CLEVELAND — Cleveland sports fans know how to be resilient and cope with disappointing sports seasons, but Monday's tough loss to the Steelers and the season-ending injury to running back Nick Chubb has some fans feeling a bit down in the dumps.
All week, Browns fans have been expressing their feelings of frustration, disappointment and despair at work, at home and on social media.
The knee injury to Chubb had Browns fan Andrew Dorman dressed up as Batman and riding an electric skateboard of his own design in front of Cleveland Browns Stadium on Wednesday. Dorman told News 5 he dressed up as Batman because he said Chubb loves Batman and used that admiration to help him recover from an injury to the same knee in 2015 while playing in college for the Georgia Bulldogs.
“After I saw Chubb get hurt, I don’t know, I thought I witnessed a car crash," Dorman said. "When I was watching the game, I was more sad that Chubb got hurt than we lost the game."
Browns fan Jeff Lawer spent Wednesday afternoon shooting a video outside Browns Stadium for his YouTube page Forgotten Places and told News 5 that the first two games of the Browns season have already left fans filled with significant ups and downs.
"I live and die with this team; they've broken our hearts more times than any of us would ever like to remember," Lawer said. “I mean, we’ve lost starters not for a few games but for an entire season.”
Nora Larson, Gambling Services Coordinator with Cleveland's Recovery Resources, agreed it's already been an emotional season for Browns fans.
"A lot of our emotions are tied to our favorite sport, and right now it’s football for a lot of people, that roller-coaster, we won, we lost, we won, we lost," Larson said. “And a lot of times people are tying it into money as well, so it's that emotion of wanting us to win or us just getting a touchdown.”
Larson said adding the emotional peaks and valleys that can be caused by sports betting and fantasy football can lead some fans into various levels of depression.
“You have to find a balance of activities too, those self-care activities, because gambling does have the highest suicide attempt rate of all addictions,” Larson said. “There are warning signs, withdrawing from relationships; we’re not talking as much as we normally, or hanging out with friends for the game because we’re so upset we can’t be with people.”
Larson said other warning signs families should be aware of in loved ones include acting out with verbal or physical abuse, betting increasing amounts of money, hiding gambling activity, asking for loans, and selling off or giving away personal items.
Larson said those dealing with sports fan depression should seek positive self-care activities like communicating with family and friends, taking a walk or engaging in other outdoor activities, and seeking help when needed.
Larson pointed to prevention and treatment resources on the Recovery Resources Gambling Services webpage or contact the Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-589-9966. Parents can reach out to the Change the Game Ohio webpage for child video game resources and the Pause Before Your Play webpage as a responsible gambling resource. Larson said the Suicide & Crisis Lifelinecan also take a text, call or chat for people in serious distress 24 hours a day.
Meanwhile, Lawer said when it comes to the Browns season emotional disappointment, fans have to keep everything in perspective.
“That was only week two; you’ve got 15 to go," Lawer said. "There’s a long season ahead; no season is won or lost in one week.”
