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Lions fans crowd downtown Detroit with renewed hope of Super Bowl participation

Vaseline September 8, 2024

Detroit — By 3 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, five hours and twenty minutes before kickoff of the season opener, the city center had turned into a den of Lions fans.

Sidewalks and restaurants were packed with crowds of people in Honolulu blue or the new black and Honolulu blue jerseys. Parking lots, which charge between $60 and $80 a day, were mostly full. And many fans said they had high hopes for the Lions to reach the Super Bowl.

“It feels really weird, I have to admit. But I’m more optimistic than nervous about making the Super Bowl,” said Shane Gibson of Oxford. He and his wife, Kelly, were among the tailgaters in the parking lot of the Detroit Opera House, about three blocks from Ford Field. Both venues have seen their fair share of dramatic performances, and many of them have been tragedies. That’s true for the Gibsons: They’ve been Lions season ticket holders for 15 years.

Their faith never wavered, they said. “I love the Lions. I grew up with them,” Shane said. “Even when they lost a lot of games, I always thought the next season would be better.”

Now it’s The Season; the season in which many analysts say the Lions are real contenders to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. In the crowded parking lot of the Opera House on a bright, warm September, many Lions fans had high expectations.

“You can’t help but be cautiously optimistic,” said Mark Wilson, who along with his son Ryan Wilson have been season ticket holders for three years. “Ever since Matt Patricia left the building and Dan Campbell took over, we’ve been believers,” Ryan said, referring to the team’s head coaches. That first season didn’t go well (the Lions had a 3-13-1 record in Campbell’s first season as coach), and the naysayers came out.

“After last season, people think we’re pretty smart now,” Ryan said.

But it’s about more than just profit and loss, says Mark.

“It’s this,” he said, pointing to his son as they both sat in folding chairs, drinking beers in a parking lot packed with people in a party mood. It’s why they come hours before every Lions home game.

“It’s great that we have this time,” Mark said.

Mike and Jennifer Zanin say the Lions won at a great time in their lives. It was when they became empty nesters. That meant the Grand Blanc couple could become season ticket holders and even travel to some away games.

They show their enthusiasm in other ways, too. Zanin becomes Captain Kneecap, a costumed alter ego of himself as a Lions superfan, which he debuted in last year’s season opener in Kansas City. He wears a Honolulu-blue wig, a fake muscle-bound jersey and football pants.

“He took longer to get ready than I did,” said his wife Jennifer, who often wears a Honolulu-blue tutu. “He started putting on the glitter last night” for his Lions game look.

“He spent a lot of time in the off-season looking for the right shoes,” she said. Mike proudly pointed out: “I made the belt myself.”

Tailgating is an important part of the ritual, they said.

“Now that we’ve made it to the Super Bowl, it’s even better,” Mike said.

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