It’s easy for me to say the Detroit Lions are a loveable team. I’m a lifelong Michigander, and I’m on the radio in Detroit. I’ve grown up with the kind of Detroit and Michigan grit that you hear about all the time. From brutal snowstorms to the auto industry’s woes, this state, and the city of Detroit, know how to deal with adversity. That said, the Detroit Lions are America’s. Especially now, that the team is one of the hottest tickets in the NFL.

The Detroit Lions have never, ever been to a Super Bowl. They’ve barely ever made the playoffs. But, throughout the years, Detroit residents and people throughout Michigan has been loyal to the Lions. Coaches have come and gone. Some have been good, like Jim Caldwell, who left with a decent record. Some have been, well, not very good, like Matt Patricia, who pretty much left the team in shambles. (Sorry, Matt.) But, on season three with Dan Campbell as head coach, the Detroit Lions are thriving. The Detroit Lions are also simply a loveable team.

America was built on a dream, right? You hear the phrase “American dream” all the time. Whether or not the American dream is dead is another topic for another day. But, the Detroit Lions are a team that has always dreamed, but never actualized those dreams. Until now.

That faith and belief that something better is always around the corner is really what it means to be a Detroit Lions fan. Every year, no matter how bad things were, fans would say, “This is going to be the year the Lions actually do well!” So, the Detroit Lions are America’s team, because they really encompass what it means to have a dream and stay true to that dream, even when your senses say it’s not going to happy.

Dan Campbell came on the scene in 2021. His first season with the team, they didn’t even win one single game until December. Ouch. Fans were kind of scratching their heads, saying, when is this guy going to turn things around? Campbell’s second season, the team lost almost every game of the first half of their season. But, then they started winning. And, they haven’t stopped.

The Detroit Lions just won their first playoff game in more than 30 years. It was a home game at Ford Field in Detroit against the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams, of course, are the team that has the Lions’ former quarterback, Matthew Stafford, who has already won a Super Bowl with the Rams. Detroit’s current quarterback, Jared Goff, came from the Stafford trade. He was disrespectfully, if you ask me, let go from the Rams, without even really being told directly from management. They sent him out of Los Angeles to the cold, windy terrain of Detroit never to be seen again. Or, so they thought.

Goff and Stafford went at it on Sunday (Jan. 14) in the NFL Wild Card playoff game. And, the Lions prevailed, 24-23. Now, the Lions have another home playoff game ahead. If they win that, they’ll be playing the game that could take them to the Super Bowl.

Never stop dreaming, Detroit. Never. You’re America’s team. It’s not the Cowboys. It’s not the Packers. The Detroit Lions are America’s team.