David Fritz is 6 years old. He lives in the heart of Pennsylvania and he recently joined the Boy Scouts of America.
The new Boy Scouts received a welcome goody bag and the top prize was a black and gold Pittsburgh Steelers hat. This did not sit well with David.
David, whose father Eric is an Ohio native and has raised the family Browns fans, was adamant that he would NOT wear a Steelers hat. In fact, he didn't even want to touch the hat. Even at the young age of six, it was ingrained in David's mind that anything associated with the Pittsburgh Steelers was despicable.
"I'm a Browns fan, not a Steelers fan," David kept repeatedly saying to the Boy Scout leaders. Trying to find a solution to make David happy, the leaders suggested he pen a handwritten letter reaching out to the Browns to show his support.
The minute Eric picked up his son from Boy Scouts, the two started brainstorming what David should say. Even though he's only in first grade, David was quite the articulate kid.
The letter reads as follows:
*Hi. My name is Davis Fritz. I live in Duncansville, PA. I joined the boy scouts. They gave me a Steelers hat. I am a Browns fan. Can I trade you for a Browns hat? Thank you. *
The Browns Fan development and Marketing department received David's letter and were beyond impressed with his loyalty to the Dawg Pound. It would be easy for a six-year-old to go with the flow and just put the Steelers hat on with all of his other new friends. But David had the backbone to stand up against Pittsburgh and show his devotion to the Cleveland Browns.
To reward David's allegiance to the Dawg Pound, the Browns sent him a Browns hat, poster, football, a signed Terrance West photo, a lanyard and other miscellaneous items. David's reaction is something you normally only see from kids on their birthdays or Christmas morning.
David is hopeful he meets his new favorite player, West. The Browns are honoring David's commitment to the organization by letting him be the "Kickoff Kid" for the second half. He'll run out and grab the tee and be on an actual NFL field.
"We've both been so excited this week we've had trouble sleeping," said Eric. "This really is like one of your wildest dreams coming true."
