Flash back to January 5, 2003 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania.
The Cleveland Browns were all geared up for their first playoff game since the franchise’s rebirth in 1999.
On top of that, they were playing their division rival Pittsburgh and things were going so well, leading 24-7 in the third quarter.
The Cinderella story would come to a close in gut wrenching fashion as the Browns blew their lead, going down 36-33.
As they walked off the field, there was a feeling that it might be a sign of things to come, they had a decent roster with some good draft picks… except it was a sign of more heartbreak.
Now, 18 years later, the Browns are finally back in the playoffs, ending the longest postseason drought in the NFL.
But since we’re feeling nostalgic, let’s look back to what the world was like then.
Baker Mayfield Was 7 Years Old
The 25 year old former first overall pick was just a child in Austin Texas when the Browns last made the playoffs.
Safe to say after looking like an emotional wreck for most of the 2019 season, he has found his footing again in 2020.
He definitely enjoyed the post game celebrations today.
Tampa Bay Was On Its Way to Its Lone Super Bowl Title
Under the guidance of Jon Gruden, the Buccaneers steamrolled their way through the playoffs, culminating in a 48-21 demolition of Oakland in Super Bowl XXXVII.
In the 2020 NFL season, the Buccaneers managed to end their 13 year playoff drought as well thanks to a veteran acquisition in the offseason.
Tom Brady Only Had 1 Super Bowl
Speaking of the veteran QB Tampa signed, back then people were still trying to work out of Brady and the New England Patriots were a flash in the pan success story.
They had won the Super Bowl in the previous season but stumbled to a 9-7 record in 2002, missing the playoffs on tiebreakers.
That question has been answered several times over with Brady and the Pats winning five more championships.
Tom Brady and Bill Belichick Liked Each Other
Pats fans remember these days fondly, their alleged falling out is what sent Brady to Tampa Bay in the first place.
Kobe and Shaq Were Crushing the NBA
Speaking of a very successful pair to have a falling out, in January 2003 the LA Lakers were the toast of the NBA world, having just completed a three-peat of titles.
Shaq won Finals MVP as the Lakers swept the New Jersey Nets 4-0 in the deciding series.
The Anaheim Angels Were World Series Champions
When you think about it, 2002/2003 was a great time to be a fan of LA based teams.
The Anaheim Angels had beaten cross state rivals the San Francisco Giants 4-3 in the World Series on the back of a Game 7 pitching masterclass to win 4-1.
Detroit Held the Stanley Cup
One US sporting trophy that wasn’t contested by Californian teams was one of the oldest and arguably the best in all of sport: Lord Stanley’s Cup.
The Detroit Red Wings, during their era of dominance lifted the iconic Cup after beating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1 in the Final.
The Roosters Were NRL Premiers
Locally, the Sydney Roosters effectively shot Bambi’s mother with their NRL Grand Final win, defeating the New Zealand Warriors 30-8 in a decider where few remember the on pitch action.
We all remember Billy Idol’s pregame cameo and how he was “just waiting for some power!”
The Brisbane Lions Were In the Midst of a 3-Peat
The AFL Premiership Cup was in its second year of residence in the Sunshine State after the Lions retained their title after beating Collingwood on that one Saturday in September.
Australia Held the Bledisloe Cup
Believe it or not there was a time when the Wallabies actually won the Bledisloe Cup.
Australia lost the first game 12-6 in Christchurch before a clutch kick by Matthew Burke won the return leg in Sydney.
Still waiting for it to come back to where it belongs though…
Australia’s World Cup Drought Was at 28 Years
It seems like a lifetime ago that the football faithful in Australia were just hoping to see their team grace the world’s biggest stage once more.
14 months prior, they were bundled out of 2002 World Cup Qualifying in Montevideo by a ruthless Uruguayan side.
Brazil would go on to win that World Cup in Japan and South Korea defeating Germany 2-0 in the Final.
Lord of the Rings Was Lord of Australian Cinema
After a Boxing Day 2002 release, Peter Jackson’s 179 minute epic sequel, The Two Towers was on top of the cinematic charts after taking in nearly $20 million.
It was only a splash in it’s global take of almost $1 billion though.
Lose Yourself Was Dominating the Charts
You know the song every team was playing as a pump up tune right before kickoff?
It was in the midst of marathon stay at the top of the Australian singles charts that started in December 2002 and ran until the end of February 2003.
Eventually it would be replaced by Beautiful by Christina Aguilera.
It also had a good run in the USA.
Even after spending so long at the top of the charts, it would not be the top song of 2003, that would go to Guy Sebastian for his debut ‘Angels Brought Me Here’ after stealing the inaugural Aus Idol crown from Shannon Noll.