Photo: Getty Images
The Cleveland Browns unveiled their new midfield logo ahead of their home opener at FirstEnergy Stadium and opposing fans had plenty to say about it.
The character "Brownie the Elf" is featured on the 50-yard line holding a football with its hand out ready to lay down a stiff arm.
The "running brownie" image, which was initially the franchise's logo in 1946, was selected over three other fan designs to be the team's first midfield logo used since 2016 in a recent fan vote.
"We're super excited about the new midfield logo," Browns executive vice president and partner JW Johnson said Tuesday (September 13) via ClevelandBrowns.com. "We really wanted to engage our fans in the process, and they are — as I've said multiple times --- undefeated. They're the best in the league, best in the NFL and, candidly, some of the best in sports. We really wanted to get their involvement and hear what they have to say. We were able to pull off the new logo with the old school Brownie logo."
That optimism wasn't exactly shared by other NFL fan bases, who provided numerous jokes, which included many comparing the cartoon mascot unfavorably to the Keebler elf, as well as the decision to go with the elf over its other mascot, a dog, on Twitter.
The Browns will host the New York Jets on Sunday (September 18).