Fumble!: The Browns, Modell, and the Move: An Insider's Story

You will learn about Cleveland, the Browns, and Art Modell reading this book than all other books on the subject combined. A must read if you want the real story about the move!

I am Browns fan myself, and have always been a part of the "Art Modell Sucks" bandwagon, but after reading this book, I was truly amazed by the number of political factors that prevented the original Browns from staying in Clevelenad. Jacobs Field and Gund Arena had just been built using taxpayer dollars. Essentially, there was no more money to help out the Browns. And yet when Modell asks for the same relief to merely renovate 85-year old Cleveland Stadium, not even build a new Stadium from scratch, his request is denied. The city of Cleveland was essentially broke, and with the enormous political pressure to open up the city's waterfront, where the beloved Browns played in an aging and decrepid stadium- well you can add it up. It's sad that Modell will go down in infamy as the most hated man in Cleveland sports. There were a gaggle of outside forces that helped exacerbate the move to Baltimore that Modell had no control over, as the author demonstrates. Loved this book - gave me tremendous insight into one of the most shocking developments the NFL has seen in the last 20 years.

This was one of the most interesting books that I've ever read. Poplar's inside info on the move of the Browns will keep any reader turning the pages as fast as they can! A must for any Browns fan, I believe Poplar didn't pull any punches, and told the readers what he really thought, even if it was something they didn't want to 'hear'. The photos he selected were relevent to the text, and the cover design is outstanding. I'd probably rate the 'readability' a 4.5 if there was a rating. Some of the book is a tale told by an accountant, and some of the figures and background info he presents is hard to get through, but it's well worth your time by the end of the book, so don't skip it!

Though this book tended to get off track, was not tied together all that well and at times bogged down by numbers, it was a very interesting read and offered a lot of insight of how Modell lost control of his organization. We learn that Modell depended too much on his image in the eyes of others and what ultimatelty lead to the teams demise on Cleveland. By taking on the dual roles of managing the Browns and StadiumCorp in the 70's, Modell eventually fell under a disadvantage as cities begin to pony up sweetheart deals for new stadiums. But the book outlines that most of his lack of success with Cleveland politicians and the business community was HIS OWN FAULT because he did not want to lose face or stature with them. The book outlines that although Modell was a crafty businessman, his own downfall was mixing the preservation of his own image into his business dealing for a new stadium. And as the Indians left as a tenant and eventually rose to prominence, he could not attract the same support because of new image of protecting his own self-worth and perceived greediness.After relocating to Boston in late nineties, my disdain for Belicheck only grew more, but after this read you begin to see that other external forces that Modell entrusted ultimately came back to hurt the Browns the most. Personal finances, non-football people running the show (Bailey & Lombardi), and Modell's losing gambles chasing that one last dream of a Super Bowl while getting further in debt are what stole our team from Cleveland.

Author Poplar gives an insider's view of the financial crisis that caused American's Team, the Cleveland Browns, to move to Baltimore. It shows how Modell's formation of the Cleveland Stadium Corp. caused him to take out millions of dollars in loans to pay for stadium upkeep and upgrades. Then the city/county gave the Indians and Cavs multi-million-dollar playpens, while leaving Modell to find ways to compensate for the loss of Stadium Corp.'s major tenant, the Indians. This resulted in even more loans. Then came free agency, and Modell had to go to the banks again to get cash to pay big bonuses to stay competitive. From his perspective, maybe Modell eventually "had no choice" to move. However, he is not absolved from his most tragic mistake: not being forthright with the fans and the public about his financial straights and asking for help. A good read for Browns fans who want to know more about what happened to their heritage.