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Browns Bought by Republican Gasoline Magnate
JHPolitics.com ^ | 8/2/2012 | Justin Higgins

Posted on 08/02/2012 10:13:44 AM PDT by RealTeen

Now my favorite football team will be owned by the brother of a Republican Governor who also runs an incredibly successful business and donates to Republican candidates. Can it get any better? Pilot Flying J CEO James "Jimmy" Haslam is set to own the team, per ESPN:

NFL ownership is expected to approve Haslam's purchase at its October meeting. Commissioner Roger Goodell could expedite the process by calling a special meeting, although that is considered unlikely.

The NFL helped bring Haslam to Lerner so that a sale could be completed smoothly, efficiently and with a high probability of success. Haslam had informed the league how much he wanted to buy a team, and Lerner -- who is more interested in his soccer team (Aston Villa in England) -- was interested in selling the Browns.

Paperwork between the two sides was completed Thursday morning.

Haslam is president and CEO of Knoxville, Tenn.-based Pilot Flying J, the largest operator of travel centers and travel plazas in North America with more than 550 retail locations. He is the older brother of Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, who also worked for the family business before he was elected mayor of Knoxville in 2003 and again in 2007, then governor in 2010.

The only downside of Jimmy Haslam is that he also owns a chunk of the Pittsburgh Steelers and referred to himself as a "1000% Steelers fan". I imagine that will be changing quite a bit with his purchase of the Steelers rival from Ohio, although recently my Browns haven't put up much of a fight. I'm pre-inclined to like the new ownership, so I'm sure Haslam will quickly do something stupid to sour me on him, as is tradition with Cleveland team owners.


TOPICS: News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: capitalism; cleveland; flyingj; football; haslam; nfl; republicans; sports
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1 posted on 08/02/2012 10:13:49 AM PDT by RealTeen
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To: RealTeen

BROWNS!?!?!?!

That’s racist!


2 posted on 08/02/2012 10:22:37 AM PDT by BO Stinkss
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To: RealTeen

FWIW, Bill Haslam is a huge RINO. TN always seems to elect them...


3 posted on 08/02/2012 10:23:46 AM PDT by CPC24
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To: RealTeen
Was a Buckeye for 52 years...then moved to PA and became a Steelers Fan...but guess I'll need to get me a BROWNS jacket now... I have a daughter....STEELERS FAN I have a son.........BROWNS FAN When daughter was visiting we cheered for the steelers, then when son would visit I cheered for Browns...guess it won't matter to the kids now....yea♥
4 posted on 08/02/2012 10:36:59 AM PDT by haircutter
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To: RealTeen

He should hire Limbaugh as a public relations rep.


5 posted on 08/02/2012 10:37:04 AM PDT by beenaround
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To: CPC24
YO.....just so he doesn't vote for HUSSEIN on Nov. 6th...
6 posted on 08/02/2012 10:39:17 AM PDT by haircutter
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To: RealTeen

< snide >
That bastard republican is obviously trying to make a profit someway in this transaction..
You gotta watch them capitalists every minute...
They’ll make lemonade out of lemons..
< /snide >


7 posted on 08/02/2012 10:44:44 AM PDT by hosepipe (This propaganda has been edited to include some fully orbed hyperbole..)
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To: RealTeen
"The only downside of Jimmy Haslam is that he also owns a chunk of the Pittsburgh Steelers..."

Not a big change. Steelers have aways owned the Browns.
8 posted on 08/02/2012 10:51:18 AM PDT by j_k_l
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To: ADemocratNoMore; Akron Al; arbee4bush; agrace; ATOMIC_PUNK; Badeye; Bikers4Bush; BlindedByTruth; ...

Ohio Ping!
To be added to the Ohio Ping List, please freepmail,
(the three of us), Flutters, Whenifhow, and LasVegasDave.


9 posted on 08/02/2012 10:55:47 AM PDT by Las Vegas Dave ("All 57 states must stand together and defeat O-bozo!")
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To: BO Stinkss
BROWNS!?!?!?!

Well, what about Auburn and the other Brown?
10 posted on 08/02/2012 10:59:23 AM PDT by righttackle44 (I may not be much, but I raised a United States Marine.)
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To: haircutter

I don’t see how anybody on FR could be a Steelers fan.

