Things only a Detroit Lions fan can understand
This Detroit Lions fan reacts to a call by the officials during a game last season, but really that’s the look of Lions fans most weeks. (Melanie Maxwell | MLive.com file)
Lions fandom: Is it defined by loyalty or something else?
Fans of other NFL franchises cannot possibly understand what it’s like to root for the Detroit Lions.
Incompetence. Disappointment. Heartbreak. Failure. Excuses. Coaching carousel. Messed-up management.
(OK, maybe Cleveland Browns fans can relate. But at least the Browns have never gone winless. Or had Matt Millen.)
All of those things seem to come with the territory in being a Lions fan. You know what does NOT come with Lions fandom? Extended playoff runs. Nevermind Super Bowl appearances, nor Super Bowl victory parades.
Those things don’t even seem in the realm of possibility, sadly.
But here’s the thing about Lions fans: They still dare to dream. They hold onto that distant hope of one day seeing their team play for and win the big prize. If and when that happens, they’ll say they were during the struggles – the many, many struggles. And, boy, what a party that Super Bowl celebration would be.
Maybe Lions fans are stricken with Stockholm syndrome. Or maybe they’re living proof of the oft-used quote relating to the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
“It’s going to be different this year!” Lions fans exclaim.
Yeah, probably not.
Truthfully, Lions fans are a defeated group. But their self-deprecation is endearing, anyway.
Is remaining a Lions fan a sign of loyalty or insanity? It’s up for debate.
Here are several things that only Lions backers could understand about their fandom:
In this photo collage, the front (large image) and back (small image) of a Lions T-shirt mocking its 4-0 preseason record during the 0-16 campaign in 2008 is shown. The back of the shirt reads “Winning when it counts?” and lists the scores from the Lions’ preseason. (Scott DeCamp | MLive.com)
4-0 in preseason, 0-16 in regular season
Lions fans in early-September 2008: “The Lions were 4-0 in the preseason and looked good doing it! This might be the year!”
Lions fans in late-September 2008: “Yeah, they’re 0-3, but there’s still time to recover.”
Lions fans at the end of October 2008: “They’re 0-7 but mathematically still alive for the playoffs.”
Lions fans at the end of November 2008: “This team really could make history: 0-16.”
Lions fans on Dec. 21, 2008 after losing to the Saints: “We finish the season next week at Green Bay … 0-16, here we come!”
The 2008 season was one for the ages, but only in a way that Lions fans could understand. They made history, all right, becoming the first NFL team to finish 0-16.
Going 4-0 in the preseason and 0-16 in the regular season: A symmetry only Lions fans could understand.
(Video courtesy of YouTube)
Wasting the talents of the greatest running back of all time
Ten seasons, 15,269 rushing yards, 109 total touchdowns, countless jaw-dropping runs and only one playoff win: That’s what the Lions got out of Barry Sanders, who on July 27, 1999, stunned many by announcing his retirement.
Managing only one playoff victory – which remains the franchise’s lone postseason triumph of the Super Bowl era – is no fault of Sanders. It just illustrates the ineptitude of the organization.
Sanders truly was a once-in-a-lifetime talent and he provided Lions fans with many memories. It’s too bad the Lions couldn’t win more with him and for him.
(Video courtesy of YouTube)
Wasting the talents of one of the greatest receivers of all time
You see the Barry Sanders lament above? Much of the same applies for the Calvin Johnson era of the Lions. Johnson retired on March 8, 2016, reminiscent of Sanders’ riding into the sunset with seemingly so much to give yet.
Only, the Lions did not win a playoff game during Johnson’s nine years in Motown, in which time the freakish 6-foot-5, 240-pounder grabbed 731 passes for 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns.
A man can take only so much bumbling and stumbling by a franchise.
(Video courtesy of YouTube)
Lions’ victory song
Forward down the field,
A charging team that will not yield.
And when the Blue and Silver wave,
Stand and cheer the brave.
Rah, rah, rah!
Go hard, win the game,
With honor you will keep your fame.
Down the field and gain,
A Lion victory!
The instrumental sounds like something out of the circus. How fitting.
In fairness, though, aren’t most NFL victory songs pretty lame?
