Pride Of Detroit’s Lions fan spotlight: Sweta Patel

Detroit Lions fans are a special breed. It takes a special kind of commitment to go through the ups and downs of a Lions season and then continue to go through it all again year after year. It’s because of that commitment that it’s safe to say the Lions have the best and most loyal fans in the world. For the next month, we’re going to celebrate some of them here at Pride of Detroit.

Today’s fan is a woman that all Lions fans are no doubt familiar with. I’m talking about Sweta Patel from Canton. Sweta has become a bit of an online celebrity due to her Lions fandom. She made an appearance on the Tori Petry podcast last year. She even recently ran the Lions Instagram account for a night. And there’s also this awesome video:

Sweta has an interesting path to becoming a Lions fan. She spent much of her life in India before coming to America in 2007 and settling in Michigan. By day she is a physical therapist who also works in skilled nursing facilities around the Detroit area. By the rest of the time, she is a Lions superfan that you can always see at every game and every public event the Lions hold. To learn more about Sweta and her quest to become a Lions fan, we asked her all the important Lions questions that every fan has an answer to.

How did you become a Lions fan?

“Around 2014 I came in contact with a family who were huge Texans fans and it just intrigued me about football. Being from India I had no knowledge of the game. So I started researching and, obviously the Detroit Lions being our local team, I focused my interest on them. I read articles, watched videos and watched games all the time to learn the terminology and the rules. I started following the Lions on Twitter and became active on social media with the team. I’ve been a fan for a short period of time compared to other die hard fans in our state and in the country, however my passion is not any less.

I also had coworkers who were Lions fans and they helped me develop the fandom that I have today. While I was working in the Eastpointe area I had a patient who has been a very long time season ticket holder for the Lions and he was the main person who started educating me about the team, their history and his fandom which really intrigued me. Around the same time I had a couple other patients who were also season-ticket holder‘s and their passion for the lions just made me like the team more. They were the ones who told me about the 2008 season before I had any knowledge of the team and their resilience and passion really peaked my interest in the Lions.”

Who’s your favorite Lion of all time?

“This is a tough question for me considering the short duration of me being a fan of the team, but I would say Calvin Johnson. I have seen old games and his plays, his style and ability to turn even simple plays into very stylish plays, his ability to work through double and triple coverage was amazing and his connection with Matthew Stafford. I have very high respect for Calvin.”

What’s your favorite Lions moment?

“My favorite Lions moment was when Glover Quin had the pick six against Atlanta Falcons in 2017. Although that game was heartbreaking at the end, that pick six made Ford Field come alive right before halftime. Another favorite Lions moment was when Kerryon broke the 100 yard rush curse against the Patriots. Everyone in the stands were counting the yards when he crossed the 80 yard mark. That was a moment that was discussed so much in the media and to finally have it broken against the Patriots was the best ever.”

What’s your thoughts and predictions on the 2019 season?

“With the addition of Trey Flowers, I feel like this team has had a major upgrade in pass rush. The 2018 team would’ve been a different team if there was a decent pass rush and even after run defense improved dramatically in second half of the season, there was too much time for the opposing QBs to make plays. I am also really looking forward to the running game, TEs additions and WR corps. I am hoping for a healthy and a successful season for Matthew Stafford in this new balanced offense that we are expecting this year. I always have the season prediction at 11-5 every year, so I am going to stick with it!!”