Photo by Emanuel Wallace
Jarrett Allen Gets Us
Cleveland’s pathological need for outside validation is well documented, and nowhere is that deep-seated, middle-child craving for affirmation more fervent than when it comes to the people making millions of dollars playing or coaching for our hometown teams. (The unofficial Gets Us Meter exists for a reason, folks.)
And so it was good times and good vibes this week as local social media users got to take a break from casting about the digital hellscape and bask in the adoration of Kenny Atkinson and Jarrett Allen.
We start with the Cavs coach, who, presented with an alley-oop by some local member of the media, delivered the goods.
“I tell people all the time, and I don’t say this to blow smoke or appease people, it’s an underrated city in every sense…. not just a sporting sense,” he said. “The quality of life sense. The schools are great, as we know. I didn’t know. I kind of knew when I visited, I knew going to Rocket Mortgage and what a tough place to play, and I knew the Ritz downtown. And now I’m in Chagrin Falls and I’m on the west side, there’s so much [more] than just those couple of blocks around the Ritz. Getting too know the city and the people, it’s a great, great sports town.”
Kenny Atkinson with a glowing review of Cleveland after making this city his home over the past year:
“I tell people all the time… it’s an underrated city. In every sense— the sporting sense, quality of life, the schools are great…” #Letemknow #getsus pic.twitter.com/9vGbeEbxQV
— Gabriella Kreuz (@thesportsGab) April 17, 2025
Cleveland’s collective ego swelled ten times that day.
And the pats on the head didn’t end there.
Center Jarrett Allen followed up the vibes with an essay in the Player’s Tribune, declaring not only that they were good, but they were in fact “immaculate.”
Allen noted:
“Make no mistake, Cleveland is never going to be confused for New York. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. It’s not big and huge and loud and in your face. It’s just a really wonderful place to live, or to spend some time.
“And Cleveland is one of those towns that … you don’t know how good it is as a city — especially when it comes to the people — until you’ve actually lived there. Something I learned pretty early on about this town is … just being honest … not a ton of people are rushing to move here. (They should be! But I’m just being real.) So what you have is a lot of people who grew up in Cleveland, or in the region, and there are multiple generations of families here, and, as a result, everyone has this long-standing love for the city. It’s a lot of good, well-mannered, nice folks who genuinely care for this place. And the more time you spend here, the more that feeling seeps into you. Before you know it, you start to love this place, too.”
And Cleveland’s collective ego eclipsed the sun, buoyed by the kinetic energy from the Gets Us Meter exploding in real time.
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