Welcome to the Pride: Mike Payton

I started writing about the Detroit Lions two years ago after a friend said, "You should write for Pride Of Detroit." Here we are two years later and I can finally tell that friend, "Okay, I'll do that."

I took an interesting route to POD. I studied journalism in college and proceeded to put it off for ten years. After getting fired from my carpet sales gig, I decided that I was done doing the things in life that made me unhappy. I'll finally start writing. I started my own blog called The Detroit Lions Alliance with a friend in 2014. We grew fast and before I knew it, I had gigs covering the Lions for Detroit Jock City and Fantasy Sports Warehouse. In April of 2015 we merged the DLA with FanSided's SideLion Report. If you've heard the name Mike Payton, it's probably from my time at SideLion Report. I'm proud of the work I did there.  Along with Jeff Risdon and Nate Williams, we were able to put the site on the map and gain some notoriety.

I was born and raised in Warren, Michigan. But I've lived in Memphis and San Francisco over my lifetime. I currently reside on the mean streets of Holland, Michigan where there is an annual tulip festival. It's pretty dangerous. I've been a Detroit sports fan all my life. But I also have a love for the Memphis Grizzlies. I'm also a big fan of Pro Wrestling. If you're familiar with my work, then you know that already. If you're not, get ready for the occasional Lions/WWE crossover piece. For those who have been reading my work for a while now, I fully intend to bring the Random Stats, Just Say No and 4 Questions series over with me from SLR.

In addition to the work I will do here at Pride of Detroit, you can also frequently hear me on the radio at ESPN 96.1 or see me write about things like volleyball and swimming for the Holland Sentinel. I'm always ready to talk Lions. Come chat with me on Twitter @POD_Payton.