When you think of the Cleveland Browns’ uniforms, their orange helmets are likely one of the first characteristics that come to mind, a look so iconic that the franchise has used it for their primary logo since the 1970 season. This season, though, that’s set to change… at least for three games.
The Browns announced updated alternate uniforms earlier in July as part of the White Out Series, produced in a partnership with DUDE Wipes.
The most instantly recognizable part of the new look is the white helmets the Browns will put on, a marked change from the iconic orange domes. The rest of the alternate uniform will stay the same, the white throwback threads that the club wore during their maiden season in 1946.
As is the trend with any updated uniform, fans and foes of the Browns alike were quick to hop on social media and voice their thoughts on the updated helmets. The reviews seemed overwhelmingly positive, a rarity in today’s era of hot takes and outrage farming on the internet.
One of those reviews came from none other than northeastern Ohio’s favored son, LeBron James.
King James’ Input
As an avid social media user who is always in touch with the latest updates in the sports world James was quick to share his opinion on the gleaming new helmets. James reposted the NFL’s official Instagram post to his story, captioning the photo of the jerseys “That’s what I’m talking about!!! Ayyyeee!!!” with fire emojis and exclamation points abound.
While James is something of a free agent when it comes to his favorite NFL team, he seems to be going all in in his Browns fandom this season. He has voiced his support for the Dallas Cowboys in the past, growing up a fan of the team despite spending his formative years in Akron, Ohio, half an hour south of Cleveland.
That’s changed in the past few years, both because of the Browns’ return to prominence and because of Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones’ controversial stance against athletes kneeling for the national anthem, something that Bron said he took issue with during an Instagram Live session in 2022. As a partial owner of sports franchises like the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins and Liverpool FC of the English Premier League, LeBron has first hand experience as a
In fairness to King James, one can’t really call him a bandwagon fan: an athlete of his profile has connections all over the sports world, and it’s hard to root for one specific team when you have a reputation like that.
Like LeBron, you can enjoy the upcoming Browns’ season with the Ohio sports betting apps.
A Look at the History
The Browns will continue their tradition of being the only team in the NFL without a logo on their helmets (after all, who needs one when the logo is the helmet itself) when they don the white domes, although they will retain the stripe on their helmet, this time in black and orange instead of black and white.
While it’s a new look for most football fans today (even for LeBron, who at age 38 is nearly half as old as the Browns’ franchise), the Browns’ use of all-white jerseys dates back to the franchise’s inception in the mid 1940s. When one takes into account how Cleveland took their league (then the All-America Football Conference) by storm during their first four seasons, winning four league titles in those four years, perhaps the move back to the whiteout look should become a permanent one, the boost of luck the Browns need as they look to shake off the specter of decades of losing.
When Will We See Them?
NFL teams are allowed to wear alternate jerseys for three games each season, typically while they’re at home. During their official announcement of the new jerseys, the Browns said they’ll make use of all three of those slots. They’ll first put them on during Week 2 on Monday Night Football against the Steelers, debuting the new threads for a national audience; next is an afternoon game in Week 6 against the San Francisco 49ers, and they’ll round out the slate in Week 17 during their penultimate game of the regular season against the New York Jets, another primetime matchup… this time Thursday Night Football.