FanPost

Why I'm a fan of the Detroit Lions

The story of "Why I'm a fan of the Detroit Lions" could be different than the average story. I didn't grow up in Michigan or have ever lived there and they weren't my team as a kid.


There are no close NFL teams around western Iowa (closest is KC) and as a kid, I grew up a 49ers fan. I loved watching Steve Young (who I was lucky to meet once as a young kid), Jerry Rice, Merton Hanks, Terrell Owens, Ken Norton, and others playing on Sundays. One of my favorite memories was Owens catching a TD from Young at the end of a playoff game to beat the Packers, it was glorious!

Fast forward a little after Young retired due to a concussion, Rice went on to the Raiders, Owens became TO, I was at the point where I was older and didn't feel a connection to my childhood team. In 2003, (freshman in high school) I decided to make a change and select a new NFL team. I chose the Detroit Lions because Steve Mariucci went from the 49ers to the Lions that year, I like the color blue/Detroit's uniforms and growing up, I loved watching Barry Sanders play on Thanksgiving. Barry Sanders was so smooth and electric when running, it was hard not to love rooting for a player like that. Barry was a great player on the field but was an even better person off the field. Being an adult (or so we all thought at that age), I wanted to make a decision for me and started following the Lions.

The past 13 seasons have been pretty wild, the Lions went through a lot of quarterbacks (before Stafford), questionable calls from referees, we changed uniforms a couple of times, the Millen years, questionable calls from referees, the 0-16 season, defending Ndamukong Suh, and questionable calls from referees. As a new Lions fan, I wasn't used to seeing anything close to that.

Although it was a rough start, something was different about Detroit. The fans were knowledgeable and respectful and the team was relatable as an underdog, it was easy to get hooked. It would have been easy to jump ship again early, especially after the winless season but I felt the connection and haven't let go.

There have been some great moments along the way, Calvin Johnson's record breaking year, Matthew Stafford's 5K yard season, the MNF game vs Chicago, Matthew Stafford winning games for the Lions in the 4th quarter and Joseph Fauria's dance moves.

I've seen some ups and downs, probably way more downs than ups but I can tell you this, I'll be here when Detroit wins the Super Bowl and lifts the Lombardi trophy.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pride Of Detroit or its writers.