Columbus is a Cleveland Browns town after Week 17 TV schedule change

The Cleveland Browns Week 17 game against the Ravens was not going to be televised in Columbus, but the fans in the city showed why they are becoming a Browns town.

The Cleveland Browns have quickly become one of the more popular teams in the country. With the rise of a young Browns team that has a bunch of swagger, they have become a must-watch team.

On Sunday, they will be playing in an important game that will help determine who will make the postseason. If the Browns lose to the Ravens, then Baltimore wins the AFC North and will make the postseason. A Browns win would open the door for the Steelers to make the playoffs as the AFC North champion.

With the game carrying a ton of weight in the postseason picture and the rise of the Browns, CBS decided to put their No. 1 broadcast team – Jim Nantz and Tony Romo – on the call.

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However, most of the state of Ohio would not have been able to see the Browns game in their homes. Instead, most of Southern Ohio would have seen the Steelers-Bengals game. Both games have start times of 4:25 EST after the Browns-Ravens game was flexed from 1:00 EST.

The biggest city that had to decide between airing the two games was Columbus, which was going to air the Steelers-Bengals game. Initially the market was going to air the Browns game, but switched midweek to the Steelers game. The decision was made by the general manager of 10TV, the local television station. Nantz joined ESPN Cleveland early Friday, and said that he was “baffled” by the decision.

The decision to air the Steelers game instead of the Browns game was met with fan outrage. Fans took to social media to air their grievances about 10TV deciding to not show the Browns game. The fans voicing their opinions worked, as the station decided on Friday that they would air the Browns-Ravens game on Sunday.

The fans in Columbus being able to get the switch made goes to show that Columbus is in fact a Browns town. Columbus was considered a melting pot of Browns, Bengals, and Steelers fans, due to its similar proximity between the three cities.

However, most people in Columbus have believed the city is a Browns town more than anything. In 2015 and 2016, the Browns held their annual Brown and Orange scrimmage in Ohio Stadium, the home of the Ohio State Buckeye football team. They drew big crowds to the scrimmages, selling thousands of tickets.

Due to its proximity from Cleveland, Columbus is not considered a secondary market for the Browns or the Bengals, which is why the general manager at 10TV has the discretion of which games air in Columbus.

But as evidenced by this week, it is obvious that Columbus is a Browns town. Fans in the state capital want to watch the Browns, despite being closer in proximity to Cincinnati. With the Browns having more success, they continue to gain interest from fans across the state, and even the country.