We’ve reached the halfway point of the summer here in Cleveland, and with the 4th of July festivities and fireworks coming to a close, there has still been plenty of news in these parts to keep local sports fans talking.

1st and Goal: Is Lebron coming home? 

Lebron James was back in the news this past week, as it was reported by multiple local reporters that he was back in the area playing golf and working out at the Cleveland Cavaliers’ training facility. James was seen on social media platforms playing golf and wearing a “Welcome Home” ballcap. After working out at the Cavs’ facility, he tried to squash any thoughts of him returning to play for the Cavs one last go around, as the 40-year-old James contemplates retirement from the NBA. He posted on the X (Twitter) “ I live here (Akron) still and train every summer. Got damn yall bored man! Go get a plate of food somewhere and enjoy the 4th of July!”

That’s nice of Lebron to try and tell all his fans to relax and enjoy the 4th, but it won’t stop the chatter of if and when he signs with Cleveland one last time, maybe to end his career.

2nd and Goal: Sophie Cunningham rips Cleveland and Detroit

Who? That’s what some of you just asked when referring to Sophie Cunningham, the WNBA player who’s in the midst of her “15 minutes of fame” time in her life. The little-known basketball player gained some notoriety when she defended WNBA star Caitlyn Clark recently by retaliating at some opposing players in a matchup against their Indiana Fever team.

Cunningham also made more news this past week when she took it upon herself to put down Cleveland and Detroit as the next two expansion franchise cities to be added to the WNBA starting in 2028. When she was asked about the new teams being added, she responded to reporters of Indianapolis (mind you) that players in the WNBA would prefer destination locations like Miami or Nashville rather than Detroit or Cleveland to play in.

What happened to playing the game of basketball and not being so absorbed in oneself as so many athletes like Cunningham are these days?

Athletes’ brand and “15 minutes of fame” seem to be driving the narrative far too much. Cleveland and Detroit had two of the original teams of the league dating back to 1998, and they are cities that love their sports teams.

I suspect we’ll still say “who was that” when we look back at Cunningham and her “lazy take” on two great sports towns.

It’s just sad that too many people like Cunningham don’t take the time or make the effort to learn about places (Cleveland) or things in their professional careers. It certainly isn’t going to help her “brand” moving forward.

3rd and Goal: The Guardians are a mess

After a relatively good start to the season, the Cleveland Guardians have fallen on hard times and have a 40-48 record on the season. The reactions to their latest 10-game losing streak have been pretty negative, and no one following the team seems to think there’s much to look forward to the rest of the season. Cleveland has been shut out of scoring in five of their last 12 games. They’ve only scored more than four runs in a game in that same stretch.

They have one of the worst team batting percentages in the league at .223. They’ll need to get that turned around quickly if they want to stay competitive. It seems like ages ago that this team was two games from reaching the World Series.

4th and Goal: Browns training camp right around the corner

The Browns begin their summer training camp on July 18th when the rookies report. The vets return on July 22nd. There are a lot of storylines as we go into this camp. The most talked-about will be the quarterback competition. With two veterans in Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett likely the front runners, there will be two new rookies in Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders competing as well. Sanders has become the fan favorite this early part of the off-season, so we’ll have to monitor the situation closely.

Fans are welcome to watch camp on certain days this summer, starting on July 25. Cleveland’s season opener is scheduled for September 7th, a home game against the Cincinnati Bengals.