I grew up rooting for the Browns and have great memories of my dad, uncle’s and myself sitting around the TV every Sunday cheering them on! It was the eighties, so Bernie Kosar and Kevin Mack were heroes in our house! I also rooted for the Bengals since I am from Cincinnati, but the Browns were my team! Through all the good and bad seasons, we loved the Cleveland Browns.
Signing of Deshaun Waston
During the off season this year the Browns signed Deshaun Watson even after allegations of sexual misconduct were known to the public. There are twenty-plus women who have cases of sexual misconduct towards the quarterback and here we are $230 million dollars later. This became a big talking point on many levels for Browns fans and decisions had to be made about supporting the Browns.
Uncomfortable Decision
With this situation and being a woman, I was outraged, offended, disappointed, and sympathetic to the women and what had happened to them. The current social and political climate has brought women’s issues to the forefront of society so seeing this play out was disheartening to NFL fans and especially women. The fanbase has to look at having an uncomfortable decision to make, whether you are still going to be a Browns fan?
Responsibility
For some people it was easy to cut it off at the head and find another team. This lets the organization know you are mad and do not agree with their morals or standards. Hit them where it hurts, in the pockets. I feel bad for the other Browns players, who have no control on hirings and firings, and are caught in the crossfire. I appreciate all the time and effort they put into the Browns organization, and I root for all of them as one team.
Most of the current players were on the team before Watson came to town. I want to watch, cheer and support those players and the team I have grown up with and loved. I don’t think they should be held responsible for what he did, they were not involved. Management made this decision for the team, so it makes the fan decision murky for most.
The Excitement of Sunday
This past Sunday the excitement in the air was palpable! NFL fans put on their gear and headed to the game, tailgating or bar of choice to cheer on their team. As I was getting ready to put on my Browns shirt, I paused but went about my way to meet up with my friend to watch the games. Entering the bar was fun with all the teams represented by the fans. You could see the joy of the new season was off and running!
Your Quarterback Is A…..
We were in a bar in Cincinnati with fans from all teams, having a great time! Towards the end of the game everyone was standing watching the end of the Bengals game when a thirty something year old man came up to me and said your quarterback is a f–king rapist. It took me by surprise, and I had nothing to say to him. Later him and his friend, also male, came over and said the same thing at me then laughed and went into the bathroom. I felt intimidated by the men. Good ole boys picking on a woman felt disturbing, I guess they haven’t been listening.
It made me feel bad. I was being yelled at and mocked for the shirt I was wearing to root for my team. It made me mad that out of all the Browns fans in the bar they decided to say something to me, a woman with only one other person at the table. Not the table next to us with 3 guys that were browns fans, me specifically. I wonder why they didn’t say anything to them. It felt sexist in a way. They were only brave enough to say it to my face and not the men at the next table.
Think Twice
This interaction made me think twice about wearing my Browns gear for next week. Would it be better if I specifically wore a Nick Chubb jersey? Would it make a difference? The other 52 guys on the team were not involved but this is a predicament women fans are faced with. It’s uncomfortable and unfortunate.