The Pathos of a Detroit Lions Fan

"If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake and for the sake of the gospel, will save it" (Mark 8:35-36).

Image result for detroit lions logo
I confess that I am a Detroit Lions fan, though a new one.  I am a newcomer, unlike Michiganders who have been following the Lion's woos for decades.  I have rooted for the local team wherever I've lived, the Pittsburgh Steelers and their "steel curtain" when growing up in Pennsylvania; the Washington Redskins and their "hogs" when attending seminary in Richmond; the Buffalo Bills who played in the Super Bowl four times and lost each time when serving in Cooperstown; and the New York Jets as they did their version of rebuilding when living in Montauk.  


The attraction of sports to me is following the human stories of the players and the coaches as they attempt to build team chemistry and a winning culture.  The Lions have a long history of losing.  Actually they won some, but just not enough to participate in the playoffs, and losing when they do.  After a couple of 9 wins/7 loses seasons with a highly respected and well loved coach, this off season a new coach was brought in from a "winning" program to break the losing cycle and aim higher.  New coaching assistants and players were brought in to improve their running game, an identified weakness.  Expectations ran high for the offense, and anxious for the defense as the preseason ended and their first game of the season on Monday Night with a national audience approached! 

The Lion's defense intercepted a pass of the Jet's rookie quarterback on the very first play of the game and ran it back for a touchdown! Six seconds into the season and they had six points on the board!!  A packed Ford Stadium went wild!!!  I went wild!!!!  Here we go.  Then for the rest of the game nothing, NOTHING went right for the Lions.  Their three stars and highest paid players were injured; four interceptions; a punt was returned for a touchdown.  Midway through the third quarter fans were heading for the exits.  From home, I watched to the bitter end, or rather until ESPN switched to the late game which had started on the west coast.  They lost 48 to 17!  The lose was hailed in headlines as a disastrous start for the new coach.  Evidently the opposing team had done their homework, and knew the Lion's tendencies, recognized the signals, anticipated and were all over Detroit's plays.  Sigh!

I love the players and love the coaches, but my patience runs thin for defeatist fans who give up and walk out.  Lion fan twitter posts jammed social media Tuesday morning throwing in the towel for the season, vowing to end their fanship saying one after another, "I'm done."  Sigh!  As I write, players are picking their bruised egos and hurting bodies up off the mat, getting out of bed, and walking back into the film rooms and facing each other with what they did or did not do and learn.  While fans are stewing, writing and reading twitter tantrums, shell shocked coaches are teaching, encouraging, and preparing for the next game.  They will say unendingly, "We have a lot of work to do."  And players will say, "I just have to get better."  Those who give a deaf ear to the naysayers, keep their heads and heart up, and do get better, are my heros!

Sport is framed around competing, winning and losing.  My daughter doesn't buy it.  As I watch sport games on TV, she will habitually walk up to me, stand over my chair and whisper/shout, "You're gonna lose!"  Well, yeah, one team is going to lose by definition.  Evidently, the NFL allows ties this year in regular season games.  Pittsburgh and Cleveland battled Sunday to a draw.  There has been only one undefeated NFL team, the 1972 Miami Dolphins!  It's a tough game. Football in particular is filled with injuries.  There is growing concern for the long term effects of multiple concussions, so prominent in football.  Maybe the American sports fan needs a new, less violent passion!

That being said, maybe my daughter is right...  Just ask the Buffalo Bills and the Minnesota Vikings who lost multiple Super Bowls.  No matter how much you win, losing the championship games is most painful of all.  We are all going to lose at some point in life.  We get sick, injured, lose loved ones, and we die.  We all do!  That's life!  We can focus on our human dilemma, or we can pick ourselves up off the mat, climb out of bed in the morning, keep going, keep breathing, learn from our mistakes, and live to love again. 

Jesus put it this way,  "Those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake and for the sake of the gospel, will save it."  Evidently the goal is not saving, but losing.


   



     

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