It had been a while since the Cleveland Browns won a football game. The last time they walked off the field with a win, it was Week 16 of the 2016 campaign, as Robert Griffin III led the team to a 20-17 victory over the San Diego Chargers. Since then, Griffin is no longer a Brown, the Chargers are no longer in San Diego, and the Browns have not won a football game.
Well, at least that was the case until Thursday night, when Cleveland — behind a scintillating performance from No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield — took down the New York Jets, 21-17. It was a big day for Browns fans, both because it’s bee a while since they saw a win and because they got a whole bunch of free beer.
Much has been made of the Victory Fridges that Bud Light installed throughout Cleveland, giving fans free booze if the clock hit zero and the Browns found themselves on top. That happened, Bud Light obliged, and voila: Free booze.
Here was a clip, via Bud Light, of the game-winning touchdown scored by Carlos Hyde from a bar in Cleveland, one which had fridges that got opened.
This led to a series of fridges getting opened across northeast Ohio. My favorite, unquestionably, is the one that The Miz apparently had in his house that got opened up.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn-Rjr9hoVH/
Miz wasn’t the only person who had one of these, as former Browns receiver Andrew Hawkins had one, too.
#Ready @Thomahawkshow @Browns @budlight pic.twitter.com/OS8A0CrOKp
— Andrew Hawkins (@Hawk) September 21, 2018
One bar in Cleveland featured a bunch of Browns fans chanting as the lock hit the ground and the beer became fair game.
https://twitter.com/IrishInCle/status/1042989467781324802
And of course, once the Bud Light got passed around, everyone wanted to get their hands on a bottle.
The victory fridge is open! pic.twitter.com/PCp3DqVcVR
— Chris Hassel (@Hassel_Chris) September 21, 2018
Sure, this is a viral marketing campaign by Bud Light, which hoped that some doofus like myself would write this up. But look at the pure, unfiltered joy all of these Browns fans are feeling. Sports can suck, but watching a bunch of fans celebrate a win for the first time in nearly two years is still pretty dang good.
