Cleveland Browns Stadium
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Cleveland Browns Stadium is a football stadium located in Cleveland, Ohio (). It is the home of the Cleveland Browns NFL franchise. The stadium sits on 31 acres (130,000 m²) of land on the shores of Lake Erie and has a capacity of at least 73,200. The normal use of Cleveland Browns Stadium is only for football; however, the stadium was built with a playing surface large enough to allow it to host international soccer matches.
A major criticism of the facility is that over a quarter of a billion dollars was spent on a venue that is only guaranteed to be used for ten events each year (eight regular season and two preseason football games). Many civic leaders in Cleveland contend that a domed stadium, constructed closer to the central business district, could have doubled as a much needed replacement for the aging, cramped Cleveland Public Auditorium and Convention Center. Additionally, the land on which Cleveland Browns Stadium now sits could have been used to further develop the underutilized Lake Erie shoreline for residential and business purposes.
In late Spring of 2006, a campaign was started by local Cleveland business leaders to attract Super Bowl XL to the city. The plan requires that a retractable dome be added to Cleveland Browns Stadium before the NFL will award the game to a cold weather city such as Cleveland.
Cleveland Browns Stadium sits on the former site of Cleveland Municipal Stadium, which housed the Browns before owner Art Modell moved the team to Baltimore to become the Ravens. As part of the deal that brought a "new" Browns team to Cleveland, the city of Cleveland tore down Cleveland Stadium after the 1996 NFL season to make room for the new facility. Debris from the former stadium was submerged in Lake Erie and now serves as an artificial reef. Ground was broken on May 15, 1997, the stadium opened in July 1999, and the resurrected Browns debuted there in the 1999 NFL season. The stadium also hosts the annual Ohio Classic college football game.
The city chose not to sell the naming rights to the stadium itself; this is very non-typical for major American stadiums built in recent years. However, the naming rights to all four of the facility's gates were sold. The stadium is also home to the notorious "Dawg Pound", a section of bleacher seats whose occupants are commonly regarded as some of the most passionate in football.
The West 3rd St. station of Cleveland's Waterfront light rail line serves the stadium.
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