CLEVELAND, Ohio – In Northeast Ohio, the world revolves around the Cleveland Browns. Or at least it seems that way.
The social media producers at cleveland.com – the folks who share the news you’re reading across Facebook, X, Instagram and beyond – see every piece of news written on the website each day. And without fail, news tying back to the Browns garners high interest each year. In 2025, six of the Top 20 stories on our cleveland.com Facebook page relate back to the Browns in some way.
We have crunched the numbers and what follows are the Top 20 posts on our Facebook page for 2025, as of early December. Their ranking is determined by a statistic called total engagement, which takes link clicks, post reactions, comments, shares, video views (if applicable) and other figures into consideration to see which posts resonated most with our audience this year.
For transparency’s sake: Some items have been excluded from the list, whether it’s because a story was shared more than once, or the post was removed by the social team or taken down by Facebook.
Without further ado, here’s the Top 20:
Shedeur Sanders makes his Browns debut
Yes, it was an August preseason game. But no one knew at the time that Shedeur Sanders would end up as the Browns starting QB, beginning in Week 12 of the season.
However, fans – and Browns beat writer Mary Kay Cabot – seemed high on Sanders after the Aug. 8 preseason win over the Carolina Panthers. A link to one of her stories with the headline, “‘Legendary’ Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders dazzles in his starting debut vs. the Panthers in 30-10 victory” garnered more than 34,000 reactions, 9,000 comments and about 1,200 shares.
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2025 inductee announcement
The Rock Hall’s location in downtown Cleveland is a point of pride for many Northeast Ohioans, and each year, the inductee selection brings a lot of… big feelings, good and bad. When this year’s inductee class was announced in April, many Facebook users spotted cleveland.com’s announcement. The post has more than 43,000 reactions, including 32,000 likes, nearly 15,000 comments and close to 6,000 shares.
Local meteorologist Mark Johnson let go from WEWS
In May 2025, meteorologist Mark Johnson was dismissed from his role at WEWS News Channel 5, a job he held for decades. There was much speculation locally about why (WEWS and its parent company Scripps did not disclose a reason), and news reports about Johnson’s dismissal were popular on Facebook this year. Two stories – the initial news report and a follow-up article with comments from Johnson’s attorney – were in the Top 15.
A Facebook post with a link to the article with Johnson’s attorney’s statement garnered nearly 7,500 reactions and close to 3,000 comments.
Cleveland Browns hold moment of silence after Charlie Kirk’s death
Prior to kickoff at the Cleveland Browns vs. Green Bay Packers game on Sept. 21, the team held a moment of silence for Charlie Kirk, the polarizing conservative activist who was assassinated on Sept. 10.
A video of the moment shared on the cleveland.com Facebook page had millions of views; more than 120,000 reactions and close to 13,000 comments.
“Hands Off” protest gets tense in Ohio City
In response to President Donald Trump’s second term and policies put in place by his administration, there have been a number of nationwide organized protests in 2025. In April, a “Hands Off” protest in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood became tense when a Trump supporter drove past demonstrators with a large pro-Trump flag.
Additional coverage of the protest also received a lot of attention on our Facebook page.
This video, however, garnered more than 26,000 reactions and just about the same number of comments.
Shedeur Sanders vs. Dillon Gabriel in Browns preseason
More Browns quarterback debate to make the Top 20! After Week 2 of the Browns preseason, in which Sanders and other rookie QB Dillon Gabriel had each made one start, we asked our Facebook audience which of the two had a better debut.
The post had 24,000 reactions (with more than 21,000 reactions saying Sanders’ debut was better), as well as 3,500 comments.
Cleveland Clinic sets controversial policy on co-pay payments
In mid-May, the Cleveland Clinic announced a policy (which has since been reversed): Patients needed to pay their copays upfront at the time of their nonemergency appointments, or else risk losing it. A social media post announcing the news, including a link to the article, stirred a variety of reactions.
The post had about 6,800 reactions, 5,300 comments and more than 3,000 shares. Some commenters pushed back on the hospital’s billing system, and professionals noted the policy could have been a barrier to healthcare for low-income patients.
Stand-up comedian trashes Cleveland
Don’t come for Clevelanders and expect to get out unscathed. Comedian Ariel Spears (may have) learned that lesson after some comments made about The Land on a podcast in April.
Spears said Cleveland is “America’s toilet bowl” and that the people who live here are “not sharp” and “miserable.” A post on the cleveland.com Facebook page sharing Spears’ comments garnered about 5,500 reactions, more than 6,000 comments and greater than 1,000 shares. And let’s just say those comments are not too kind.
Plans for new Browns stadium in Brook Park hit a snag
Even though the saga surrounding construction plans for a new Cleveland Browns stadium in Brook Park, near the airport, seems to be coming to a close, our Facebook audience was invested in reading about, and interacting with, the plans every step of the way.
When state aviation officials denied a construction permit in mid-August, stating the height of the proposed stadium would obstruct air traffic, the Facebook audience responded. The post had more than 10,000 reactions, about 3,700 comments and 1,500 shares. The top comment on the post reiterated the sentiment that the team should play in Cleveland, not the suburbs.
