FanPost

From a strangely new Detroit sports addict.

To all people active in this community,

this a true and honest story, you may like it, or not, but it's my story and I'd like to tell it this way. I don't expect you to approve me (or reject me for that matter), but it can show you that not all Lions fans are born into it, to some it's a choice (and a true choice of heart over brain, deliberately).

This is me, Jan, a thirty-one year old Belgian, living with my girlfriend, proudly serving and spending the time I have left roughly between running, cycling and the NFL. For some years now, I've beensomething of a passionate NFL follower. As a guy living in Europe and having played soccer in his childhood, it's not the most normal choice to all of a sudden in your mid-twenties change your interests to American Football. Yet, I did just that. I'd had a bit enough of soccer (although I still follow it to be honest) and I felt the need for something new. At that time I was in full education in the military and I encountered new people. I was also into hip-hop music and there I saw some of the stars wearing NFL shirts. I started to do some research into those search and the sports they represented. Combine this with a guy in my class that also was into the NFL and you can guess what followed, I got hooked to the NFL.

The first years, I followed the sports in general. We had a TV channel that broadcasted one or two games a week, which I watched of course. I tried to learn as quickly as possible the aim of the game, the rules and the history of the sports as a whole. Very soon, I ordered my first jersey, a Carolina Panthers Jake Delhomme shirt. Fair to say I still have it and I'll keep it forever. Why the Panthers I hear you ask? I was into big cats and there's that, plain and simple. Very soon I followed this up with a... Cincinnati Bengals #85 C. Johnson jersey, of course another big cat team. These two were for a while the only two I owned and also the two teams I followed. Then came the 2010 NFL Draft.

It was the very first Draft I watched live via online streaming. First on the clock that year, were the St. Louis Rams. A team I had never seen playing yet, but they selected a QB, Sam Bradford. I was sold on them for years to come. First thing I did the next morning was ordering a #8 Bradford jersey. I went all-in on them, started to learn their history, their successes up until that point, this was the forst time I got this deep into fandom as I call it for an American Football team. Big was the surprise when my shirt finally arrived. I anxiously awaited its arrival and when it got there, I couldn't wait to open the package. Finally getting home in the evening and tearing open the package, I was baffled when I saw this light-blue (Honolulu Blue as I would learn later of course) #90 Suh shirt popping out. This wasn't what I ordered?! It did appeal to me to be honest, it had a nice swag to it. I had not even learned about this team, had never seen them play and didn't know anything about them, but I decided to keep the shirt anyway. I did reorder a Bradford shirt that same day however. The Suh shirt went in the closet and stayed there for a while.

One thing it did do, was trigger my curiosity for the team and the city. In the weeks after, still proudly expressing my Rams fandom and love, I also learned a lot about Detroit and its Lions. Quite immediately, I had this strange affection, call it a suppressed love, for the city of Detroit and its sports teams. And while I do agree that Detroit, with the massive decline it's been going through, is probably one of the strangest cities to have such feelings for and people I've talked to about this love have called me crazy in the coconut more often than not, it's stayed that way ever since. It's hard to explain, it really is.

Back to St. Louis, because that's where my passion mostly was those next years. I followed them intensely, I really got into them, I got to know all their players, their staff, I even almost went there to spend a holiday in the Gateway to the West. However, I was held back from doing that by my then wife. She explained me that apart from the Rams, the Cardinals, the Blues and the Gateway Arch, there was nothing to do in that city and so we didn't go. What happened next killed my love for the Rams, Mr. Kroenke decided to move the Rams to Los Angeles, a move that's been coming for years, but still, the fanbase had its hopes that it wouldn't happen. While it might have been the move that put the franchise back to where it had always belonged, to me that completely took away all my passion for the team, like it had with a lot of its fans. All of a sudden I was without a team to spend my time on.

During the months that followed, I had taken my sweet time to read into teams and cities. I also wanted something more, I wanted for the next team to be my final team, I didn't want to have to go through another sort of heartbreak I had expercienced with the Rams. Also during that time, my interest in MLB, NHL and NBA grew larger. It was shaping up to be the year of the Cubs in the MLB, so I decided to take on the Chicago Bears as my NFL team to follow. Truth be told, it was fun watching the Cubs that year. I hopped easily on that bandwagon and enjoyed the ride to the World Series. The Blackhawks seemed a bit over the top, but still had a quite succesfull season, yet were eliminated in the Western Conference First Round. But it wasn't all fun and giggles in Chicago, the Bears were a miserable team that year and the Bulls were middle of the pack. As the NFL was my first interest, rooting for the Bears didn't feel quite right, the franchise has a lot of history and had one of the best seasons ever, but they just didn't fit me.

I also didn't want to go down as a bandwagon fan, that's not who I am and looking at what happened last season with the Bears, it was so easy to stay on that wagon and ride along to the NFC North Crown and into the playoffs. Yet, I thanked for that and quickly jumped off. The entire last season, I would spend as a free NFL fan as I call it. I bought a GamePass and wanted to watch casual games as I would be up for. First game I watched was a preseason game: Lions at Raiders. During the offseason, the Lions had garnered some buzz with their new Head Coach and with my lingering love for the city of Detroit in the back of my heart, looking back at it I picked up something I should have never abandoned. The entire preseason I spent getting back into the team and its players. It was a mixed preseason, but results don't matter, there was promise. Until September tenth, the shocker against the Jets. Crazy as it was, it strengthened my passion and feeling this might be the right choice, finally. Somehow it fitted in the picture I have of the city of Detroit, its people, the fans of the Lions. Hard-working, nose-down and grind, bounce-back folks. That's where I somehow belong. I stayed loyal throughout the season, watching every game, always feeling that passion and love, win or lose.

And that's where I'm at now. I was at a crossroads, I could've taken the easy path multiple times, but I chose the path of pride, the path of truth, the hard way, what I believe is the Detroit way, the Lions way. I couldn't be happier and more proud to call myself, finally, a true Detroit Lions and Detroit sports fan. Over the years, I've bought a #94 Ansah and a #9 Stafford shirt, a Lions mug and some pins, keychains and bracelets. The love has always stayed, it only had to fully start blooming.

My expectations here in this community (not coincidentally joined here on 3-13!) are fairly high. I've been reading a lot into the articles here, I was always impressed by the knowledge of writers like Jeremy Reisman, Andrew Kato, Kent Lee Platte and all the many others. I enjoy the brilliant PODcast. I have a lot to learn still, but I don't believe there's a better place to do it than hover here a Pride Of Detroit. I love the passion of the people active on here and I wish to become, quietly (Rome wasn't built in one day, you know) active in this community and to become a respected member of this fanbase, as I respect you and your passion, dedication and love for this amazing Franchise.

Sincerely,

Jan

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