Who Should Clevelanders Support in the Super Bowl?
Once again, the Super Bowl is upon us and once again the Cleveland Browns are not participating. Who then should the unaffiliated Cleveland sports fan support on football’s biggest night? A simple analysis of the contestants will help clear this up.
Longest Drought
Gross. The Kansas City Chiefs are the reigning champs and are looking for an unprecedented three straight Super Bowl titles. They should be so lucky. The Philadelphia Eagles are hardly a rags-to-riches story as the Birds won the Super Bowl during the 2017-18 season. Neither can cry poor, but seven years is still longer than zero, so the Eagles take the point here.
Most Buckeyes
When in doubt, support your local Buckeye. There is only one former Buckeye on either active roster – Eagles wide receiver Parris Campbell. Campbell is in his sixth NFL season and first with Philly after spending his first few years as a Colt and Giant. Campbell appeared in only five games for the Eagles this season, no starts, and has pulled in six receptions for thirty yards and a touchdown. It remains to be seen what role, if any, he will play on Sunday, but he’s still a Buckeye in the Big Game. Point to the Eagles.
Former Browns Players
As hard as it may be to fathom, sometimes players struggle when a member of the Browns and then thrive in other situations. See: Kareem Hunt. Hunt appeared to be running on fumes with the Browns last season. In two playoff games for the Chiefs this season he has rushed for 108 yards and two touchdowns averaging just over four yards per touch. There are no former Cleveland players on the Eagles, and they have made it to the Super Bowl but we will just assume there’s no correlation between those facts. Point to the Chiefs.
City Rivalries
Philadelphia and Kansas City are not major rivals for Cleveland on the gridiron. Since neither share a division and often finish on different sides of the table there are not many chances for them to match up. The Browns are 11-16-2 all-time against the Chiefs and have lost six straight games to them. Cleveland last defeated KC in December 2012 when Phil Dawson kicked three field goals and Trent Richardson ran for a pair of touchdowns. Yeesh. The Browns are 32-18-1 against Philly all time and are 1-6 since returning in 1999. Incredibly, Cleveland played against and lost to both teams this season. If you’d like to broaden the scope, you can play on the Guardians-Royals baseball rivalry to pull for the Eagles. Or tap into the Cavs-Sixers competition and root for Kansas City. So…one point each?
Famous Boyfriends
Gee, I wonder which team this category favors. If you’re a Swiftie like my daughter, then you’ll be watching the game to see how many times the camera cuts to Taylor Swift watching her boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Chiefs. So, if you want to see lots of images of a jubilant Taylor celebrating with the other wives and girlfriends it’ll be Chiefs for you. Point KC.
We finish tied 3-3 which feels about right for this matchup. It’s hard to find an easy go-to team to support this year. Buffalo or Detroit would have neatly filled this role, but sadly it seems both of them are waiting for next year too. The good news is even if neither team captures your heart, you can always have some great junk food, enjoy the commercials, dance to the halftime show, and bet some jelly beans on Chiefs -1.5. After that, Cleveland can turn its collective attention to the draft and the franchise’s future.