Commonly known to fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers as the “Mistake by the Lake,” Cleveland is finding itself in the middle of what could be potentially a huge mess. Actually, it already is. Cleveland Browns’ owners Jimmy and Dee Haslem are showing little interest in keeping the team downtown along the Lake Erie shoreline. What they want to do instead is driving a massive wedge right through the city.
The Browns’ lease on their current stadium, Huntington Bank Stadium (how many names have they had?) ends in 2027. The city and its many downtown businesses would like nothing better than for the Browns to remain right where they are. The Haslem’s might be willing to do that but they are asking for taxpayer dollars and that’s something the Mayor is not interested in doing. Therefore, the Haslem’s would like to build a domed stadium and surrounding entertainment complex in the suburb of Brook Park. This area is also closer to their training facility in Berea.
The move to a domed stadium is nothing new. Washington is going to build the same and Chicago is also expected to move away from the city and build a domed stadium of their own. All of this brings me back as to why Steelers’ fans should be paying attention.
Like the Browns, the Steelers have played the majority of their seasons downtown and there are few that want to see that change. The current lease on Acrisure Stadium ends in 2030 and while the chatter has been small, it’s starting to gain some traction. Would the Steelers really leave the North Side? Would they actually head outside of the city? Would they – dare I say it – actually build a dome? Any Steelers’ fan wanting a domed stadium should immediately hand over their fandom.
This is however, where the current trends are. While Acrisure has been used for events such as Kenny Chesney, The Rolling Stones, The Pitt Panthers and WPIAL Championships, the facility largely sits empty for a decent portion of the year. In the meantime, you have places like AT&T Stadium in Texas or SoFi Stadium in LA being used almost every single weekend of the year. This is exactly what many believe Art Rooney II and the minority owners would like to see happen.
There are some advantages to this plan. Most of the players live outside the city already. You could also move the South Side facility (which is absolutely out of room) to the site of the new stadium and have everything right there in one nice package. The Steelers would also rid themselves of sharing with the University of Pittsburgh which may seem “nice” but in actuality, it’s more of a burden than many recognize. Moving away from the city would also likely give the ownership more control. They would own the lots and have greater say in what and who uses the facilities. In other words, they’d make a lot more money.
Some have suggested that the Steelers could just do what they did before. When Three Rivers Stadium was hosting its final games, Heinz Field was being built right next to it. Couldn’t something similar take place again? I’m no architect. That’s way above my pay grade but I have to believe it would come with a more significant burden to area businesses and traffic than it did back in the late 1990’s. I never say “never” but I’d be stunned to see this happen.
Acrisure Stadium has fallen behind the times in terms of amenities and the gameday experience. Of the 14 stadiums older than Acrisure, three are currently being replaced (BUF, WAS, TEN) while two more are under consideration (CLE and CHI). The current home of the Steelers will never be a “Lambeau Field” where you just keep remodeling over and over. Eventually, even that stadium will likely have to be replaced.
What is happening in Cleveland bears watching. Whether the Steelers and the city can find a way to stay on the North Side without burdening taxpayers is yet to be determined. I fear however that we are going to find ourselves in a very similar situation as the Browns and a lot sooner than you probably realize.
