H. Jose Bosch

The Lions have never been good in my lifetime.

In my 37 years on this planet, the Lions have finished over .500 in back-to-back seasons…twice. They’ve won one playoff game (which I didn’t even watch because I was still too young and inattentive to watch football). They’ve had 21 seasons of double-digit losses. They have more 13+ loss seasons (6) than 10+ win seasons (5).

I’ve seen moments of brilliance with Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson, Matt Stafford, Wayne Fontes, Scott Mitchell dressed as Wayne Fontes. But all those moments were frustratingly fleeting in the context of the team’s performance during my life.

Frankly, this team and organization have never given me a good reason to love them.

And yet…

Sports fandom is a curse.

It’s passed down and not chosen for most of us. And honestly, it’s a little silly that grown-ass adults have this general understanding that “true” fandom requires staying with this decision you likely didn’t make for the rest of your life.

You can find a new restaurant if the one you keep going to spits into your food and overcharges you for everything. You can dive into a new book series if the author of your original favorite series turns out to be a transphobe. You cannot change your team if it’s one of the worst sports organizations in the history of professional sports.

At least, that’s what we tell ourselves. All of it is fake at the end of the day. A silly routine we hold on to for various reasons.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more and less mellow watching my favorite teams.

On the one hand, I’ve now spent several years being older than nearly all the professional athletes I watch. So, with that perspective, I catch myself sometimes just because I don’t want to be a grown man yelling at kids playing a game.

On the other hand, I still get very stressed watching my teams. Knowing how fleeting team success can be, every championship window, or just a kind of good window, becomes that much more critical because you could never see it again.

It very much feels like a devil/angel on my shoulders kind of thing. Yes, scream at the TV because your QB couldn’t hit an open receiver while you sit on your couch. But it’s not a big deal because sports are supposed to be fun, and this is still the most entertaining way to pass the time.

Back and forth. Stress and no stress.

I should hate the Detroit Lions, but I’ve never been more optimistic about the team. This could be the first full season of something special.

Or, tonight, when Mahomes is facing a 3rd and 27 on the first drive and scrambles for seven seconds before being caught by Hutchinson, only to throw a 45-yard sidearm throw to a wide open receiver for a touchdown, I may have a mental breakdown.

Who knows?!

Some of us may decide we can’t choose a new team if we’re bestowed a broken one. But we can decide to always be hopeful for a new season.

So bring on the Chiefs and bring on the 2023-24 season! The Lions will finally be the hunters in the NFC North.

And if they don’t? Well, I’ll still be driving the bandwagon anyway.