Yes, a water-skiing squirrel
Surprising no one at all, animals doing quirky things attract lots of attention online. A video shared of Twiggy the water-skiing squirrel at the Cleveland Boat Show this past January was super popular.
The video was viewed more than 6.7 million times, and got more than 100,000 reactions! There were also more than 10,000 comments. It’s something you just have to see for yourself.
Mark Johnson hired by WKYC’s parent company
Local weatherman news was a surprise “hit” on cleveland.com’s social media pages this year.
After popular meteorologist Mark Johnson was let go from his job at News Channel 5 in May, he was hired by WKYC Channel 3’s parent company, Tegna, in July. This breaking news story garnered more than 23,000 reactions (overwhelmingly positive), as well as nearly 5,000 comments. Johnson broadcast weather nationally for Tegna before taking on a meteorologist role on local airwaves again, this time on WKYC, in November.
Cleveland Clinic loses top heart hospital ranking
When the annual U.S. News & World Report hospital rankings were released in July, there was a surprising result: After 30 years, the Cleveland Clinic lost the top spot on the list of best heart hospitals in the country. The hospital system fell to third, ranking behind two New York City hospitals.
A social media post announcing the news received close to 3,000 reactions – many of them surprised or sad – as well as over 1,000 comments and more than 450 shares.
Shedeur Sanders’ first home game performance
On Nov. 30, Browns QB Shedeur Sanders got his first start at home against the San Francisco 49ers. The Browns lost the game, but Sanders went 16-of-25, passing for 149 yards and one touchdown.
After each game, our social media team asks our Facebook audience how the players and coaches performed. When asked about Sanders’ first home start, fans reacted big-time: more than 11,000 reactions and over 4,300 comments.
Former VP candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, visits Northeast Ohio
In April, the Ohio Democratic Party worked with Tim Walz – who ran with Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election – to come to Republican districts across the state and conduct two “people’s town halls” in districts held by Republicans. The effort was done to “bring attention to members of congress who won’t face constituents” in the early months of President Donald Trump’s second term, according to spokeswoman Katie Seewer.
A Facebook post relaying the news garnered more than 10,000 reactions and nearly 15,000 comments.
Quarterback Julian Sayin makes first start at Ohio State
To open the 2025 college football season, the defending champion Ohio State Buckeyes faced the Texas Longhorns, led by Arch Manning. Texas was ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP poll, with Ohio State landing at No. 3. The highly anticipated matchup resulted in a Buckeye victory, 14-7.
As with Browns games, our sports social producer asked our Facebook audience how sophomore QB Julian Sayin performed in his first Buckeyes start. The post received more than 18,000 reactions (primarily positive) and 3,300 comments.
Cleveland Clinic reverses controversial copay policy
After receiving a lot of blowback from patients and advocates, the Cleveland Clinic reversed course with its planned “pay now” copay policy (see No. 7 on this list for a refresher). The reversal came about two weeks after the first announcement. Now, Clinic patients with commercial insurance or Medicare Advantage, who can’t pay their co-pay at the time of their non-emergency outpatient visit, can set up a 0% interest payment plan, according to reporter Julie Washington.
The Facebook post sharing the latest news on the policy garnered nearly 7,000 reactions, over 2,000 comments and about 1,100 shares.
West Side Market construction update
The West Side Market – the landmark and local institution on city’s near West Side – is undergoing some big upgrades. In April, renderings were publicly released, showing what the market will look like once the $68 million construction is complete.
A Facebook post sharing some of those images had more than 4,300 reactions, close to 900 comments and nearly 600 shares.
Wacko for Flacco (again)
As the Cleveland Browns quarterback carousel spun, spun, spun this past offseason, fans of the team were given a glimmer of hope when the Browns re-signed Joe Flacco – who helped the team make a short-lived playoff run in 2023 – to a one-year deal. Ultimately, Flacco started the season for the Browns but was traded in-state to the Cincinnati Bengals after Week 5.
A Facebook post asking our audience how they felt about Flacco’s return to the team received plenty of reaction – about 7,600 Facebook reactions (almost exclusively “likes” and “loves”) and about 8,400 comments.
Cleveland connection to scary plane crash
In February, a plane travelling from Minneapolis to Toronto crashed on the tarmac in Canada, injuring eight people. The photos of the wrecked plane lying upside-down were jarring. It turns out that same plane started its day, so to speak, in Cleveland.
The plane flew from Cleveland Hopkins airport to Minneapolis, where it landed safely with no issues that morning. The crash happened at the end of the subsequent flight.
An article detailing that local connection garnered more than 2,000 reactions on Facebook, as well as close to 850 comments.
Brutus Buckeye crosses out the “M” in endzone during The Game
This year was again (finally) the year for the Ohio State Buckeyes, as they beat the Michigan Wolverines in the snow at the Big House on Nov. 29, 27-9. And our social media producer at the game, Paris McGee Jr., captured a now-viral moment from the press box.
Brutus Buckeye, the beloved team mascot, X-ed out the “M” in Michigan in the snow in the endzone before writing out Script Ohio on the sideline. The video has more than 2 million views, as well as more than 26,000 reactions, 1,100 comments and 4,600 shares.