An Open Letter to the Cavs and the City of Cleveland From a Die-Hard Fan

Dan Gilbert, Cleveland Cavaliers Team, Coaches, and Crew:

From the earliest time I can remember, I have been a “Cleveland VS Everybody” fan before it was ever a popular slogan plastered across the
chest of t-shirts.

I was a toddler when my father took me to my first Cavs game, and the to see the Indians and the Browns. No matter the season, nor the records we held over the years; this city was proud. Not proud of the losses, or proud of the mistakes and nicknames we were maliciously given by our rivals and “haters” but proud of the people who live in this town and
its surrounding areas.

Clevelanders were proud of the hard work they put in at the Ford plants, steel mills, factories, and The Port of Cleveland. Proud of the local businesses, rich ethnic and cultural values and religious traditions. Proud of landmarks such as: Westside Market, University Circle and Edgewater Park with some of the best seats in the house for Fourth of July fireworks.

Then, it happened…the alleged “Cleveland Curse.” The sad part, is that for so many years, we Clevelanders bought into that nonsense! We accepted mediocrity and those awful names like : Cleveland Clowns or Mistake By The Lake and dutifully accepted the dark cloud and impending doom. Well, NOT ANYMORE!!!

Today is a NEW DAY!!! Today we Clevelanders have risen to the challenge, not only in the sports world but in the city and surrounding areas as a whole. We have some of the best and brightest amongst our schools and workplaces. We have courted: The RNC, Fortune 500 companies, Development Groups, investors and Hollywood! Business is booming and the growth of this city both personally and professionally has been astounding.

While we still have much growing to do in equality and transparency, for one day, we were all “family”. We were “All In”, and it was ALL about Cleveland as a community. No ones job title, skin color, bank account, or religious background mattered. We were all: happy, engaged in our city, and proud of where we come from. We celebrated together, not only for our Cavaliers, but also of the recent successes of our Lake Erie Monsters winning the Calder Cup, Stipe winning the UFC belt and our Cleveland Indians currently being in 1st place in the Central Division.

Wow! Just Wow!!!