Brent Larkin criticizes the prioritization of the Cleveland Browns’ stadium plans over the city’s more pressing needs, such as poverty, education, and childcare. He argues that the team’s owners, Jimmy and Dee Haslam, are pushing for a new domed stadium in Brook Park, which would be largely funded by taxpayers.
Larkin emphasizes that the city’s real needs are being ignored, including the fact that many children in Cleveland are born into poverty and lack access to quality early-childhood education. He notes that recent studies have shown that investments in quality preschool can have a lasting impact on a child’s life.
The author also criticizes the silence of business leaders and politicians on the issue, arguing that they are more concerned with appeasing the Haslams than with addressing the city’s real needs. He concludes that the city needs a dedicated revenue stream for quality preschool, rather than subsidizing the Browns’ stadium plans.
