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Lions fans watching from Detroit say they aren't angry at loss, just anxious for next year
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- Lions fans watching from Detroit say they aren't angry at loss, just anxious for next year
With buildings all over downtown Detroit bathed in Honolulu Blue, and porches and yards all over the metro area beaming blue lights in support of the home team, fans — the eternally hopeful; the long-suffering; the neophytes, and the bandwagoners — couldn't wait to be a part of Sunday's Detroit Lions -MANEia.
Despite the fact that Sunday's NFC Championship game was being played over 2,000 miles away at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, that didn't stop Lions fans from heading downtown or to their favorite watering holes and fan gathering spots, just as they have done for the past two weeks, to try to will their underdog Lions to a victory over the San Francisco 49ers .
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Alas, it was not to be as the Lions squandered a huge first half lead to lose at the end, 34-31, in heartbreaking fashion.
All of the air in what began as a roof-raising crowd at Ford Field, fired up for an opportunity to see their Lions reach their first Super Bowl, left the stadium with about three minutes left to play as disappointed fans — still grateful for the Lions great season — headed for the door in droves.
"It's over," called one fan as he headed toward the exit after the 49ers last touchdown.
Andria Moore, of Redford, said she has been a Lions fan for all of her 43 years. It's OK they lost, she said. They tried. Next season though, she hopes "they actually win."
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Win or lose, they say, disappointed fans still have One Pride and love their Lions.
A tough loss, but tougher spirits
Despite the Lions' three-point loss against the San Fransico 49ers in Sunday's NFC championship game, the thousands who gathered at Ford Field say they have no regrets.
Immersing themselves in the sea of Honolulu blue, silver and white, and still chanting "Ja-red Goff " on the way out of the doors, fans credit the city's spirit with bringing the Lions so far.
"We'll make it next year, I know it. Plus, we get to host the upcoming draft…today was just the start for a new era of Lions football," Roberto Montoya of Sterling Heights said.
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At no point during the two-and-a-half-hour game did the cheers subside or flags lower, as the exciting game kept fans on their toes.
"We couldn't afford tickets this year, but just watching on the screens from inside (Ford Field) was enough," Montoya said. "I mean, I really felt like I was there cheering them on."
As crowds headed toward the exits ahead of the official game ending, whispers of disappointment were heard throughout the halls.
"I mean, are we really surprised?" said one fan.
"It's over. It's so over," as the 49ers scored their last touchdown.
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Despite the sadness, Lions fans said they weren't angry, having celebrated with the team up until this point was the ride of a lifetime.
"It's really set for next season," Montoya said. "We just got to stay focused and tighten up that defense."
Her light-up Lions necklace still glowing, Cathy LaChance, 67, of South Lyon, was still optimistic for next year and grateful the Lions made it this far at all.
"I'm very proud of them," she said. "Hey, there's next year."
Walking out of the stadium, one fan used the promotional towel handed out before the game to wipe away his tears.
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Still, as one stadium employee walked through ford field's halls; he declared, "best season ever!"
Almost halfway there
The ballet of attending a football game is still the same when that football game is being played thousands of miles away: Hunger calls, but so does the game. Fans at Ford Field were glued to screens at concession stands and near bathrooms, and several made mad dashes from the concourse to the stands — including one man balancing an overflowing tray of hot French fries.
And he didn't drop a single fry.
But there is some frustration to watching an away game, even when you're doing it from your home stadium: Every time the big screens glitched for more than a second, the crowds yelled "Ahhhhhh ..." in what is clear frustration that they've missed even a second of play.
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Enjoying something with nacho cheese and watching from the concourse, Coreen Uhl and Trisha Matelski, both attended the game thanks to tickets won in a raffle at the school — and donated by parents — where they teach. Uhl teaches high school math and Matelski teaches Spanish at Washtenaw International High School in Ypsilanti. The educators said they're certain that students are watching.
Trisha Matelski and Coreen Uhl are teachers at Washtenaw International High School in Ypsilanti. They’re at Ford Field for the Lions watch party thanks to tickets donated by a parent.
Matelski said she felt confident the Lions, at 14-7 when interviewed, would keep their lead.
"I have a lot of confidence in our team," she said.
Hot start and fingers crossed
Heading into the second quarter with a 14-point lead, Lions fans Anne Smith and her father, Joe, said they couldn't imagine a better start to Sunday's NFC Championship game.
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The pair out of Flint said they remember watching their first televised football game in the mid-1960s, and with Joe's 90th birthday on the horizon he couldn't be more excited for the game. Dressed in matching blue Lions T-shirts, the weekly football games have become a loving tradition.
"I remember it was the first colored television picture I ever saw," Anne Smith said. "I don't even remember exactly what year it was, but ever since then, Dad and I have tried to make it out to games when we can."
A retired social science professor from Eastern Michigan, Joe Smith is confined to a wheelchair and said while he faced difficulties trying to find staff to assist him, Ford Field has always been a welcoming home away from home.
