<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (February 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (February 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> The Cleveland Browns relocation controversy, sometimes referred to by fans as "The Move", was the decision by then - Browns owner Art Modell to relocate the National Football League (NFL)'s Cleveland Browns from its long - time home of Cleveland to Baltimore during the 1995 NFL season . Subsequent legal actions by the city of Cleveland and Browns season ticket holders led the NFL to broker a compromise that saw the Browns history, records, and intellectual property remain in Cleveland . In return, Modell was permitted to move his football organization to Baltimore where he established the Baltimore Ravens . The Ravens are officially regarded by the NFL as an expansion team that began play in 1996 . The city of Cleveland agreed to demolish Cleveland Stadium and build a new stadium on the same site, and the NFL agreed to reactivate the Browns by the 1999 season through either an expansion draft or a relocated franchise . The Browns were officially reactivated in 1998 through the expansion process and resumed play in 1999 . </P> <P> The compromise between Cleveland, the NFL, and Modell was a first in North American professional sports . The compromise has been cited in franchise moves and agreements in other leagues, including those in Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the National Basketball Association, and the National Hockey League . </P>

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