My Sunday at the Detroit Lions/Jacksonville Jaguars game

So, I went to my first Detroit Lions football game in 25 years and, just like that one, the Lions won in a blowout. On November 24, 1997 the Lions beat the Indianapolis Colts, 32-10. Today, the Lions beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, 40-14. So while the Lions have an all-time losing record, I am 2-0, with the boys in Honolulu blue outscoring the opponent 72-24. Am I a human good luck charm? It would appear to be true.

We set off for Detroit at about 10:00 AM. After the requisite stops for gas and Starbuck's coffee, we finally got on the highway at about 10:20. It was smooth sailing until 6-96, north of Detroit. There was construction that narrowed the freeway down to one lane, but soon it was easy-peasy again until the Fisher Freeway Service Drive which was bumper-to-bumper traffic. It took us a good half-hour to go less than a mile, but we eventually were able to park the car in Comerica Garage and got into Ford Field--amazingly--about a half-hour before kickoff.

Do you ever go to a place and wonder why the hell it took you so damned go along to go there in the first place? I have been feeling that quite a bit lately. Ford Field has been open 20 years and I have had multiple opportunities to go there, but it took me until now to finally do it. At least it ended up being one of the most enjoyable Lions games in recent memory.

I must say that Detroit Lions fans are among the most underrated in all of sports. For an organization that hasn't won a championship in 65 years, those fans bring it strong. The crowd at Ford Field was absolutely lit for the entire game, and I was amazed at how decked out many of the fans get for the game: Lions jackets, jerseys, jewelry, painted faces, etc. I was comparatively underdressed.

It was a fantastic time and, aside from the somewhat stressful drive and the underwhelming Ford Field men's restroom, it was well worth it. If I get around to it, I will write more about it later.


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