The Cleveland Browns officially broke ground on Thursday for the $2.6 billion Huntington Bank Field in the Cleveland suburb of Brook Park.
It was quite the event, with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on hand to celebrate the latest cash cow, sorry, “transformative project,” that is scheduled to open in time for the 2029 season.
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Here are three quick takeaways from the event.
New venue means new events … maybe
One of the big selling points with any project of this size is the lure of all the big events that will come to town simply because there will be a new venue to play in. In the world of the NFL, there is nothing bigger than the Super Bowl, and Goodell talked about the reality that goes along with hosting the game:
“I have no doubt that this stadium is going to be Super Bowl quality, zero doubt about that. I think the challenge now for this community, and hopefully this stadium and this development is going to be transformative, is how does the rest of the facilities in the community develop?”
The league typically expects that for a city to host the Super Bowl, it will need to accommodate close to 200,000 people with around 50,000 or more hotel rooms. There are about 5,000 hotel rooms in downtown Cleveland, according to the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, and obviously more in the surrounding suburbs, but likely not enough currently to satisfy the NFL.
With the first selection in the NFL Draft …
Cleveland hosted the annual NFL Draft in 2021 after the in-person draft of 2020 turned into a virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The city and the fans did their best under tough circumstances, and Goodell said he has talked with Cleveland owner Jimmy Haslam about making a return visit once the new stadium is complete:
“The draft was here in 2020 under really difficult circumstances. I guess it was ’21, technically. As we were battling through COVID and trying to get out of it, it was not the event that we expected. But this community came together, met those challenges, and we pulled the draft off here. But it wasn’t, I think, the impact that was necessary, so Jimmy and I have talked a lot, I’ve talked about it with other committees. We look forward to coming back here with the draft here soon, for sure. I think it’s important.”
Hosting the draft seems more likely than hosting a Super Bowl because, outside of the infrastructure issue, no one wants to come to Northeast Ohio in February, so that should be fun.
The new stadium will have some unique features
The Browns shared some details about what they believe will make their new home something special, including:
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The closest seats in the NFL, including a modern version of the Dawg Pound that will have fans standing on a 60-row, 34-degree grandstand with railings to lean on.
A transparent roof “inspired by Cleveland’s iconic atriums.”
Something described as a “Super Theater” concept to host events for up to 75,000 attendees.
A roofing system that features the first long-span roof without a truss.
It all sounds very grand and exciting, and should look good on TV and in person.
Whether or not anyone can say the same about the team come 2029 remains to be seen.
What do you say, Browns fans? Are you excited about the new home of the Browns? Let everyone know in the comments.
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