As a contributor to Houston Sports Talk’s website, I offer a bit of a unique perspective. I am a native Houstonian who takes plenty of pride in the treasures Houston has to offer, such as Tex-Mex and barbecue. Give me some cheese enchiladas at Molina’s and I am a very happy man.
However, while I embrace my heritage, I have also spent plenty of my life in the Midwest and do not fall under the heading of a traditional Houston sports homer. Sure, I hope the Rockets land Chris Bosh and it would be nice to see the Cougars christen their new football stadium with a big season.
And I wish for good things with the Texans. But the Texans are not my favorite team. That would be the Cleveland Browns. Appreciating the history of the Browns, and missing them while they were gone in the nineties in the wake of their horrible move to Baltimore, I made the decision to embrace being a Browns fan when they returned in 1999. I still am, as painful as it has been.
My love of the Browns also led to me embracing the city of Cleveland. I have visited Cleveland and enjoyed my time there. I also became aware of the city’s long-running sports curse. If you were not aware of it, no team in Cleveland has won a championship since the 1964 Browns.
That has led me to pull for other Cleveland sports teams, including the Cavaliers. I was furious at LeBron James, just like many in the greater Cleveland-Akron-Canton area, when he took his talents to South Beach. I rooted against the Heat. I was thrilled when the Spurs dismantled them in June.
And now, I find myself forgiving James, following the prevailing wisdom of Northeast Ohio. I am excited about the possibility of the Cavaliers competing for championships again. This is the beginning of another magical ride and maybe, just maybe, the Cleveland sports curse will finally go away. Cleveland fans do not get to celebrate very often. Now is the time to throw a big summer party. With LeBron back, it could be the first of many.
