Despite what most people immediately assume when they hear that football comes first in my life and that I’m a diehard Detroit Lions fan, born and raised, I am not simply a band-wagoner looking for the trendiest underdog to start cheering for before a monumental turnaround. I don’t go out of my way like many people to find the biggest rebuilding project in professional sports, or the team with the most hype going into a given season. I don’t simply latch on to whatever the closest team to my hometown may be, or the most exciting team to watch.

In fact, when people hear I’ve loved the Lions since childhood without ever having even lived in Michigan, they all give me the same “you’ve-got-to-be-joking” look, and seem to sit there waiting for some kind of a punch line. Usually at this point I don’t feel inclined or as though these people really deserve to hear the real reasons behind my undying love for what is arguably one of the worst NFL franchises (performance wise) since 1957. After they scoff, or ask me if I am indeed joking, I simply ask who they cheer for and mention that we did reach the playoffs 6 out of 10 seasons in the 1990’s (as opposed to a majority of the league).

Only when I have established that I am speaking with a true football fan do I go into real detail about the origin for such a bizarre match. A guy from Canada who doesn’t sit at home and talk about hockey all day, or cheer for the Buffalo Bills or even wonder why they run so much in ‘American Football’(yes it’s true, some Canadians do have the audacity to wonder why 4-down football involves so many 2 or 3 yard plays, and so few punts). Unlike most of my childhood friends, I was brought up on the American game, my dad, a long time minister born and raised on the prairies, was the first in the family to pick up a love for the Lions while attending seminary school at Ann Arbour. Growing up he didn’t even want me watching Canadian football but instead, wanted me to learn what ‘real work ethic’ was by watching the NFL every opportunity we got, the highlight being the annual thanksgiving classic when we were guaranteed the rare chance to watch the Lions play live. Instead we had to wait for his old college buddies to send us taped copies of the games (my apologies to the NFL disclaimer), to watch Barry Sanders fly around the field, or Tracey Scroggins relentlessly give opposing O-lineman fits.

I still remember 1993 well, the bitter disappointment I endured after that wildcard loss to the Packers. Sandwiched between the hometown Toronto Blue Jays winning their back-to-back titles, I felt the sting of that home-field four points upset far more than any kind of joy I had received from the pennants and World Series victories from Joe Carter and the boys. I still feel that sense of bitter disappointment to this day. So when people come up to me and ask who I cheer for I can’t help but chuckle a little. I know they won’t get it, I understand we were the first 0-16 team in league history, you don’t have to tell me anything about the mediocrity we have suffered through for the last 5 decades. They just don’t get what it feels like to truly love your team. I just smile and tell them I’m a Detroit Lions fan. Get pumped for 2009, there’s nowhere to go but up.