Our Sports May Be Bad, But At Least We’re Not Cleveland

If you have read my blogs, you have probably heard me complain about Seattle sports and how bad we have it here. Sure, the Mariners and Seahawks have never won championships, but at least we have hope. At least we know those teams are capable of captivating our city and competing and getting far in the playoffs. Right now, the Mariners are in rebuilding mode and the Seahawks somehow made it to the playoffs in the middle of their rebuilding mode. But hey, at least we’re not Cleveland.

Cleveland, Ohio is a great city. But they have terrible sports teams. I feel for them, I really do. Let’s get right down to it. The Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team is 15-61 which is bad enough for the worst record in the NBA. To top it all, this is the season after mega-star Lebron James spurned them to join the Miami Heat. Every Cavalier fan felt heartbreak at “The Decision” made by Lebron James. If you’re a Mariners fan, you probably remember when A-Rod signed with the Rangers in 2001, right? Well, multiply that by 10, because that’s how it felt for Cavalier fans. Losing a great player in basketball is way more impactful than losing a great player in baseball. The Cavaliers saw their playoff and championship hopes slip away with that signing. At least the Mariners shoved it to A-Rod the following year and won 116 games. And now, the Cavaliers, like I said, are the worst team in basketball. Lebron didn’t win them a championship and he probably never will.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Indians are just getting their 2011 campaign started, and wouldn’t you know it, they are in a rebuilding mode too. “Stars” Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner have been plagued with injuries and inconsistency, and I use the quotes because you can hardly call them stars anymore. Their best player is Shin-Soo Choo, who is a former Mariner and one of the most underrated players in the game. However, if you’re a baseball fan, you probably remember that the Indians used to sell out every game in the 90’s and early 2000’s when they had players such as Manny Ramirez, Omar Vizquel, and Jim Thome. They had sellout crowds EVERY… SINGLE… NIGHT at Jacobs Field. Now? Well in just their second game of the season, the Indians drew a crowd of—GET THIS—9,853. The Mariners have never drawn a crowd that small in their history if I’m not mistaken. Only 9,000 fans? The Indians have clearly lost a huge part of their fanbase and might be a while from contention again.

The one bright spot in Cleveland sports, if you can call it that, must be the Cleveland Browns. Who knew that would someday be the best Cleveland team? They didn’t exactly have a great season in 2010, but they beat some good teams such as the Patriots and are on the rise. They may have found their quarterback of the future in Colt McCoy, but time will tell. They have team president Mike Holmgren leading the franchise and he is widely known as one of the best football minds in the game. They hired a new coach Pat Shurmur just this offseason—and many believe he is the coach that will get the Browns going in the right direction.

Cleveland, I feel your pain. We Seattleites have suffered just as you are right now. We know what it feels like to lose a star because you’re not as big of a market as somewhere else. We know what it feels like to be great for a while and then become one of the worst. We know because we have experienced firsthand. All I can say to you Cleveland is what optimists often say at a time like this: Things can only get better. Good luck to your sports teams. I sincerely hope the Cavaliers win a championship before Lebron James and I hope Mike Holmgren has success with your Browns. Good luck from a Seattle sports fan.