Wednesday open thread: Do you still want the Detroit Lions to win this year?

Sadly, we’ve reached the point in the season where we have this debate. It seems like an annual discussion with the Detroit Lions, but for any team that is no longer in the playoff hunt, their fanbases are almost universally split in two. Some want the team to continue to lose, in the hopes it encourages management to make some serious changes with the added benefit of a better draft pick.

Others never want to see their team lose, even if it is valuing immediate gratification over long-term benefit. The point in being a fan, they argue, is to root for your team to win, regardless of context. After all, seeing your team play well is the ultimate goal, and improvement is oftentimes more likely to stick than a draft pick.

So with the Lions at 6-6 with a quarter of the season left to go, today’s Question of the Day is:

Do you still want the Detroit Lions to win their remaining four games?

My answer: Absolutely. I completely fall in line with “always root for your team” point of view. It is fun when I get to watch the Lions win. It is not fun when I watch them lose. It’s really as simple as that to me. I don’t care if it’s short-sighted.

The point of view that I have the toughest time understanding is the group of people that hope the Lions continue to lose so that Jim Caldwell is fired. I realize for many Caldwell has reached the point of no return. No amount of success he can show in the final four games can change their opinion on him.

However, I would much rather see marked improvement from the Lions down the stretch to bring hope to 2018 rather than a coaching overhaul. Back-to-back winning seasons would bring me more optimism than a complete house-clearing. What Sean McVay is doing in Los Angeles is the exception, not the rule.

And if there’s an outside chance that a 4-0 streak could sneak them into the playoffs, all the better! I know they’ll likely struggle to win a postseason game, but I’d rather see them try than watch wild card weekend with no team to root for.

Draft position matters, but not to the degree where I believe it’s worth actively rooting against my own team. Good teams will find good players wherever they draft, and if they don’t, that’s on the general manager, not the team for playing too well in “meaningless games.”

Your turn.