NFL Football fandom is passed on from generation to generation. If you grew up and your parents were Cleveland Browns fans, then you likely are a fan yourself. This is the same cycle across the nation.

In 1996, however, the Browns were whisked away to Baltimore to become the Ravens while Cleveland was left without a team. Retired All-Pro center, Jason Kelce, is a Cleveland native and was a Browns fan until he no longer had a team to root for.

“Jerome Bettis, he was my favorite player growing up,” Kelce said on Nevada Sports Net. “That’s who I wanted to be, I wanted to be a running back and just loved watching him play.

I was born in Cleveland, and I even became a makeshift Steelers fan when the Browns left to become the Ravens.
“It’s like sacrilegious in Cleveland, everybody was like, ‘How are you a Steelers fan now?’ I’m like, ‘We don’t have a team anymore, this is my favorite player.'”

There are only 32 NFL teams which means the football fans in the other 28 states have to find a team to root for. When the Browns left Cleveland, Kelce, and we are sure others, had to find a new team to root for.

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For three years, Cleveland was without a pro football team. That’s a long time, so we can’t really blame Kelce for his decision. Little did he know that he would make his way to the NFL, make seven trips to the Pro Bowl, earn six First-Team All-Pro selections and a Super Bowl ring.

While Browns fans may be upset about their native son’s choice of teams, they can’t be mad at all that he accomplished on the field himself.