More about the Lions’ victory song
The Lions playing on Thanksgiving Day is a time-honored tradition, but fans were not so thankful for Matt Millen. (Chris Clark | Grand Rapids Press file)
Matt Millen – enough said
Matt Millen was hired out of the broadcasting booth, with no prior NFL management experience, to take on the job of Lions President & CEO. What could go wrong?
Ahem …
During Millen’s seven full seasons with the Lions (he was fired in late-September of 2008), the organization plummeted further into the depths of despair. The Lions went 31-81 during that time, with no fewer than nine losses in any season. The .277 winning percentage – labeling it a .723 losing percentage might be more appropriate – was among the worst compiled by an NFL team during a seven-year period.
Poor draft decisions, poor play on the field. Poor Lions fans.
Millen says ‘sorry it didn’t work out’
Remember Nick Fairley? He was with the Lions for four years, but it sure didn’t feel like it. (Courtesy photo)
Buy the jersey and the player does nothing
In the world of NFL transactions these days, players are on the move frequently. The NFL is big business – huge money involved.
But how frustrating is it when your team drafts or acquires a player, who you think is destined to be the savior or next stud, only to see said player traded away, get injured or fizzle out mere months after you drop $100 on an authentic jersey? Charles Rogers is the poster boy for this description.
It’s not that fans of other NFL teams haven’t dealt with this phenomenon. But, dammit, doesn’t it seem to happen more frequently for Lions fans?
(Video courtesy of YouTube)
Not really caring about the Super Bowl; only caring for your pool squares
The NFL playoffs progress and creep closer to the Super Bowl, sans the Lions, as per usual.
So, what do Lions fans have to look forward to once the big game approaches? Is it the commercials? The Super Bowl party food? Probably not the game itself, as bitterness and envy are the prevailing emotions as Lions fans watch teams other than the Lions playing for the big prize – again.
Maybe it’s the Super Bowl pools or “squares.” After all, who doesn’t like the chance to win some cash?
Yep. That’s pretty much it.
Marge (in blue) and Chunk (in black) are bulldogs owned by a Michigan native, who lives in downtown Baltimore. As you can see, even the dogs seem humiliated to be wearing Lions gear. (Courtesy photos)
Lions logo is a badge of shame
If Lions fans are as miserable supporting a team as they seem, then why do they continue to wear their gear? Why do they continue attending games? When is enough, enough?
Maybe it’s some form of martyrization, whereby the Lions logo is worn like a badge of shame.
While some still wave that Honolulu-and-silver flag with pride, others express their Lions fandom in more discreet ways.
For instance, a friend of mine, who grew up in Michigan, lives in downtown Baltimore. He is proud of his teams from the home state … well, most of them.
“I have a flag for the Tigers, MSU and the Red Wings, and refuse to buy a Lions flag out of pure spite of how the team is run,” he said. “And also embarrassment.”
(Video courtesy of YouTube)
‘At least we’re not Browns fans’
It could be worse, right? Lions fans keep telling themselves, “At least we’re not Browns fans.”
The Lions – and by association, Lions fans – are the punchline of many a joke. Oftentimes, fans of other teams say this when things turn south: “Well, at least we’re not Lions fans.”
The difference is, the Browns always stink. The Lions don’t always stink. When the Lions are actually competitive, however, they inevitably find ways to mess it up in the most Lions-esque fashion.
You’re always just waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Lions fans tend to go all out during the annual Thanksgiving Day game, as seen here by a couple of men wearing turkey hats in 2008 at Ford Field. (Rob Widdis | Grand Rapids Press file)
Giving thanks for Lions football on Thanksgiving
Which is a greater time-honored tradition on Thanksgiving Day: The turkey-day feast or Lions football? They go hand-in-hand.
Which is more responsible for people zonking out after Thanksgiving dinner: Turkey or Lions football? Probably a little of both.
How many are guilty of eating their Thanksgiving dinner on a TV tray while parked in front of the television during the Lions game? Now that is hardcore.
The author of this slideshow may or may not have moved the TV screen so those of us seated at the dining room table could see the Lions game during dinner. That might have happened once or twice.
The Lions’ Jim Caldwell does not come across as the most personable coach in the NFL, but if he wins, then ownership and fans will not care. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com file)
‘Check the report’
“Check the report” is not a Lions thing;Â it’s a Jim Caldwell thing. Without fail, that will be the Lions head coach’s response when asked by media about his team’s injuries.
