Cleveland, Ohio Pro Sports Guide

Cleveland, Ohio sits on the shores of Lake Erie in the northern portion of the state. The 'Heart of Rock and Roll' has a population of just under 400,000, a far cry from the 900,000 in the 1930's, 1940's and 1950's. There are currently over 2,000,000 inhabitants in the Metro Cleveland area.

Cleveland has plenty of professional sports options, should you find yourself in the second largest city in Ohio. Three of the four major big leagues are represented with just a National Hockey League franchise missing. Cleveland did once have a team in the NHL. The Cleveland Barons lasted just two years, 1976-77 and 1977-78.

Cleveland Cavaliers - NBA (National Basketball Association)

The Cavaliers came into the NBA as an expansion team for the 1970-71 season. In their over forty years of existence, the Cavs have yet to win an NBA title. The team plays out of the Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland. The Q was opened in 1994 and can hold up to 20,562 spectators for basketball.

Lake Erie Monsters - AHL (American Hockey League)

The Monsters began life as the Denver Grizzlies of the IHL in 1994-95. The team has been playing out of Cleveland and the Quicken Loans Arena since the 2007-08 AHL season. Currently, the Monsters are the AHL affiliate of the NHL's Colorado Avalanche.

Cleveland Indians - AL (American League of Major League Baseball)

The Indians were a charter member of the American League back in 1901. The team was first knowns as the Blues, then the Broncos and Naps before the Indians name stuck for the 1915 AL season. The Tribe has won just two World Series championships in over a century of play, 1920 and 1948. They have won the AL championship five times: 1920, 1948, 1954, 1995, 1997. The Indians play their home games at Progessive Field, a 43,429 seat complex opened for the 1994 season.

Cleveland Browns - NFL (National Football League)

It's complicated. The Browns joined the NFL in 1950. After the 1995 season, they were moved to Baltimore to become the Ravens. In 1999, an expansion franchise named the Browns began play again in Cleveland. Officially, the team has been in the NFL from 1950 to the present with a three year suspension of operations...

The Browns have yet to capture a Super Bowl championship but were NFL champions in 1950, 1954, 1955 and 1964 before the merger of the AFL and NFL created the need for a Super Bowl. The team plays home games at the Cleveland Browns Stadium, a 73,200 seat venue opened for the 1999 season.

Cleveland Gladiators - AFL (Arena Football League)

The franchise originally began as the New Jersey Red Dogs in 1997. After a stop in Las Vegas from 2008 to 2007, the team became the Cleveland Gladiators for the 2008 AFL season. Like the Cavaliers and Monsters, the Gladiators call the Quicken Loans Arena home.