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It has been reported that the Cleveland Browns will look to make some major renovations to its competition home, formerly known as FirstEnergy Stadium. The Haslams originally were pushing for a new stadium but couldn’t come to an agreement with the city of Cleveland.
With plans in the works to give the current facilities a facelift as early as 2026, the question comes up where would the franchise play its games should the stadium upgrades not be ready for NFL games? One would think that Columbus would have to be an option with Ohio Stadium being a possible venue.
This would be a similar situation that the Chicago Bears found themselves in several years ago. While Soldier Field was going through major renovations, the Bears played their home games at the University of Illinois in Champaign, about a two-hour drive from Chicago.
"That means the Browns will play for two to three seasons at another location. It isn’t publicly known yet where the Browns will play, but Columbus is a likely location."https://t.co/OVXNemgGPi
— Ben Axelrod (@BenAxelrod) April 17, 2023
However, WKYC in Cleveland has reported that there is no merit to the report that the Browns would play home games in Columbus. WKYC stated that they had checked with sources in Columbus, Ohio State, and the Cleveland Browns, and found no traction to the rumors. It is believed that the Haslams would never play home games outside of Cleveland and make fans drive more than two hours to see their Browns play.
It does beg the question though… if Cleveland Browns Stadium is not available for play, where else could the team play? Akron is only a short 40-minute drive, but InfoCision Stadium only seats 30,000 fans. It would be hard to imagine an NFL team playing at such a small venue. Maybe the Tom Benson Hall of Fame in Canton would feel like a better fit, but it’s even smaller at only 23,000 seats.
Time will tell if the Horseshoe would be a good fit, but it certainly couldn’t hurt. With Columbus not having an NFL franchise of its own, loyalties are split between the Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, and Pittsburgh Steelers. A move like this might help build an even deeper fanbase in the state’s capital.
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By: Mark Russell
Title: Could Ohio Stadium be a temporary home for the Cleveland Browns?
Sourced From: buckeyeswire.usatoday.com/2023/04/18/could-the-cleveland-browns-play-in-ohio-stadium-as-temporary-home-buckeyes/
Published Date: Tue, 18 Apr 2023 14:56:37 +0000
