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Earlier this week, single-game tickets for the Detroit Lions went on sale. Within a day, the Lions had already basically sold out half of their regular season home games, and they had their best first day of ticket sales since Ford Field opened. Needless to say, the outstanding ticket sales served as an indication that fans are quite excited for the 2013 season.
We got more proof of this on Saturday afternoon when the Lions hit the practice field as part of "family weekend." The Lions didn't just set a new training camp attendance record, they absolutely shattered the previous high mark.
By far highest attendance ever at Lions training camp. 6,034. Largest previous was 2,200.
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) August 3, 2013
It's remarkable that the Lions didn't draw a crowd like this before the 2011 season or last year following their return to the playoffs. I guess there is just a good feeling among the fan base that the Lions will bounce back after going 4-12 last year. Plus, with the star power of Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, Reggie Bush, Ndamukong Suh and others, the Lions' popularity seems to be trending upward. Now the Lions just need to deliver on the field to sustain this popularity going forward.