Freshly acquired in a blockbuster trade, new Cleveland Cavaliers star guard Donovan Mitchell is about to get a first-hand view of the city’s sometimes rabid fan base.
Weeks after being picked up from the Utah Jazz, Mitchell is on hand for Thursday night’s NFL game between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers at FirstEnergy Stadium. He’s also expected to lead the “Dawg Pound” from the east section of the bleachers for the rivalry game.
Mitchell has absolutely no idea what he’s getting into here. Sure his former Jazz team have some rivals in the NBA. But nothing compares to the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers going at one another in a prime-time mid-week game.
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Donovan Mitchell about to acclimate himself with the Cleveland sports scene
From Jim Brown to LeBron James, generations of fans in Ohio have enjoyed both successes and failures from their professional sports teams.
As for the Cleveland Browns, they have made the playoffs just once since the 2002 season. Despite this, their fans are among the most boisterous in the NFL.
Donovan Mitchell himself now joins a young and talented Cavaliers team after the blockbuster trade from Utah. He’ll team up with fellow All-Star Darius Garland to form one of the best backcourts in the NBA.
But the pressure is certainly going to be on the star guard. Cleveland sports is a completely different entity. He’ll find that out first-hand Thursday night.