The Los Angeles Chargers were already reluctant to travel to Cleveland to play the Browns. Now, a bad situation gets worse as midges swarm the stadium.
There’s nothing like a little arrogance over what those in coastal metropolises consider to be “flyover states.”
And as far as hating on Midwestern states goes, few bear the brunt of insults quite like Ohio.
Ohio gets insulted without provocation, something native Ohioans like USWNT star Rose Lavelle have lamented about. That didn’t stop the Los Angeles Chargers for hilariously roasting the Cleveland Browns just because.
Clearly, the Chargers think they’re much too good to set foot in FirstEnergy Stadium, but the highfalutin Cali team just got hit with a troubling, very Ohio obstacle.
The field where they’re set to play the Browns is apparently swarming with midges, a type of fly that resembles a mosquito.
Browns fans are hoping that the “midge army” will band together and prevent the Chargers from winning.
Midge swarm may get revenge on cruel Chargers joke about Cleveland
Are the midges seeking retribution for seeing their home mercilessly dragged on Twitter?
Probably not, but swarms of them can certainly affect the outcome of a game.
During Game 2 of the 2007 ALDS, midges attacked the New York Yankees playing Cleveland at the time. Players were swatting at their noses, spritzing clouds of bug spray and trying their best not to let the flying insects affect them.
Cleveland won that game 2-1, and they ended up winning the series with a 3-1 outcome. Cleveland then went on to face the Boston Red Sox and had them at 3-1 as well, but the Red Sox bounced back in the seven-game series to win it 4-3. The Red Sox went on to win the World Series that year, but one can only wonder what may have been had the Red Sox and Yankees faced one another instead.
NFL Week 5 may not have such major implications, but both teams are 2-2 and looking to clinch the top spot in their respective AFC divisions.
As annoying as they may be to Cleveland residents, aquatic midges are “a sign of good health for Lake Erie,” according to News 5 Cleveland. “They provide food for fish and other aquatic life.” Sometimes, they’re even a sign of good health for Cleveland sports teams, giving them an environmental hazard that Cleveland residents find all too familiar.