In many ways, it’s a competitive advantage for him to answer in that fashion. In other ways, it feels as though he’s just trying to be difficult.
You can’t fault Caldwell too much, though. He’s been solid at the helm. In fact, for Lions coaches with more than seven games under their belts, Caldwell’s .563 winning percentage (27-21 record) is the highest for the organization since the Buddy Parker era (.667 in 1951-56).
If that winning percentage were to climb, then you’d be surprised how much Caldwell could get away with saying – or, in this case, not saying.
(Video courtesy of YouTube)
Referees do Lions no favors
It’s been said that people who blame the refs for losing are losers themselves. Well, whomever came up with that expression must not be a Lions fan.
But it’s not that simple. With the Lions, it’s complicated. It always is.
Are the refs solely responsible for the Lions losing games? Of course not. The Lions don’t need any help screwing things up. But officials have had a hand in some losses.
And, as we’ve seen several times over, the Lions don’t respond well to bad breaks.
One of the more recent examples, shown in the video above, occurred in the Lions’ Jan. 4, 2015 playoff loss at the Dallas Cowboys when a pass interference call on the Cowboys during a critical juncture was overturned. The Lions led at the time, but we all knew how that game was going to end.
This could go on and on, but we’ll stop here.
(Video courtesy of MLive.com)
Stubborn, defiant support of the Lions
Few people in this state are immune to the disease known as Lions fandom. Those who are, good for you. (You’re soulless, by the way.)
Many Lions fans, including MLive entertainment reporter and movie critic John Serba, are admittedly stubborn and defiant about their allegiance.
“A lifelong, unapologetic, hopelessly hopeful, stubborn Lions fan, forever proud to wear the team’s three colors: Honolulu blue, silver and shame,” Serba said in an MLive video last fall.
This is just another example of “Things only Lions fans understand.”
Years before becoming a legendary coach with the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick was an assistant coach for the Detroit Lions. In 1976-77, he served as a special teams/tight ends/wide receivers assistant with the Lions. (Steven Senne | Associated Press)
Some Lions coaches found Super Bowls and success — after they were Lions coaches
The Lions are known for their carousel of coaches. Coaching continuity is big in sports, something with which the Lions have little experience.
In many cases, coaches have found success — and Super Bowls — after leaving Detroit.
MLive’s Brendan Savage took a closer look at this phenomenon.
Lions left tackle Taylor Decker suffered what’s being reported as a torn labrum, requiring surgery and putting him out of commission for at least the first month of the season. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)
And the beat goes on …
Bob Quinn & Co. seemed to be assembling a solid offensive line, which has been one of the areas of deficiency for the Lions over the years.
And then … well …
You know what’s next.
Starting left tackle Taylor Decker was injured during OTAs, suffering what’s been reported as a torn labrum. The injury required surgery, and it’s expected to sideline him for at least the first month of the 2017 season and probably longer.
If it weren’t for bad breaks, the Lions wouldn’t have any breaks.
Detroit Lions guard Joe Dahl (66), shown during minicamp practice Tuesday, June 13, 2017, said that security did its job in removing the agitated fan from the practice facility. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)
Making lunatic-fringe fans look tame
Every fanbase in major sports has a lunatic fringe — the people who aren’t quite dealing in reality.
Not sure this qualifies as the lunatic fringe, but chalk up another unusual occurrence with the Lions.
On Tuesday, June 13, an agitated man broke into training camp in Allen Park and berated Lions players.
Never a dull moment.
(Video courtesy of YouTube)
Why Lions fans continue to be Lions fans
Nobody – and I mean, nobody – can understand this one. Not even Lions fans themselves really understand why.
Call it blind loyalty. Or maybe it’s the hope that, one day, magically, the Lions will not only get to the Super Bowl, but – dare say – even win it all. The ultimate payoff.
Imagine the party in this state.
I know, I know … keep dreamin’.
Early returns on Lions general manager Bob Quinn has been pretty positive. Does that make you nervous, Lions fans? (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)
Did we miss any?
There are so many things that only Lions fans can understand – too many to list here. It seems that we hit on the major points, though.
Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments section.
This ought to be interesting.
Lions tight end Eric Ebron talks with the media during their OTA practice at their team headquarters in Allen Park, on Wednesday, May 24, 2017. (Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)
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