I-Team: New arguments for and against Cleveland Browns dome

Yahoo

20-03-2025

CLEVELAND (WJW) – The FOX 8 I-Team found more strong words, even wild claims swirling around the fight over the Cleveland Browns' plan to move to a dome in Brook Park.
Wednesday evening, the Browns released a new statement and the Cuyahoga County executive spoke out. That followed a bold statement from the mayor of Cleveland.
Tough talk in the battle over the home of the Browns.
This week, the Browns accused the city of Cleveland of 'misguiding Clevelanders' about the team's plans for a dome and development around it.
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Then, Mayor Justin Bibb called out the Browns for 'misleading statements.' He called the dome project a 'scheme.'
Late Wednesday, County Executive Chris Ronayne held a news conference speaking out against using public money to help the Browns build a dome.
'The Brook Park stadium proposal is a risky bet with public dollars, a risk we shouldn't take,' Ronayne said.
The Browns fired back in a new statement:
'While we respect the Mayor and County Executive, the facts are the facts. We have detailed the work completed in collaboration with our team of experts and have taken a conservative approach in our exploration and projections for both stadium options. The work shows definitively that an enclosed stadium in Brook Park is the most viable long-term solution, and the best choice to ensure a thriving future for the Cleveland Browns, our fans, Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio.'
We went back to two season ticket holders watching this.
'Well, I don't know what to believe. The fans are sort of stuck in the middle here. You know, we want to support the Browns. We want to go to the games,' Chris Becker said.
'Can't we all get along to get past the personal part for what's best for the city, what's best for this region?' Reverend Jimmy Gates said.
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Some of the strongest words surround the court fight.
The city of Cleveland is using the so-called 'Modell Law' to try to block the Browns from leaving.
The mayor said the team is 'violating state law' restricting sports teams from moving. The mayor called it an 'attack' on the city's plan to redevelop the lakefront.
But, the Browns argued in their latest federal court filing that the Modell Law shouldn't block the team from leaving. The team plans to move at the end of the lease for the current stadium and the team plans to stay in the area.
Meanwhile, the mayor said the Browns need to 'raise your taxes' for a dome with 'average ticket prices nearing $700' and 'parking rates north of $100.'
So, what about those claims? The Browns told us ticket prices for the dome haven't been set. Neither have parking prices.
In the Browns' new statement, chief communications officer Peter John-Baptiste said:
'We have not finalized any ticket prices and are committed to offering ticket options at a variety of price points. We can say definitively that the average ticket price claimed by the Mayor and County Executive is more than three times what we would expect the average ticket price at the new stadium to be. We remain committed to coming together with both state and local public officials to create a positive and meaningful long-term economic benefit for Cleveland and the surrounding region while giving Browns fans one of the best game day experiences in the world.'
The city of Brook Park expects to count on parking taxes and admissions taxes, but those haven't been set either.
The Browns have asked the state for $600 million, but they say it would basically be a loan.
A team official stressed to lawmakers, 'it is not a grant. It is not a handout.'
However, the dome project could lead to a new county hotel tax and rental car fee.
The Browns also hope for $600 million in local public funding. The team insists profits from the dome complex would cover the local funding as well.
The county executive has repeatedly spoken out against the dome plan, saying it would hurt downtown and the Browns should stay there.
The team, on the other hand, believes a dome would benefit downtown and all of Northeast Ohio, bringing in money and jobs.
Through it all, those fans said they just want the matter settled.
'I think, quite honestly, an indoor stadium is more useful to the community,' Becker said.
'You would hope that, by now, they would be sitting down. A meeting of the minds and trying to devise a plan. Whatever it takes. Whatever they need to do to keep them in downtown Cleveland,' Gates said.
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The Browns want a hearing in federal court on their lawsuit against the Modell law.
State lawmakers are expected to take the first big vote on state money for the Browns next month.
The Browns also said in the Wednesday statement:
'Despite our extensive efforts to explore and collaborate on a lakefront option, the City's plan is the risky bet. It is not economically viable. It includes no concrete path for making funds available to start construction. And, more importantly, it will burden its taxpayers for decades to come while kicking the can down the road. In stark contrast, the Brook Park proposal will not draw from existing taxpayer revenue streams, does not require any funding from the City and will be funded primarily by revenue generated from the project. '
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