For those of you new to Dawgs by Nature, or SB Nation in general, we are a group of fans who love the sport and, in general, love the teams we cover. At the intersection of fan blog (SB stands for Sports Blogs) and the kind of professional media that still has a basis in newspapers lies SBN and with it DBN.
As the Producer for the site, I am lucky to lead a team of great writers who are passionate about what we do and the team we cover, a team I grew up loving. The Cleveland Browns do not always make
it easy. Whether it is the historic amount of losing since The Return in 1999 or the endless number of bad decisions, especially the trade for QB Deshaun Watson, the Browns have not given the best fanbase in the NFL a lot to cheer about.
Even the recent DE Myles Garrett rumors fueled more frustration and anger among fans.
On Monday, team owner Jimmy Haslam added to the angst as he reopened the Watson conversation after seemingly closing it last year with his “swing and miss” statement. After terrible play, multiple major injuries, and almost nothing to show for three first-round picks (plus) and a $230 million contract, Cleveland fans were hoping to move on from Watson as soon as possible. Many were even okay with having to cut good players just to get him off the roster.
Now, heading into the 2026 NFL season, with Todd Monken taking over as an NFL head coach for the first time, Watson is back in the headlines and, at least according to one report, the leader in the clubhouse to be the Browns starter.
There are a lot of comments, whether texts, DMs, or social media posts, that happened after Haslam’s comments that would not be appropriate for this space. One jumped out, however, when Mike Golic Jr. sent this:
It made this fan/writer wonder, do we want sympathy? Do we deserve sympathy? Are we too angry/frustrated/annoyed/proud to entertain sympathy?
On the other hand, the team has done almost nothing to even gain our support and fandom, especially since The Return, yet we still give it. I’ve dedicated my sports career, all 15 years of it so far, to this team (as well as some time covering the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Guardians, and Ohio State Buckeyes, along with the Browns).
So, what do you think about getting sympathy for all that we’ve been through, Cleveland fans?
Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below
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