"We come every week to these same doors and usually see the same people," Joe Smith said. "And I think they're just having trouble with the big crowd today because we couldn't find a single person to help with my (wheel)chair."
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His first stop was the food court for the iconic pretzel and nacho cheese appetizer, after which the 90-year-old veteran Lions fan said he has been waiting to truly celebrate a Lions win.
"I'm not jinxing anything, but we're really rooting for a big win," he said. "I mean we made it this far, so my fingers are crossed."
Big play, big cheers
First, the crowd roared as it looked like there could be a touchdown. Then, a crescendo of excited fans roared in unison and amazement as they watched wide receiver Jameson Williams zig, then zag, then streak up the middle into the end zone for the Lions' first touchdown in the very first minutes of game play.
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And the Lions were off to the races with a 7-0 lead.
Towels waving in Ford Field
About 15 minutes before kickoff, fans raised commemorative towels they were handed out at the entrance and the crowd roared for the Lions. At least five people — but likely more — had dyed their beards blue. And yes, there was some red in the tidal wave of blue: A Free Press reporter counted at least a dozen folks wearing red in the stands.
Before the game Sunday, Lions fans seemed eager to drink in unique experiences set up at Ford Field — moments to cheer together, specialized drinks like the "Controlled Fury" in a special playoffs cup, and photo opportunities with cheerleaders.
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Waiting to pose with Lions cheerleaders and a lit-up "All Grit" sign, Amanda Sattam, 35, and her husband, Marlowe Sattam, 37, of Rochester Hills, said they want to get their daughter interested in football early.
Amanda Sattam, 35, and Marlowe Sattam, 37, said they want to get their daughter Genevieve, 4, interested in football early.
Genevieve, their daughter, declared without prompting that she is "4½" years old. She wore a blue and white Lions bow in her hair.
"It's really special to us," Amanda Sattam said. "It's been a long time coming and it's special to experience it with my daughter."
Marlowe remembers being close to Genevieve's age when the Lions last played in an NFC Championship game in 1992.
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Today?
"This is a monumental moment in our lifetime," he said.
Ford Field welcomes the Lions faithful
Before they set their sights on the big screen — screens, actually, there are four set up on the field, in addition to the two massive Jumbotrons at either end of the field — fans at Ford Field set their sights on hot dogs. And nachos. And jumbo pretzels. And photos with cheerleaders.
Within the first minutes of the gates opening about 5 p.m., fans launched into a loud "Ja-red Goff" cheer. As the doors swung open, fans waited in lines more than a dozen people deep. The air near many of the concession stands wafted the scent of nacho cheese.
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Wearing blue fur boots, a jersey, sparkly blue eyeshadow and a gray matching hat, Malika Mason, 37, of Fraser, arrived with her mother, Nina Bryant, 54, wearing Lions-themed bottle cap earrings and a massive Lions-logo necklace.
Nina Bryant, 54, and her daughter Malika Mason, 37, of Fraser, dressed up “to stand out” at the Lions watch party at Ford Field on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024.
"I just want to stand out," Mason said. "So everybody hears me when I'm cheering and roaring for the Lions."
From the Pontiac Silverdome, where the Lions played until 2001, to Ford Field, Jackie Smith-Davis has watched the Lions in victory and in struggle, working as an usher at the Silverdome and security at Ford Field. But Smith-Davis, 60, wasn't the family member working at Ford Field on Sunday — instead she posed giddily with her daughter, Le'Elle Davis, who has been dancing since she was 3.
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"That's my baby!" Smith-Davis called out.
Jackie Smith-Davis, 60, poses with her daughter Le’Elle Davis, a rookie Lions cheerleader who has been dancing since she was 3, at the Lions watch party at Ford Field on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024.
"They've got to come home with a win," she said, as her daughter posed with fans waiting in line to see the cheerleaders.
Detroit Lions fan at Ford Field 'can feel it'
A steady flow of chanting Lions fans entered Ford Field on Sunday evening for the team's NFC Championship game watch party as they took on the San Francisco 49ers . A long — and raucous — line of waiting fans still snaked out of the doors an hour after they opened at 5 p.m,, as smells of roasted peanuts filled the halls, while chants of "Ja-red Goff" and "Let's go Lions" reverberated from the stadium walls.
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Stephanie Zalba said she regularly volunteers for Lions games throughout the season and had the lucky opportunity to work on a few of the team's winning games this season.
"I just knew it was something I really want (my son) to experience, and since game tickets were so expensive this season I figured this was the perfect way to get him to a game," Zalba said.
Stephanie Zalba and her son, William, attend the Lions watch party at Ford Field on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024.
Fit with a neon blue mohawk, 10-year-old William Zalba said he's expecting the Lions to take home the win and couldn't be more excited for his first Ford Field hot dog.
Each watch party patron was handed a towel and matching NFC poster to commemorate Sunday's big game, and the Detroit Lions Cheer Team hosted a line for photo opportunities with fans.
