The obit for Art Modell from the New York Times that was reprinted in the Post-Gazette made interesting reading today. ( I was amazed to see that Modell was a high school drop out.) Not surprisingly, for all of his accomplishments, and there were many, the obit led with the fact that he moved the Browns out of Cleveland to Baltimore in 1995, forever earning him the enmity of the the community that he was so much a part of for the previous 35 years or so.
I lived in the Cleveland area from 1974-78 at a time when the City of Cleveland was pretty much a national joke. The Cuyahoga River caught on fire and the Mayor, Ralph Perk, set his hair on fire while using a blow torch at some trade show (you can look it up!). Amidst all of that, there was no stronger booster of Cleveland and the Northeast Ohio region that Art Modell. In addition to owning the Browns, Modell was a staunch supporter of the the Cleveland Symphony and all of the Arts in the area, as well as serving on various civic boards and charities. He was a true pillar of the community. Once he took the Browns away, though, he was poison and he was never able to return to Cleveland again. I get the anger of the City over having "their" team (but let's face it; teams belong to the owners, not the fans. See Dodgers, Brooklyn), but the whole episode is kind of sad, when you think about it. Almost Shakespearean.
And I know that no Cleveland Brown fan will agree with that, and I get that.
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