Rooney gave so much to Baraq they made him an ambassador, then he came back for the 2012 campaign.


11 posted on 08/02/2012 11:03:53 AM PDT by nascarnation
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To: RealTeen

Can’t get excited about a an ex-Cowboys, ex-Steelers fan buying the Browns. I don’t care if he is Conservative,Republican. RINO, Democrat or a Stalinist. I want an owner that wakes up thinking about the Browns in a Super Bowl, goes to sleep with that same thought and in between is gulping Tums and Nexiums because they may not make their 10th straight Super Bowl.


12 posted on 08/02/2012 11:04:19 AM PDT by Cyman
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To: RealTeen

Can’t get excited about a an ex-Cowboys, ex-Steelers fan buying the Browns. I don’t care if he is Conservative,Republican. RINO, Democrat or a Stalinist. I want an owner that wakes up thinking about the Browns in a Super Bowl, goes to sleep with that same thought and in between is gulping Tums and Nexiums because they may not make their 10th straight Super Bowl.


13 posted on 08/02/2012 11:04:46 AM PDT by Cyman
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To: Cyman
“Can’t get excited about a an ex-Cowboys, ex-Steelers fan buying the Browns. I don’t care if he is Conservative,Republican. RINO, Democrat or a Stalinist. I want an owner that wakes up thinking about the Browns in a Super Bowl, goes to sleep with that same thought and in between is gulping Tums and Nexiums because they may not make their 10th straight Super Bowl.”

I don't think you have to worry about that. The Haslam’s LOVE football.

Jim Sr is probably the number one contributor and supporter of UT (Tennessee) athletics for all teams including women's teams.

You will probably see a team made up of SEC players and SEC coaches and a desire to win like you have never seen before.

14 posted on 08/02/2012 11:19:00 AM PDT by Amntn
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To: RealTeen

The Browns have a real shot this year with Brandon Weeden, former quarterback of the defending Big 12 and Fiesta Bowl Champions, Oklahoma State University.


15 posted on 08/02/2012 11:40:59 AM PDT by SVTCobra03 (You can never have enough friends, horsepower or ammunition.)
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To: Amntn

“The Haslam’s LOVE football”

You have missed my point entirely. I don’t want an owner that loves football or even takes one to bed every night. I want an owner that loves the CLEVELAND BROWNS. I want an owner that instead of paying his mortgage he buys an autographed copy of a towel that Otto Graham used or the facebar they took off Dante Lavelli’s helmet or the original suit worn by Abe Abraham.


16 posted on 08/02/2012 11:49:36 AM PDT by Cyman
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To: haircutter

Root for them all you want, but the Bengals are gonna destroy EVERYONE in the division this year. :) Yeah, I am biased.


17 posted on 08/02/2012 12:00:40 PM PDT by America_Right (Remember, Republicans have a lot more in common with Democrats than they do with Tea Partiers.)
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To: nascarnation
who said I was a Rooney fan??? I like the team...and I'm a Burger. and I bet if yunz live here you would root for them also... Rooney is an old man and more than likely is not working with a full deck of card, so maybe that is why he is an obama supporter... I don't judge by the wrapping paper a team has...but I love the boys that work hard for six rings... LETS GO PITTSBURGH♥
18 posted on 08/02/2012 12:39:48 PM PDT by haircutter
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To: nascarnation
who said I was a Rooney fan??? I like the team...and I'm a Burger. and I bet if yunz live here you would root for them also... Rooney is an old man and more than likely is not working with a full deck of card, so maybe that is why he is an obama supporter... I don't judge by the wrapping paper a team has...but I love the boys that work hard for six rings... LETS GO PITTSBURGH♥
19 posted on 08/02/2012 12:40:14 PM PDT by haircutter
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To: nascarnation
“I don’t see how anybody on FR could be a Steelers fan.
Rooney gave so much to Baraq they made him an ambassador, then he came back for the 2012 campaign.”

I don't have to change my love for my team just because the patriarch of the family that owns them got so old and senile that Obama seemed like a good idea.

20 posted on 08/02/2012 12:41:07 PM PDT by jdsteel (Give me freedom, not more government.)
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