Cleveland Browns fans are in the midst of the great stadium soap opera , and how long this show lasts is entirely dependent upon how much the public is willing to cough up.
It's a situation that will come down to the willingness of the political powers that be to free up enough cash to satisfy the desires of the Haslam Sports Group.
Some might say, "Yes, but no one really knows what the owners of the Browns want."
Yeah, we do.
Thanks to Jason Lloyd of "The Athletic" and Joe Scalzo of "Crains Cleveland Business" (both stories are paywalled) for bringing that to the forefront.
It's pretty evident Browns ownership wants to stay downtown, but they want to stay downtown in a domed stadium. Period. That's me reading the room.
They want to be able to work to develop the lakefront with the stadium as a centerpiece, and it's clear the city wants the Browns down there.
But in a dome? At a likely cost of more than $2 billion? Maybe not so much. That explains reporting from Cleveland news site "Signal," which had a story quoting anonymous Cleveland City Council sources saying the Browns pitched the city on a renovation costing more than $1 billion.
Something is off.
Given the story the Browns have "a contract to buy" 176 acres of land in Brook Park, which isn't exactly the city center, those sources sound as if they are trying to cover their bases in the event this all goes south and the Browns end up out west.
Cleveland's city leaders have to know and understand the trauma associated with this particular team and any movements it might make. If Mayor Justin Bibb does not, he might want to dial up former Mayor Mike White on his alpaca farm.
The pain wouldn't be as acute because the team would just be down the road, but downtown would feel it on football Sundays for home games. And, Lawd, please don't let the east side-west side thing (it's a Cleveland thing) come into play.
What is clear, however, is the posturing has begun and the battle for the hearts, minds and dollars of Browns fans is at stake. We should all strap in for a bumpy ride.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Journey to a new Browns Stadium is getting bumpy
