Tag: FirstEnergy Stadium

Browns and FirstEnergy end naming rights deal for Cleveland Browns Stadium

It is Cleveland Browns Stadium once again.

It has been announced that both the Cleveland Browns and FirstEnergy have ended their naming rights deal for the team’s home field. For the second time since 1999, the field is now called Cleveland Browns Stadium, at least until a new deal is struck.

The name of the stadium came under fire after the company was accused of bribing former members of the Ohio House. The contract was originally for 17 years but both sides agreed it was time to move on. For now, it is back to Cleveland Browns Stadium as we wait to see if another deal is struck up in the future.

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Report: Browns want new stadium with roof, FirstEnergy Stadium ‘quickly and poorly built’

The Browns want a new stadium.

FirstEnergy Stadium, the home of the Cleveland Browns, is now the 10th oldest stadium in the NFL as it now stands at 24 years old. And on the same day in which ownership purchased a stake in the Milwaukee Bucks, the Haslams are now pushing for a new stadium. And one with a roof.

According to Ken Prendergast of NEOtrans, the Haslams have concluded that FirstEnergy Stadium is beyond renovation and that it was, “quickly and poorly built and may not be affordably retrofitted with upgrades like wider concourses or a roof, be it retractable or fixed.”

Prendergast reported over the summer that the Haslams are eyeing a stadium with a roof as, “the city-owned stadium is used only 10-12 times per year; a retractable or fixed roof would allow it to be used more often.”

The Buffalo Bills are set to open a new stadium in 2026, and the Browns may be next.

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Wind chill has Cleveland’s Saints-Browns game feeling colder than ‘polar weather conditions’

The wind chill has Cleveland’s Saints-Browns game feeling colder than the South Pole:

Sheesh. The New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns are doing their best to warm up at FirstEnergy Stadium under heavy wind and snow, and yeah, it’s cold. It’s actually so cold with the wind chill, ESPN Stats and Info reports, that the on-field temperature at kickoff (a projected negative-21 degrees Fahrenheit) could be colder than the current temperature at the South Pole (negative-15 degrees).

Yikes. See the conditions for yourself from those on the ground in Cleveland:

Saints dress appropriately for snowbound Week 16 game vs. Browns

The New Orleans Saints announced their uniform combo for a snowbound Week 16 game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium:

We’re in for the first New Orleans Saints snow game in years, and the team is dressing appropriately in their white away jerseys and matching white pants. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns will be rocking their “Color Rush” alternate uniforms. Saturday’s forecast for FirstEnergy Stadium is grim, calling for strong wing gusts and inches of snow, so maybe the Saints are looking for camouflage.

If you’re curious, here is how the Saints have performed in their all-white look (and every other uniform combination) dating back to 2006:

  1. “Black and Gold” throwbacks: 3-1 (.750)
  2. White jerseys, white pants: 9-4 (.692)
  3. Black jerseys, gold pants: 24-15 (.615)
  4. White jerseys, black pants: 42-27 (.609)
  5. White jerseys, gold pants: 37-25 (.597)
  6. Black jerseys, black pants: 49-36 (.576)
  7. “Color Rush” alternates: 9-7 (.563)

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Browns’ field still wears tire tracks from vandalism as Buccaneers arrive

FirstEnergy Stadium still wears the scars of a golf cart joyride as the Browns and Buccaneers face off this afternoon.

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An unhappy fan took to FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland this week, taking a destructive joyride on the field after the Cleveland Browns took another loss at the hands of the Buffalo Bills. Now as the Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers get set to face off, the field still wears the scars of that joyride.

With just over an hour until game time, these two teams now have to risk playing on an unsafe surface due to the vandalism. Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal provides a full-length shot of the damage:

So much for home-field advantage in this one.

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Browns’ home field at FirstEnergy Stadium damaged by vandalism

A vandal damaged the field the Cleveland Browns call home

Someone decided to go for a joyride during the overnight hours Tuesday and damaged the football field at First Energy Stadium, home of the Cleveland Browns.

The unknown person broke into the stadium and drove a vehicle onto the grass playing surface, causing “some superficial damage,” according to the team. Aerial TV footage showed looping tire tracks spanning half the field.

The Browns said the stadium’s grounds maintenance crew is repairing the surface.

“We take pride in the strong reviews and reputation of our stadium’s playing surface,” the Browns said in a statement. “We have been in touch with the NFL on the matter and are confident after repair our field will be ready for Sunday’s game vs. the Tampa Buccaneers.”

Per News5Cleveland.com:

The Cleveland Police Department is investigating the incident as a possible break-in. Police say it appears someone may have jumped a fence and used a golf cart to cause the damage.

