Lions writer has a big request for the city of Detroit as Michigan Panthers head into UFL championship game, why Detroit should listen

For those unfamiliar, the Spirit of Detroit is the giant statue in front of Coleman A. Young Municipal Center on Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit.  

Every time a Detroit team makes the playoffs or has a giant game, the city will put that team's jersey in the Spirit. Here's the Spirit with a Lions jersey on this past January. 

While the Panthers may play in a smaller league, the fact of the matter is that this is the first championship football game that a Detroit-based professional gridiron football team (apparently, there was an arena team called the Drive that was very good in the early 90s) has played in a championship game. 

Detroit-based. The original Michigan Panthers from the USFL won the championship in 1983, but that team played 40 minutes away in Pontiac. 

With that in mind, the city of Detroit should pull through on this and support the team before their big game. Not sure who they do it on short notice, but it's possible. 

Perhaps the Lions, who have one of the UFL's biggest stars in Jake Bates on their roster now, can get involved in some way to make sure this happens, or at least help bring eyes to the team that is on the verge of winning it all.

The Panthers will take on the DC Defenders on Saturday, June 14 at 8:00 P.M. ET at The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis, Missouri, and will be shown on ABC.