If you’re a Lions diehard, seeing what the team did in the second half of last season gives you hope and a reason to buy a season ticket.
The Lions announced this week that the team sold out season tickets at Ford Field for the first time in team history. For context, Detroit played its first game at Ford Field in 2002. So we’re talking something that hasn’t happened in 20-plus years.
Rod Wood, the Lions president and CEO, called the season-ticket sellout an “exciting moment for our franchise.”
“The Lions have always enjoyed a loyal and multi-generational fan base that has been the bedrock of our fanbase” Wood said in a statement to the media. “We can’t wait for the home field advantage that this will create inside Ford Field this season.”
And coincidentally, the Lions will celebrate their 90th season this fall. So party at Ford Field.
Obviously, winning brings fans to the game. And when the team is starved for wins, any sort of victory streak is amplified even more. The Lions started 2022 at 1-6. Not even the most optimistic fan believed the team could flip the script. But they did. Detroit finished with an 8-2 record that included a season finale road win over the Packers, denying Green Bay a chance at the playoffs.
Kerby Joseph, the safety who is headed into his second season, loved hearing that there would be so much support at the home stadium.
“Y’all come out there, man. We out here,” Joseph told the Detroit News. “Detroit Lions, every Sunday, Thursday, Monday. We out there, man. Come watch us. We appreciate the fans. One pride, one love, can’t wait to see y’all. That means everything.”
Dan Campbell, who is in year three as head coach, even pitched the idea of having a live lion on the sidelines for the season. But the NFL turned down the request.
“I’m not gonna point fingers at Roger on this,” Campbell said of commissioner Roger Goodell. “I’ll just say the league frowns upon that, let’s just say that.”
There are live mascots in the NFL, but there aren’t many. The Seahawks and Ravens have birds, the Browns love their dog, while the Broncos feature an Arabian horse.
The Lions open their preseason schedule next Friday with a home game against the Giants. They kick off the season at Arrowhead Stadium against the Super Bowl champion Chiefs. Then the big regular season party at Ford Field starts Sept. 17th against the Seahawks.
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