Why I Remain A Lions Fan

Growing up in the Metro Detroit area, the Detroit Lions weren't the first NFL team I identified with. That was the Pittsburgh Steelers. At that point I didn't really know about the Lions' run of futility. When I really started to understand the game of football the Lions had drafted Billy Sims, whom I had known from watching him in his Oklahoma days. So I've seen the mediocre, ugly, and a little good of Lions football. I know that throughout my years the Lions haven't been all bad. That's part of the reason I remain a Lions fan.

I'll never proclaim to be Lions free. I still like the Lions and hold out hope that one of these years will be their year. Or they'll put together a nice run of good football that will culminate in a Super Bowl trip. I just remain cynical. I'm a die hard, but I'm not crazy. To me the Lions are pure entertainment. I watch them every Sunday, unless their blacked out. I know they probably won't win most of the time, but I'll still watch. When they're up in a game i wait for the other shoe to drop. Most times it will, sometimes it won't, which is rare.

I'm cynical in the fact that I feel they are who they are until they prove me otherwise. I won't be jumping off a ledge if they lose. I don't get too high when they win or too low when they lose. The Lions haven't captured my heart like most people in this region. This is our team, but some take it too seriously. I've heard some callers on radio shows calling for Jim Schwartz's head already. They see some teams that have went from one or two seasons go to the playoffs the next. I look at it this way, he had to start from ground zero,literally. And that wasn't a one year thing. That was a buildup over a number of lousy years and setbacks to a team that couldn't afford any. The teams that pulled it off had recent success and the Lions came off a number of double digit loss seasons. It was always perpetual rebuilding before 0-16 came along. I understand the fans, myself included are hungry for a winner. Sometimes when you see things go in a positive direction, you have to be a little patient. Success doesn't come overnight. The sooner some of you realize that, the better off you will be. I realize that and I'll always be a Lions fan no matter what. Laugh if you want, but I know there are some people in Cleveland that can't catch a break.