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The Cleveland Browns asked for fan submissions for the new dog logo to represent the club and voting is now open. There are 36 really great entries to choose from, with the winner moving on to the final round of voting against three other designs, according to the Browns’ official website.
The Mastiff Was Voted as the Best Breed to Represent the Browns
In March, the Cleveland Browns did a March Madness-style bracket that let fans vote on which breed of dog best represents the Dawg Pound and the mastiff came out on top. The final four were a boxer versus a dogue de bordeaux and a mastiff versus an English bulldog. The dogue de bordeaux and the mastiff faced off in the finals and the mastiff came out on top.
Then the Browns asked fans to create a new logo around the mastiff, giving them an opportunity to “showcase their love for the team and beyond.”
“We are fired up to see what ideas our fans come up with and the thought of their logo potentially being selected is a key element in our commitment to creating an amazing experience for our fanbase,” said JW Johnson, executive vice president of Haslam Sports Group, in a statement. “We are always looking for feedback from our fans to improve their experience so allowing them to serve as a centerpiece of this contest offers an opportunity to engage with each other in real-time and showcase their love for the team and beyond.”
On Instagram, the Browns official account touted the contest as a way to “leave your mark” on the organization, writing, “A new Browns Dog Logo is coming!! 🐶 You asked for it, now it’s time to deliver. Submit your own design for a chance to leave your mark! The most popular fan entry will join our 3 other finalists in the ultimate vote to become our official new DAWG 🦴.”
The Winning Design Also Wins 4 Tickets & a Club Prize Pack
The voting is open now, with each registered email address getting to cast three votes. The winner not only faces off with “three additional local designs” in the finals but also earns four club seats tickets and a prize pack.
Voting is open until May 10, at which time the fan design winner will be revealed and voting will open for the finals. The voting in the final round closes in early June.
The Browns’ rowdy fan section has been known as the “Dawg Pound” since the mid-1980s when cornerbacks Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnifield helped coin the phrase when they started barking as part of a way to pump up the defense.
A 2020 feature on the Browns’ website interviewed Dixon and he explained that they told their teammtes, “What we’re going to do is we’re going to bark at you guys. And when we bark at you, just rear your ears back. Think of that old quarterback as a cat, and you guys are the dogs. Just go after him.”
“Before we knew it, everybody was the Dawgs,” Dixon said. “Not just the defensive line, but the whole defense, the whole team. Everybody was the Dawgs, and it was a beautiful thing.”
He added, “It didn’t take me long to realize when I got here what type of people that Cleveland had. They have the greatest fans anywhere in the world.”
The Browns introduced their first live mascot, a bull mastiff named Swagger, in 2014. In 2020, Swagger died after a battle with cancer. In his final year, his son SJ had taken over the mascot job, with the Browns writing in Swagger’s obituary, “Swagger’s son, SJ, took over for him in Week 10 of the 2019 season and will carry on the role into 2020 and beyond. Swagger served as the Dawg Pound Captain in his final game with the Browns.”
At the time of Swagger’s death, the Browns wrote on Twitter, “We’re heartbroken by the passing of our beloved mascot, Swagger. As a constant presence on gameday and the leader of the Dawg Pound, Swagger was a proud member of our team for 6 seasons. RIP. 💔”
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