My love, frustrations, impatience, and crazy affection for the Detroit Lions
Photo from the Associated Press
As Sophia would say in Golden Girls, "Picture it. Detroit. 2008"
Ah yes, Detroit Lions would be the absolute first. The first time in NFL history to go 0-16 (The Cleveland Browns have since joined this honor in 201. Many of us Lions fans want to forget that time in history, but are constantly reminded of it every time the season starts, the joke of every late night comedian, on a NFL special on some major sports outlet, or as I saw a few years ago at the Guinness World Records Museum, the images of defeat and mockery.
One would think that after many, many, MANY years of utter disappointment and embarrassment, that I would dedicate my time, my emotions, and my hard earned dollars to a team that actually knows how to win. That would be too easy. To give up on a team where every year is going to possibly, no, knowingly let me down EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR?? Who has time for that? Not me. Sigh...
I come from the era where the Lions was basically forced into my sports DNA. They were played on every box tv in the living room, and the small black and white tv that was in the kitchen. Wayne Fontes was the coach that once I started to understand the fullness of the game, he was my coach. I was dialed in from the head to toe Lions track suits, to his whole command on the sidelines , and how he communicated with his team, and of course, coached my favorite player of ALL TIME, Running Back legend, Barry Sanders. I remember the awesome times in the 90's when the Lions would be first in the NFC ('91 & '93). He made us Lions fans be ever so proud of be a fan, and I thought he could win every year after he left. And then....oh how I miss that man. And those winning moments.
The revolving doors of Head Coaches, four winning seasons since 2000 & 3 playoff appearances, which resulted in losses in the Wild Card rounds, a man named Matt Millen, and of course, the 0-16 record. So with all that being said, I should abandon my team now, right? Nope.
I love rockin' the Honolulu Blue, Grey and White. I love having the possible glimmer of hope that maybe this is the year that they have going to have a winning record (fingers crossed), maybe this will be the time where FINALLY we will have some bragging rights and win a division outright, and win a playoff game, heck, go all the way to the Super Bowl. Alas, these wishes, requests, dreams, are just that. So I wait. I root with the other awesome, amazing fans that I met along this journey, because we believe that dream will become a reality.
My Heard Take:
I say this will LOUDLY, with gusto and with the MILLIONS and MILLIONS of #OnePride fans around the world...