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February 27, 2015Baseball is fine, but MLB could use some tweaks (Part 1)
February 27, 2015Last week, the Cleveland Browns announced that they would be unveiling a new logo to accompany the impending uniform changes. The first hint of the change came via a letter mailed to Browns Backers presidents. Soon after, the announcement became public, reported by media members like Daryl Ruiter who had to quell fears that the organization would do something drastic that would desecrate the treasured tradition of the team that fans hold so dear. They asked fans to sign up to be notified about the changes immediately when they happened. The team’s Twitter showed a video previewing “the evolution” of the logo, in a teaser trailer normally reserved for highly-anticipated movie releases like a new Star Wars.
The #BrownsLogos are evolving. Sign up to see them: http://t.co/TJETfsifVShttps://t.co/2iMXXzQd2e
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) February 18, 2015
Then, on the heels of the self-generated hype, the team announced the logo change on Tuesday: a virtually identical logo of the helmet with color changes, and a cartoon-y dog emblem with a fierce scowl to represent the Dawg Pound (a term repurposed for the entire fan base without anyone’s permission) that “exemplifies the ‘Play Like A Brown’ attitude.” They also introduced a new font resembling a blockier version of Helvetica. This was exactly for what Browns fans had been waiting the last fifty years. Yay. Fantastic. Hallelujah. Huzzah.
Because I think my feelings on the logo changes are marginally relevant to the tone of this post, I’ll share them: I’ve always liked the elf logo, I find the new crossing guard vest orange mildly offensive, I think it’s stupid that the logo used during broadcasts and on merchandise is a piece of regulation league equipment,1 but am mostly just relieved that they didn’t put Poochie from The Simpsons in Browns garb and slap him on the helmet. I’m not outraged; merely confused and annoyed.
The Browns are an organization with a chronic credibility crisis that starts with its logo changes and ends with its on-field product.
The reaction to the logo is a gigantic problem for the Cleveland Browns organization. My chief concern is not anyone’s approval or disapproval of the logo change (though that could be a concern as well), but the explosion of mockery and ridicule both inside and outside the fan base.2 It’s a problem caused by the Cleveland Browns — after all, they were practically begging for it.
Everyone lined up and threw softballs (provided by the Browns themselves) at the dunk booth target, repeatedly drenching the organization in insults. Take your pick of individuals or media outlets, they all took a shot: ESPN’s SportsNation, BuzzFeed, and SBNation all made the Browns take a bath as funny as one involving a cat and posted to Youtube. Even once respectable institutions like the Washington Post joined in on the fun. I joked, “Citrus enthusiasts have surely noticed that the Browns evolved from a tangerine orange to a more grapefruit-like red orange.” The Browns logo change invited fruit-related humor! How could anyone not tell a joke? They made it so damn easy. It’s bad enough to be the scrawny, pimply, awkward Dungeons & Dragons aficionado that’s harassed by all the bigger and stronger kids in school — don’t post a “Kick Me” sign on your back and parade the hallways asking for trouble.
If the Browns teaser trailer for its logo change was for a Star Wars movie, it would have been for the Return of Jar Jar Binks. They spent actual money on actual focus groups — man hours that are indirectly paid for with ticket revenue — and came to the conclusion that the organization needed a different hue of orange and a sans-serif font. That’s great if it is in fact the right message, but don’t bungle the delivery. It’s as if your significant other violently shook you awake at the crack of dawn to tell you that there’s two cups left in the coffee pot for later. “You woke me up for that?”
And The Orangening is only the latest in a cavalcade of hilarity bordering on absurdity to befall the franchise. The Browns drafted a celebrity instead of a quarterback, have an owner whose chief business was alleged to be fraudulent to the tune of millions of dollars, drafted a receiver who can’t stay sober for more than eight months even with his career on the line, had a coach exit with a 32 bullet Powerpoint presentation justifying his departure, and became the subject of the NFL’s first texting investigation, all in the past year.
The moral of all this is that the Browns are a punchline — an endless source of humor. Every sports media outlet in the country has gotten more mileage out of “the Cleveland Browns” than Rodney Dangerfield did with “I get no respect.” And the Browns get no respect. “When the Browns win the Super Bowl” is the new “When hell freezes over.” This was all typified by the reaction to the logo change: thousands of laughs at the expense of an organization lacking the self-awareness to know they were being laughed at. The Browns are an organization with a chronic credibility crisis that starts with its logo changes and ends with its on-field product.
Preferably, the upcoming uniform changes won’t be such a knee-slapper. I love a good comedy, but I don’t like the Browns being the biggest joke in the NFL. In order for the Browns to be taken seriously, they need to stop being so funny.