Browns rank near the top of ticket price inflation over the last 15 years

The cost of an average Browns ticket at FirstEnergy Stadium has gone up over 100 percent since 2006

Anyone who has attended a Cleveland Browns game at FirstEnergy Stadium knows it’s not a cheap date. The Browns’ average ticket price crept over $100 in 2021, not counting parking or concessions.

The rate at which the price to see the Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium has gone up significantly over the last 15 years. Back in 2006, the average ticket rate was just $48.97. The price has gone up 106 percent in the ensuing 15 seasons.

That high inflation rate ranks sixth in the NFL in that time period. The highest increase comes from the Raiders, who moved from Oakland to Las Vegas and rocketed ticket prices by 147 percent from 2006-2021.

The Browns haven’t renovated their home stadium significantly since 2015, and there are reports the team is looking for a potential new home facility.

Browns refute new stadium reports, looking at ‘significant stadium renovation’

In response to a report about a new stadium, a Browns statement notes studying ‘a significant stadium renovation.’ Whether it is dome talk or finance talk, what is next for the Browns stadium plans will spur debate:

The Cleveland Browns have played their games on the shores of Lake Erie in the same stadium since they returned in 1999. Currently named FirstEnergy Stadium, it is the twelfth oldest stadium in the NFL.

All four of the AFC North stadiums were built within four years of each other with Baltimore’s the oldest (1998) then Cleveland’s with Cincinnati’s a year later and Pittsburgh’s opening in 2001.

The Haslam’s have done some renovation work over the years but rumors have swirled of a new stadium, with a dome being desired by both the ownership group and city officials.

A report came out this weekend that the team was looking to make that new stadium happen possibly downtown.

Browns spokesman Peter John-Baptiste issued the following statement regarding the team’s plans for a stadium:

“As we have consistently communicated, along with the City of Cleveland, the Greater Cleveland Partnership and other prominent local organizations, we have been immersed in discussing ways to best approach the lakefront’s future and the stadium naturally is a critical piece to the long-term execution of such a project,” the Browns said in a statement. “Contrary to recent speculation, a recent feasibility study we launched does not contemplate a new stadium or showcase new stadium sites. A significant stadium renovation at our current site is the premise of the study as well as a focus on how to provide accessibility to the lakefront, drive density and create 365-destination major development opportunities that would include new public parks, retail, office, experiential and residential spaces. The vision, as many in our community have already seen, is centered on an extensive land bridge. As we are just beginning the study, we certainly do not have enough information to determine the cost of renovating the stadium or what the aesthetics of such a renovation would entail. We believe our study will help answer those questions and should be completed in 2023. The future of the stadium is one of several important pieces to the long-term execution of the lakefront project, and our organization looks forward to continuing to work with our community partners and leaders to identify next steps and our role in helping advance this initiative.”

According to the Tennessee Titans, whose stadium opened the same year as the Browns, it will cost $1.839 billion to renovate their stadium or $2.2 billion to build a new stadium with a dome.

The Browns lease at FirstEnergy Stadium runs through 2028 but the team is getting ahead of that to make a plan for the future. Whether the team should have a dome and how it will be funded will be hotly debated topics between now and whatever decision is made.

Cleveland city council resolution asks for stadium name change; Browns respond quickly

Whoever said “there is no such thing as bad publicity” seems to be wrong as the Browns and the City of Cleveland find a little more:

One way or another, it seems the Cleveland Browns organization has controversy surrounding it. Sometimes it is related to little things, like Jimmy Haslam getting advice from a homeless man, and other times it is much more serious.

The latest controversy surrounds the name of the stadium that the team plays on, FirstEnergy Field. FirstEnergy, the company, has held the naming rights to the Cleveland stadium since 2013 and is contracted until 2030 with those rights.

The company has also been embroiled in controversy since bribery charges were brought by federal prosecutors surrounding former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder.

While FirstEnergy paid a $230 million fine as a part of a plea deal, Cleveland’s city councilman Brian Kazy has sponsored a resolution attempting to get the company’s name off the Browns stadium:

Simply, I don’t believe that the municipally-owned stadium that the Cleveland Browns play in should bear the name of this tainted company. The sign, seen as people enter Cleveland, gives the impression that they represent the city. This is false.

FirstEnergy responded to News 5:

“FirstEnergy has a longstanding commitment to supporting communities through sponsorship of civic, athletic and arts organizations. We have taken swift action to address events that have occurred over the past year and to ensure a culture of strong ethics, integrity and accountability at the company. We look forward to continuing as a valued partner with all the communities in which we live and work.”

Now, so has the team insisting that the partnership, and naming rights, will continue in the future:

Whoever said “there is no such thing as bad publicity” seems to be wrong in relation to the Cleveland Browns.