It has happened in Detroit; the Lions have become the “lovable loser” of the NFL.  What I mean is Detroit has become the team that people either root for, or feel sorry for, on any given Sunday.  Case in point, when Detroit beat Minnesota this season for their first win, announcers on every channel were treating it as if the Lions had won a playoff game.

Yes, the Lions have won championships prior to the Super Bowl Era.  But my argument is based on the Super Bowl Era, which started in 1967.   What is wrong with the Lions?  We know it is not for lack of great players, they’ve had some of the best NFL players on their team, including:

• • Barry Sanders, Hall of Fame
  • Calvin Johnson, Hall of Fame
  • Lem Barney, Hall of Fame
  • Alex Karras, Hall of Fame
  • Charlie Sanders, Hall of Fame

It is not as if the Lions do not have a nice stadium to play in.  In my lifetime the Lions have played in two stadiums. First, was the Silver Dome.  Many of us remember the Silver Dome in its declining years, but when it opened in 1975 its fiberglass roof, held up with air, was considered a marvel.  Now they play at Ford Field, which is also considered one of the nicer stadiums in the league.  Don’t get me wrong neither of these stadiums has the history of Soldier Field and Lambeau, or even the newness of Sofi in Los Angeles or Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, but it’s still a very nice stadium.

There have been bright spots in the past, the rare playoff appearances for one.  The Lions did come close to the Super Bowl in 1992 when they played for the conference championship but were crushed by Washington.   Unfortunately, the Lions are part of a group they should not be proud of; teams that have never been to the Super Bowl.  Two of the teams were part of expansions and another moved to a different city and was reestablished.  These teams are:

• • Houston Texans (joined the NFL in 2002)
  • Jacksonville Jaguars (joined the NFL in 1993)
  • Cleveland Browns (this is the second time the team has been in Cleveland in 1995 and a new team was established in Cleveland in 1999).
  • Detroit Lions (joined the NFL in 1930)

Despite their lack luster record, the most consistent part of the Lions are the fans.  We are loyal to the end.  We sell out games and believe that the next season will be a winning one, or that the first-round pick will be the savior.  Like most seasons this one will end, and we will look forward to the draft and next fall when the Lions will be undefeated, until the first game is played.

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