{"product_id":"false-start-how-the-new-browns-were-set-up-to-fail-9781938441967","title":"False Start: How the New Browns Were Set Up to Fail","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\" A book] NFL fans in general and Browns' fans in particular will definitely want to read . . . a fascinating, behind-the-scenes look at how the new Browns were created and what's kept them from making the progress everyone expected.\"\u003c\/strong\u003e -- Houston Chronicle\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Your team never had a chance.\" \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTerry Pluto, one of Cleveland's top sportswriters, takes a hard look at the unhappy beginnings of the new Cleveland Browns franchise. This book chronicles the backroom deals, big-money power plays, poor decisions, and plain bad luck that have dogged the venerable team since Art Modell skipped town in 1995. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen the new Cleveland Browns took the field in 1999, it was supposed to be the dawn of a grand new era of football in Cleveland. Instead, it was a rude wakeup call. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLegions of loyal fans--once heartsick, abandoned, and disgusted at the loss of their team in 1995--were ready to forgive the past and embrace the future . . . a new owner, a new team, a new stadium. They just wanted their Browns back. But it soon became clear: Browns fans got a bum deal. The NFL had traded one of the most storied teams in football history for a franchise mired in mediocrity.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese fans, after owner Art Modell skipped town with their beloved Browns, became the only fans ever to take on the NFL, demand their team back--and win. Yet while they were celebrating the supposed victory that kept \"our name, our colors, our team\" in Cleveland, fans should have been looking over their shoulders and keeping a close watch on the NFL. There would be few reasons to celebrate in the years to come. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHow much longer would they have to wait for a return to glory? Pluto sifts through the clues and looks for answers. This is a book the NFL does not want you to read. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Gray \u0026amp; Company Publishers\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/28\/2020\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781938441967\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.50lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.50d","brand":"Terry Pluto","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36671332778140,"sku":"9781938441967","price":13.56,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_8e62845d-666b-48cd-843b-64b9b3b0ba71.jpg?v=1603925117","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/false-start-how-the-new-browns-were-set-up-to-fail-9781938441967","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}