In 1994, my parents bought me a Halloween costume, a blue, number 20, Detroit Lions jersey, complete with helmet, shoulder pads, and cleats. I was Barry Sanders, arguably the greatest running back in NFL history, but that debate can be saved for another time. From that point on, I pledged myself to the Lions, and I can say I have suffered, unwavering, for almost 18 seasons.
Over the course of my lifetime, the Lions have endured a period of lousiness that rivals the worst stretches in American professional sports history. They have not won a playoff game since the 1991 NFC Divisional Round, and before the 2011 season, had not even made the playoffs since 2000. The only thing the Lions seemed to do was disappoint, and it always seemed to screw things up in ways that no other franchise could. The Lions were infamous for bad decisions (they drafted wide receiver in three straight drafts), bad luck (none of these wide receivers turned out – especially Charles Rogers who could not even manage to complete a single season) and bad play (they became the definitive worst team in football history in the 2008 season when they went winless, 0-16).
Still, I was able to withstand the adversity. And truly, I make this about me. I suffered: a young child, a pre-teen, an adolescent, a young adult, always tempted with the opportunity to ditch my Lions and start rooting for a team that could win, so I could feel the exhilaration of ultimate success. I once heard a fan of the Steelers, a team that has experienced more success than any other NFL franchise, complain about his team. Try these shoes on for size.
But I never gave up. And I’ll admit, living through all the failure made the 2011 season, where the Lions had their first winning season in over 10 years and made the playoffs practically like a Super Bowl victory to me (did I mention the Lions have never won a Super Bowl in their franchise history even though they are one of the oldest football franchises?), even though I was later called a bandwagon fan for carrying around a Lions lanyard.
This year the Detroit Lions entered the season with minuscule expectations from the national media. They were a dark horse team for some, but most wrote them off as a team cursed to make too many mistakes to ever compete at a high level. However, after four weeks into the season, they sit at 3-1, their only loss the result of a fluke play against the Arizona Cardinals. Everything is looking up and fans have a trepid optimism about them. Tomorrow, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, the Lions play the Green Bay Packers, the “Evil Empire” of the NFC North. Except, they are not evil. They do everything right. They draft the right players. They involve their fans in a way no other franchise in sports can match. They are what every team aspires to. They win. And the Lions have not beaten them at Lambeau Field in Green Bay Wisconsin since 1991.
This could be the year. It really could. I think the Lions are better. They run it better; they pass it better. They rush the quarterback better; they plug the run up better. I know they do. I want to be optimistic but it is hard. I am only used to the Detroit Lions letting me down. I don’t know what it is about the human condition that makes us fans. It is our sense of loyalty, I’m sure. Perhaps it brings out all of the good in me. It brings out my faith and my passion and my love, and it was a tool that allowed me to bond closer to my father and my friends. It brings out the bad in me too. I could get out my seven deadly sins checklist. Angry? You bet. Pride? Yes. Greed? Probably, what makes me want them to win so badly? Jealousy? God, why didn’t you let me be a Patriots fan? Sloth? Every Sunday, I sit, do nothing and watch. Gluttony? For punishment, definitely. But I sit, do nothing but eat, and I watch every Sunday. Lust? Maybe you could call it that. Is that weird?
Regardless, at 10 a.m. Sunday morning, I will be on my computer, watching the Lions on my parents’ DirecTV account (we had to buy NFL Sunday Ticket because I had to watch every game). I will scream and cheer and cover my eyes and whine and praise and probably end up having to isolate myself to keep my girlfriend from slapping me. If they win, I will carry that with me all week, walking to campus with a little extra bounce. If they lose, my head will hang a little lower. And next Sunday, I will go through all of that volcanic emotion all over again, and the next Sunday, and the next until the season ends. But no need to worry about me, by that time, it will be well into basketball season, and I am a huge Portland Trail Blazer fan.
http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/61899/four-keys-for-detroit-vs-green-bay