Getty Lions fans yell during a home game at Ford Field.
Detroit Lions fans might not be known for watching a team that does much winning, but apparently, they are known for being able to to be grammatically correct.
Recently, according to Uber Facts, the grammar habits of every NFL fanbase were put under the microscope by the Washington Post. Detroit’s fanbase ended up showing to have the best grammar, punctuation and spelling of the bunch. The worst? Washington fans.
Out of all the NFL fanbases, Washington Redskin fans have the worst grammar, punctuation, and spelling, according to a study from the Wall Street Journal.
Lions fans have the best.
Lions fans arguably have one of the most loyal fanbases in the entire NFL considering the amount of winning the team hasn’t done through the years. Through it all, the fans stay true to the team, and considering this, they are obviously pretty good representatives of the brand.
In at least this small way, the Lions can proclaim that they are indeed No. 1.
History of Lions Fan Mutiny
Lions fans are bright, but obviously very frustrated given the limited success their franchise has has through the years. Detroit fans have often been seen sporting paper bags before, and while they were dealing with the tenure of former team leader Matt Millen, the refrain “Fire Millen” became common in and around Michigan. There was also a “Millen Man March” prior to a game in 2005 against the Cincinnati Bengals in which Detroit fans tried to organize an orange out of the stadium. In the past, several games were also blacked out when NFL rules permitted such things given a lack of a sellout in Detroit’s old home the Pontiac Silverdome.
Detroit fans have never been shy about making their opinions felt, whether online or at games in person.
Why Lions Fans Must Give Sheila Ford Hamp Time
Sheila Ford Hamp has ascended to team owner, supplanting her mother Martha Ford in the chair. Naturally, there’s no shortage of opinions on this matter from angry fans who believe this sort of nepotism is only going to ensure another dark run of decades for Lions football.
If you pay attention, though, the only thing that Ford Hamp may share with her predecessors is her last name. During her introductory news conference on Tuesday, she spoke of wanting to be more hands on yet not hover. She also wants to learn about analytics and other parts of the team she doesn’t know. Additionally, she wants to speak more with the media. It’s a level of openness the organization has not seen in decades from the highest levels.
Lions fans will be tempted to say this is business as usual from a franchise that perpetually doesn’t get it, but judging Ford Hamp by her family name before she is allowed to craft her own legacy as a power broker is a mistake. She will take over the team and represent a figure who had a burning desire to work in football since she was young.
In life, passion is the key to everything. It was easy to question if William Clay Ford had a true passion for football and the Lions. While Martha Ford has represented a change from that mantra since taking over, it was also easy for folks to question if she had the drive to bring a winner to Detroit at her advancing age.
The way Ford Hamp speaks, there is no doubting the passion and desire on multiple fronts. It’s quite possible this is the opportunity she’s been waiting for her whole life, and in situations like that, it’s fair to bet on the person with the drive being successful in the end. The reason? They simply want it more and they care.
There’s a reason Ford Hamp was the pick in terms of who took over the day to day ownership of the team. It’s likely others such as Bill Ford Jr. were busy with other projects. It’s also possible the Ford family knows who wants the job in a bad way. Skeptics will always say the Lions should sell the team, but reality says that’s probably never happening. The next best bet in such a situation is identifying the person on the inside that can take the team to levels unseen.
It’s more than possible Ford Hamp is just that person and the family has gotten this transition right.
Before you write this new change off as ‘same old Lions,’ give it some time and give Ford Hamp a chance. Don’t reject the power shift until given a reason to do so. Have an open mind about what could be a brand new person with new ideas that might only happen to have a last name in common with the old guard.
Regardless of their opinions, Lions fans can be expected to present them in a pretty organized way in writing.
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