- WFNYer NateDawg86 astutely pointed out that the Browns are not the “only team” in major professional sports to use a piece of apparel as its logo, as the Red Sox do as well. I had considered this, but neglected to put a footnote clarifying that I disregarded the Red Sox because their nickname is the Red Sox. It’s a perfectly literal logo. If Cleveland’s football team was named the Orange Helmets, I’d be supportive of a helmet as the primary logo. [↩]
- What should fans call the logo change for shorthand? “The Darkening”? “The Boldening”? “The Orangening”? [↩]
30 Comments
“Credability”? Whoever is editing this slop needs to tidy up that headline
Good piece Kyle. I promise this is the final time I waste productivity at work by doing this.
You forgot the period at the end of your sentence.
The Indians changed the blue in their uniform this year…you know how they announced it?
Doesn’t matter, nobody in Cleveland was paying attention to them anyways.
Pardon me Mr. Jabba, Cleveland.com called. You are needed in surgery right away.
Re mockery: I’m not sure I care all that much. Generally speaking, when someone mocks another, the problem is not with the mocked but the mocker. (I know this as an experienced mocker with lots of problems.) If it’s legitimate comedy, I’m happy to let it be comedy, and laugh along with it if it’s funny (and I haven’t seen much of the mockery over the logo that’s actually funny). If it’s mean-spirited ridicule, then it’s not worth the attention it gets.
Honestly, I’m starting to believe that the anti-climax of the logo “reveal” was an intentional strategy to ease the “pain” of what’s about to happen with the uniforms. And I’m not sure I even care about that.
What has been so frustrating this off-season is how 90% of the shame has been self-inflicted. A more competent organization would have rolled out this change in a completely different manner.
Most of the mockery doesn’t bother me because: a.) it’s deserved, b.) it’s (mostly) funny, and c.) people are going to mock the Browns as long as they keep losing.
Completely agree about the misdirection on the uniforms. The logo reveal was the good cop giving us a cup of coffee and a doughnut. “Hey, these guys aren’t so bad!” Next is bad cop coming to strong arm us into signing a confession.
Plus, I think the color change is a lot bigger thing than people realize. People will realize this when they’re shielding their eyes from the swathes of it painted all over the new uniforms
Wasn’t there a big kerfuffle about the shade of orange on the helmets shortly after the Browns came back? I seem to recall, perhaps incorrectly, that the Browns had slightly, and covertly, changed the color to a deeper tint, and then changed it back again after the outcry. So, maybe it will be a big deal; I’m not sure. Maybe it will actually be good. I’m open to it.
http://media.cleveland.com/plain-dealer/photo/2014/03/14519152-standard.jpg
http://media.cleveland.com/browns_impact/photo/16464626-standard.jpg
I can’t believe we’re STILL flogging the logo thing. It’s not a big deal. It means nothing. The fact that people are still upset about this is mind-boggling.
Whatever. You’re not reasoning this pitchfork out of my hand.
http://i47.tinypic.com/1042g5w.gif
Also, I think it gives the Browns fans, who love to self-loathe, something to roll around in for a while. It gives the media a distraction and nationally others can mock us, so not as to focus on other problems. It’s like a giant stinkbomb in 3rd period Calculus…or a royal wedding during wartime. You pick.
Actually I think that’s a trident, but still……………
A giant stinkbomb in a royal wedding.
btw I love how they always pick that same forlorn looking lady for the dejected Browns fans story. Misery incarnate. It’s like the Browns version a Walker Evans’ depression era pic
There, now our helmet has been Rastified by about 10%
Zing!
Where is the surfboard?
https://uproxx.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/the-simpsons-roy.png?w=650
Focus group casulty
btw, in all the times I’ve seen this episode I never noticed the headline in the newspaper. Brilliant.
Stupid focus groups. I want extra large cupholders AND a bubble on my car. Focus group that one 🙂
the headlines are sometimes the best parts of the episodes.
After all this kerfuffle over logo-gate (I’ve trademarked that, by the way.), when sports highlight shows put up scores, what logo do you think they are going to use? The Scrappy, or Poochie, or whatever they call that snarling puppy? Nope.
They are going to flash the orange helmet. They same exact non-logo that started this process in the first place.
The more things change, the more they stay the same…
a trident is just the Pitchfork of the Sea
lol, I posted the picture of Homer’s car over on the other Mike B’s website earlier in the week. Poor uncle Herb
Where’d he get a trident from, anyway?
I’m shocked ESPN hasn’t photoshopped this into every scene of the montage yet
good article … CONSISTENTLY winning is the only thing that will cure our credibility problem.
The Grantland article today lampooning the Browns was superb. Silver linings and all but nevertheless the Browns did something to make me smile even if indirectly and non-intentionally. The real Browns season is off to a rousing start!