Sports fandom is a strange thing. It makes rational people to believe in irrational circumstances . For instance, several generations of Chicago Cubs fans had to pass before the team finally won a World Series last year; before that, it looked like a World Championship would never make it to Southside Chicago.
But there may be no fan-base that exudes irrational confidence better than Cleveland Browns devotees, a team that has been through nearly 25 quarterbacks since their return to the Cuyahoga area in 1999. Of the 18 seasons since the Browns have returned to Ohio, the team has lost at least 10 games in 14 of them. However, their fan-base still believes that the franchise will turn it around at some point.
One of those fans who believes that the Browns can turn it around is Blazers Guard C.J. McCollum, who tweeted out his support for the Browns as the team played the Ravens on Sunday, a game the Browns later lost 24-10.
My browns will turn the corner. Stay faithful. All my true browns fans out there. I'm riding till the wheels fall off✊🏾
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) September 17, 2017
McCollum’s faith in the team isn’t unfounded: the Browns have seven picks in the first three rounds of next year’s NFL draft. This will allow the team to rebuild with younger talent a bit faster and also swing a trade or two in order to bring in some talent via NFL trade.
At the end of the day, draft picks are merely lottery scratch-off tickets in human form. Also, the Browns have previously blown treasure troves of draft picks in their second act in Cleveland. The question will end up being: will McCollum’s faith in the team end up paying off, or will his faith erode with the proof of draft picks wasted?
