The view from the Idea Center

Cleveland sports fans are well versed with disappointment and yes, heartbreak. But there’s a difference between sports “heartbreak” and actual tragedies, those life-altering moments that stay with us forever.

Sure, Browns fans are disappointed in the 6-10 season that started with such high expectations. But it seems cruel that “Black Monday,” the term for the day after the NFL season that always results in multiple firings, occurs so close to the holidays. First-year coach Freddie Kitchens didn’t make it to Monday. He was fired upon arriving back in Berea last night after a 33-23 loss to 2-14 Cincinnati.

Kitchens may have been emotional and somewhat surprised by the news, but his money is guaranteed. His assistants, however, make significantly less money and face an uncertain future. It’s unlikely Kitchens and his staff will look back on Christmas 2019 or the turn of the decade fondly.

Ohio State football fans, too, are still steamed over controversial calls and missed opportunities that ended their season in a 29-23 loss to Clemson Saturday night. But that loss is merely a disappointing end to a great season – another sports heartbreak.

Meanwhile, the Louisiana State University and Cleveland media families are reeling from the tragic loss of 30-year-old Carley McCord, who was killed along with four others in a plane crash Saturday. McCord was married to the son of LSU’s offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger and the plane was headed to Atlanta, where LSU was playing Oklahoma in the Peach Bowl. McCord was a former in-house reporter for the Browns and on Cleveland’s Q104 morning show. She was working for Louisiana media outlets, along with sideline reporting for the NFL’s Saints and NBA’s Pelicans. LSU advanced to the National Championship, but this holiday season and the Tigers’ incredible run will also be remembered for the tremendous loss suffered in Baton Rouge.

This weekend was a sobering reminder that the holidays aren’t always happy, and although we may love our teams, their losses don’t compare to the losses we suffer in real life.
 

Stay safe and thanks for reading and listening,
Glenn Forbes

Need to KnOH

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