine fans of the Dallas Cowboys or New England Patriots doing this? Probably not. I know only in Cleveland may sound like an unproven mantra that fans created only to feel some jubilation. "Only in Cleveland" stands for an indestructible bond all fans share wherever they may reside. Admittedly, I was not living in Northeast Ohio during the winless season. Still, whenever I met a fellow Browns Backer while in Alabama, the universal greeting was, you guessed it, “Only in Cleveland.”
These couple of sayings are only the most popular of the last fifteen years from the decades of the combined loss. Heck, the Indians/Guardians have specified lingo dedicated to the owner's thriftiness. "The Yankees farm team," means all the talented players that come through this organization will eventually end up playing in the Bronx. All because our owner refuses to compensate players accordingly. Despite the flaws engraved within all three of our franchises, there is no other perennial loser I’d rather root for.
[1] Dan later regretted and eventually apologized for this letter.
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