CLEVELAND — As the Cleveland Browns' plan to move from the downtown lakefront to Brook Park continues to have a ripple effect in northeast Ohio, the Cleveland Guardians and Cavaliers are now weighing in.

What You Need To Know

  • As the Cleveland Browns' plan to move from the downtown lakefront to Brook Park continues to have a ripple effect in northeast Ohio

  • In letters to the Greater Cleveland Partnership, the Cavs and Guardians explain that the revenue from the countywide sin tax on alcohol and cigarettes is not keeping up with the cost of stadium maintenance
  • The teams raised concerns over whether the plan to build a new Browns stadium in Brook Park could muddle efforts to “modernize” the sin tax

  • GCP recently endorsed the Browns’ plan to build a new $2.4 billion stadium and entertainment complex in Brook Park, drawing backlash from Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne

“We believe, based on our engagement locally, that a Sin Tax modernization effort, which is intertwined with the Brook Park plan and strips local control from the decision-making process, undoing decades of precedent, is doomed to fail—leaving us all worse off,” a Cavs ownership group said in a letter to the Greater Cleveland Partnership (GCP) last week.

GCP recently endorsed the Browns’ plan to build a new $2.4 billion stadium and entertainment complex in Brook Park, drawing backlash from Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne, who both severed ties with the organization.

In their letters to GCP leaders, the Cavs and Guardians explain that the revenue from the countywide sin tax on alcohol and cigarettes is not keeping up with the cost of stadium maintenance. The sin tax rate hasn’t changed since voters approved it in 1990 and is used to finance capital repairs on all three stadiums in Cuyahoga County. Last year, revenue came up around $40 million short for those repairs, which the city of Cleveland and county had to cover.

Local officials have since been seeking ways to make the sin tax work, discussing the idea of potentially increasing it. But to make that happen, they need approval from the statehouse and county voters. 

The Guardians letter touts support for a plan to “modernize” the sin tax, saying the team is committed to downtown Cleveland through at least 2036.

“Recent discussions about stadium funding in this region have focused almost exclusively on the Browns and their intent to move to Brook Park,” the Guardians letter to GCP reads. “While the Guardians (who remain neutral on the location of the Browns’ future home) respect the complexity and significance of those discussions, we believe it is essential the future needs of Progressive Field are also prioritized by our community.”

A Browns spokesperson said the team has always supported sin tax to maintain all three sports facilities in the county. 

GCP CEO Baiju Shah said in a statement, “GCP appreciates the significant investments made by the Rock Family of Companies and the Cleveland Guardians in our community. We have been working with all partners to address the Gateway facilities public funding challenges. Our Executive Committee has endorsed exploring the sin tax option and will be reviewing the specific proposal.”