Joya and her family and friends have been die-hard Detroit Lions fans for years.
Photo courtesy of Telegram News
By Clifton R. Kirkman
Telegram Reporter
The Detroit Lions! Winners or losers? That’s your call to make. At the end of the day, the fact remains that the Detroit Lions did some amazing work last season. Making it to the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship game was major! So, no matter how you feel about the final results, there’s always next year to try it again. Keep your hopes up that we make it all the way next year.
Now, here’s an interesting fact, did you know that the city of Detroit, is the only place where the Sea of Honolulu exists? Think about it. Either you were in the middle of the festivities downtown Detroit, maybe you had a watch party or you could’ve just caught the highlights on the news. You saw it with your own eyes; the city streets, bars, and in your houses especially. Everywhere you looked, Lions jerseys, jackets, shirts, or hair that bore the color Honolulu Blue was right there. Here’s a kicker for you, did you know that it wasn’t always like that?
Flashback to the 1920s, when the team was created. The location during that time was an area somewhere between, Cincinnati and West Virginia. In an interview of the past, according to team historian and previous longtime vice president of communications for the NFL, Bill Keenist, said, “To learn about why the Lions chose blue, you need to go back to the beginning”.
To date, the Lion’s history has always been a big deal. They are considered to be a part of the group that built the foundation for professional football. Despite the past years when no one desired to root for this team, they’re still elite! They made up the NFL’s original eight and the color that we have grown to love so dearly came close to 30 years after the team was created.
Radio executive, G.A. Richards, who ran WJR during that time, wanted to bring professional football to Detroit and he purchased our beloved team. Now what makes the color Honolulu Blue so special, according to Keenist, he said, the purpose was to create an identity unique to the Lions and Mr. Richards came up with the colors. When the time came to pick colors for the team, it was said that Richards was into a new color and it was Honolulu Blue because it matched the Pacific Ocean. This was after a trip he took to Hawaii. Here we are 100 plus years later and our color has been Honolulu Blue and Silver, ever since. From my research, there were two years of a different color but we won’t discuss that, it’s a non-factor, just know it was as great as Honolulu Blue and silver.
At this moment, let’s talk real-deal facts and realities. It was the score-crushing and body-crushing days of the 1990s when running back Barry Sanders, linebacker Chris Speilman and Lions center Kevin Glover played. Now I am no sports analyst but having only been at this level once before in 1991 when they lost to Washington. It was when the complete experience, that never-before-seen heights happened for the Detroit Lions and this franchise. This was after the merger. Unfortunately, our home team has never reached the Super Bowl, we’ve come close but we’ve fallen short. One thing that has remained constant is the die-hard Lions fans. They are the individuals who even with the many years of loss, have remained faithful and consistent the whole way through. Detroit Lions fans some say are crazy but, one thing remains true and that’s the love and respect that fans have no matter what! It’s the camaraderie that keeps the flames lit. It is the very reason why; a stranger is never met in the streets or the stands at Ford Field. It’s the bond! This season that bond became like quicksand, stronger as the season progressed. I can only imagine what next season will bring. Will the momentum that brought on new fans, young and old, Michiganders, or those who live across the United States? What will the outpouring of fans look like next year? I bet you this, season ticket pricing has just increased substantially. So fans get ready, to pay a little more for the 2024 season. Start saving now!
Until then, let’s all remain confident in our Detroit Lions, and let’s continue to speak positively about their season. We don’t want to dismantle or devalue all of the players’ efforts to make it to the playoffs and the NFC Championship. In all rights and respect, they are still winners. Will you make the first game of the year in the fall? Only time will tell.
Editor’s Note:
The Detroit Lions had a great year in 2023, ending the regular season with 12 wins and 5 losses, and they were the best in the NFC North division. They made it to the playoffs and won their first game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but then lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the next round. Although calculations based on their scores suggested they might win around 10 games, they did better than expected. Their good performance in scoring more points than their opponents and winning more games shows they were a strong team this season.
On February 11, 2024, the 2024 Super Bowl concluded dramatically, as the Kansas City Chiefs triumphed over the San Francisco 49ers with a score of 25-22 in overtime, clinching their second NFL championship in a row. Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the rest of the Chiefs team captured their franchise’s fourth Super Bowl victory and their third in the past five years.
