Where does Ohio's disdain for LeBron James now leave former Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell? Probably with only a temporary reprieve.
"Iâm not waiting around for LeBron to take me off the hook," Art Modell told The Baltimore Sun on Saturday after some media polls suggested Cleveland fans were replacing him on their most-hated lists with the former Cavalier. "I'm not on any hook." But Modell did agree that James' televised announcement was an embarrassment. "That was a ridiculous promotion," he said. "Whose idea was that? That's not sports on primetime television. It's absurd."Peter Schmuck
The Baltimore Sun
BALTIMORE -- When LeBron James announced to a national television audience Thursday that he was forsaking home and hearth to pursue his hoop dreams in Miami, he immediately shot to the top of the list of the greatest villains in Cleveland sports history.
And why not? The kid who grew up in nearby Akron was offered more money to remain in his home state and try again to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first NBA title, but chose instead to jump town and rub that decision in the faces of his longtime fans on an unprecedented one-hour ESPN announcement special.
So, where does that leave former Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell, who has held the title of the most hated sports figure in Northeast Ohio since he moved that team to Baltimore in 1995?
Probably with only a temporary reprieve.
It seems like every media outlet in the Cleveland area is running a poll to find out where LeBron's departure ranks among the great civic disappointments of all time and where "The King" now stands among the most hated sports figures in the city's history.
No one should be surprised that in the immediate emotional aftermath of James' departure, he is beating Modell in some of the local Internet media polls. In fact, in a Fox8.com poll with nearly 5,400 responses by early Saturday, Modell was being out-hated by a 2-1 margin, but this new civic indignity isn't likely to make local fans view him in a different light.
If you want some evidence, consider the poll run by The Plain Dealer that asked what fans considered the greatest disappointment in Cleveland sports history. When the question was cast that way, 64 percent of respondents chose the departure of the Browns and only 29 percent chose the departure of LeBron.
That's not hard to understand. The Browns were an institution in Cleveland for a long time and their absence created a gaping hole in the area's sports legacy. LeBron is an individual player who was the most popular athlete in town for seven years. He'll certainly be missed, but at least he didn't take the rest of the franchise with him, so Modell probably won't be off the hook for long.
"I'm not waiting around for LeBron to take me off the hook," Modell said Saturday. "I'm not on any hook. I did what I thought was right for the players, coaches and employees in my organization. I have no regrets."
Modell moved the team only after Cleveland rebuffed his repeated requests for a new stadium while building new facilities for the Indians and Cavaliers. He needed more revenue to ease a large debt burden and got it by bringing the Browns to Baltimore. His alternative was to remain in antiquated Cleveland Stadium.
For those who want to compare that to Robert Irsay's midnight ride a decade earlier, keep in mind that Modell left the Browns name and colors, and the fans were quickly guaranteed a new Browns franchise and the new stadium the city would not build for the old franchise.
James is an Ohio native who has been treated very much like a king in Cleveland. The Cavaliers offered him more than the Miami Heat, though the tax advantages of living in Florida will offset much of the difference. He said on Thursday night that he didn't want to leave Cleveland, but it's pretty hard to support that contention when he didn't have to leave and wasn't lured away by a much larger contract.
For a lot of people, it was the way he left -- with the special one-hour ego trip on Thursday night and Friday's over-the-top celebration in Miami -- that was most galling. That's one thing upon which Cleveland fans and Modell can agree.
"I didn't watch it," Modell said. "That was a ridiculous promotion. Whose idea was that? That's not sports on primetime television. It's absurd."
The bottom line: LeBron had a right to do what he did, but Cleveland sports fans have a right to thumb their noses at him and curse his future endeavors. That's what they did to Modell, but the curse only lasted until the Ravens won the Super Bowl in 2001.
Still, Modell seems to harbor no ill will toward his former home and the people who came with him to Baltimore all seem to maintain an affection for Cleveland.
"I love Cleveland," Modell said. "Cleveland was my home and I loved every second of it. I didn't think they were going to have a parade for me when we left, but I hoped they'd remember the good things we did in Cleveland."
Ravens senior vice president for public relations Kevin Byrne, who came to Baltimore with the franchise, can't help but sympathize with the Cleveland sports community.
"It's sad for Cleveland," Byrne said. "It's a traditional car-based and steel-based economy. They've lost so much and it wears on the people there. I've been involved in it. I was there for "The Drive" and the fumble in Denver and the Browns' move to Baltimore. So, it was an absolute delight for them to hit the lottery and get LeBron and see him dominate right from the start. It was a great seven-year run."
Now, it's over and there are a lot of former LeBron lovers who have become LeBron haters. Their blood is running hot right now, which has temporarily taken some of the historical heat off Modell, but old grudges die hard.
Modell told a Cleveland radio show on Friday that when the dust settles, he likely will remain "the most hated man in Cleveland."
Sadly, he's probably right.