Professional Sports Teams from Cleveland, Ohio

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You know where to find the Dawg Pound if you live in or around Cleveland. You also understand what Believeland and the Mistake by the Lake mean. And everyone in Cleveland knows the Tribe and Chief Wahoo. You might even be one of the fortunate few old enough to know about the City of Champions.

If you recently moved to the region or happen to stop by for business or pleasure, these names refer to Cleveland sports in some way, shape, or form. We invite you to read on to learn more about the professional sports and rich traditions found in Cleveland, The Best Location in the Nation.

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Cleveland Browns

If you follow football, you’ve heard about the Cleveland Browns. This storied franchise was founded in 1945 by businessman Arthur McBride and the original coach Paul Brown, the source of the team’s name. The Browns first debuted as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and now are members of the National Football League (NFL).

The Cleveland Browns dominated the league, winning the championship in its first four seasons. Their success in the 1940s and 1950s was primarily responsible for Cleveland becoming known as the City of Champions. Unfortunately, the AAFC went under after the 1949 season, and the Cleveland Browns joined the NFL.

In the Browns’ first NFL season, they won the league championship. They did so again in 1954 and 1955, marking the first and only time a professional team in any sport played in the championship game in the first ten years. The Browns continued their winning streak in 1964. And every year from 1965 to 1995, they continued to qualify for the playoffs but couldn’t win the finals. 

In 1995, long-time owner Art Modell announced he was moving the team to Baltimore. Fans were furious, so Modell reached a compromise. After much legal maneuvering, he moved the team and named the new franchise the Baltimore Ravens. However, the Browns’ name, likeness, intellectual property, physical property, and trademarks were held in trust for three years. 

The NFL required three years to expire before they would grant new ownership. Therefore, it wasn’t until 1999 that the Cleveland Browns could play another football game. Since then, the Browns have made only three playoff appearances. 

Despite the relocating and subsequent replacement of the Cleveland Browns, fans remain loyal. The Browns play in FirstEnergy Stadium, which opened in 1999. In 1985, Browns’ cornerback Hanford Dixon named his defensive teammates “Dawgs” to inspire them. During training camp that year, any time a defensive player made a play, they would bark. 

As these things often do, barking carried over into the stands. That season, the players put up a sign in the east end zone, proclaiming the Dawg Pound. These seats were the cheapest in the old Cleveland Stadium, and fans already had a reputation for being vocal. Soon, fans began dressing the part, wearing dog noses, masks, and carrying bones. Of course, they barked loudly as well. Today, if you want to score a ticket in the Dawg Pound, expect to pay premium prices on the secondary market or purchase season tickets.

Cleveland Guardians

If you haven’t paid attention lately to professional baseball, you might not know about the Cleveland Guardians. That’s because the Cleveland Guardians have yet to play a baseball game. You see, the Guardians are formerly the Cleveland Indians. 

Playing in the American League’s Central Division, the Indians have 10 division titles, six American League pennants, and two World Series championships. Unfortunately for fans, the last championship occurred in 1948, making the new Cleveland Guardians owners of the longest active drought in the league. 

Common nicknames for the former Indians were the “Tribe” and “Wahoos,” the latter referencing the team’s logo of Chief Wahoo. The name change occurred because of criticism of their Native American mascot. Interestingly enough, the team’s original name was the Cleveland Bluebirds when they joined Major League Baseball in 1901. However, fans didn’t like the name, so in 1903, they changed their name to the Cleveland Naps in honor of team captain Nap Lajoie. Then, when Nap left the team in 1914, the owner asked baseball writers to produce a new name.

Paying homage to the Cleveland Spiders baseball team from the late 1800s, the writers chose the Cleveland Indians, reviving the nickname of Spiders’ former player Louis Sockalexis, a Native American. So, it remains to be seen how the Cleveland Guardians will fare as a professional baseball team, but you can be sure fans will still fill the stadium. 

The team chose the name Guardians about the Guardians of Traffic, a series of eight Art Deco monoliths sculpted in 1932 by Henry Hering. The sculptures sit on the city’s Hope Memorial Bridge, adjacent to Progressive Field, where the Guardians play. 

Cleveland Cavaliers

Representing Cleveland in the National Basketball Association, the Cavaliers have been a fan favorite since 1970. The team experienced moderate success during the late 1980s and early 1990s, consistently contending for a title. However, during that span, they reached the Eastern Conference Finals only once, in 1992. 

After an extended period of mediocrity, the team received the number one draft in 2003. With that pick, the team chose LeBron James, arguably the best player in basketball today and certainly in the conversation as an all-time great. However, even with the best basketball player on the planet, it wasn’t until 2007 that the Cavaliers made the NBA Finals but lost. Three years and no finals appearances later, LeBron James famously brought his talents to South Beach, joining the Miami Heat.

Fans famously burned LeBron’s jersey in the streets and scorned him publicly at every opportunity. Then, in 2014, LeBron came home and proceeded to take the team to four straight Finals appearances. Finally, in 2016, the Cleveland Cavaliers won their first championship. So when he left for the second time in 2018, fans at least had the one title to assuage them.

Cleveland has a rich sports history, full of triumph and tragedy. At Honda of Cleveland Heights, we’re proud to support our local sports teams through the highs and lows, and we hope you enjoyed learning more about our top teams. Please let us know if you feel like we left out an essential sports fact please let us know.