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Mother-daughter duo Malika Mason and Nina Hand are lifelong Detroiters and said they've been waiting for Sunday's game for a long time. Mason was donning her baby blue and white MSCHF boots for good luck.
"Listen, we are going to the Super Bowl, OK!" Mason said. "I can feel it."
Malika Mason and her daughter, Nina Hand, pose in front of the Lions-wrapped Ford truck while waiting for friends to join them at the Lion's watch party at Ford Field on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024.
From west to east, fans 'connected' by Detroit Lions
The day began at 8 a.m. for a group of Grand Valley State University students eager to celebrate the Lions' matchup with the San Francisco 49ers in Sunday's NFC Championship game for a chance to get to the rarified air of Super Bowl LVIII.
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The group of five, who drove to downtown Detroit to catch the game at Tin Roof bar just a couple blocks from the Lions' Ford Field home, said, win or lose, the energy the Lions have brought to the city this season is worth making the trip.
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"Just knowing that it's your home team and that they have people around the country rooting for us. ... It makes us feel so much more connected to the game," Joseph Riley, 22, said, adding that this year's Lion's squad — much like Sunday's game that kicks off at 6:30 p.m. at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California — just hits different.
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While the group didn't score tickets to Ford Field's watch party, they said they look forward to getting lost in Sunday's magic — a game over three decades in the making.
Michael Drews, 20, said he wouldn't have left home in Sunday's chilly temperatures had it not been for the Lions.
"I don't think I would've come if it was another team," Drews said. "Like, our parents didn't even get to experience a championship game like this, so I wanted to make it worth it."
Whether it be at sports bars or just roaming the streets of Greektown, the group said they don't expect to run out of things to do.
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"We know there's going to be people everywhere regardless of where it is," Riley said. "So, we just wanted to be here and really experience it all."
The Eastern Market tailgate faithful
John Eisley, 68, and his son, Ryan Eisley, 26, both of Chelsea, dyed their mustaches blue to celebrate the NFC Championship game between the Lions and the 49ers. They both plan to attend the watch party at Ford Field on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024.
Typically, before any Detroit Lions game, the streets, sheds and parking lots in and around Eastern Market are teeming with Honolulu Blue fever; fans in full regalia screaming cheers, grills billowing smoke from sizzling burgers and brats, and strangers high-fiving each other as they walk around soaking it all in.
But Sunday's crowd, around 2 p.m., is thin but for a small bonfire centered in a group of about 20 fans, many clad in Lions jerseys, who have gathered before Sunday's game. Of course, Sunday's game was being played in California instead of Detroit's Ford Field, so that had a lot to do with it.
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Still, Ryan Eisley, 26, played beer pong with his father, John Eisley, 68. Both men's mustaches are dyed blue. The father-son duo made the trek from Chelsea just to come tailgate on the hallowed grounds before the watch party at Ford Field, with Ryan Eisley's mother and girlfriend.
Like many fans, Eisley has been watching the Lions since he was a kid sitting in the living room at his parents' house.
"That's carried over to my own house," he proudly said.
He wants to see tight end Sam LaPorta with a healthy knee, and to see the Lions finish the game with a win Sunday night.
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The worries begin
Wow, how the mood shifted. With nearly 13 minutes left in Sunday's NFC title game, the mood for fans at Ford Field was … tense.
The crowd cheered and booed at every play. And the noise was nonstop.
A "Let's go Lions" chant broke out at the end of the third quarter, and even as it grew quieter, faint chant echoes still hung in the air.
There's always that 'one person'
In a sea of blue at Buddy's Pizza off Woodward, Michael Boyce, 54, is a blip of red, decked out in a San Francisco 49ers cap, shirt and jacket.
Boyce lives in Detroit, but he's a 49ers fan after a stint of living in California. Though other fans have teased him for the unusual outfit, it's all seemed good-natured, he said.
"It's going to be a good game," he said.
Adam Wells, 51, of Canton, snagged tickets to the watch party over the weekend. At Buddy's, he was planning to grab a bite to eat before heading to Ford Field, wearing a black jacket with the Lions logo sewn-on as a patch.
Adam Wells, 51, of Canton, plans to grab a bite to eat at Buddy’s before heading to the Lions watch party at Ford Field on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024.
"Historically, we'll probably never see this again," he joked.
A lifelong Lions fan, Wells said he wants to watch "a close game" Sunday evening. His message to the team?
"Do it for the city!" he said.
Almost game time
Mia Anuddin, 25, of Shelby Township, hugged a Shinola clock outside of Ford Field, a little more than three hours before the 6:30 p.m. kickoff. Along with her fiancé and his mom, Anuddin said the group plans to get something to eat, then settle into their stadium seats.
Mia Anuddin, 25, of Shelby Township, poses in front of Ford Field, three hours before kickoff. She’s attending the Lions watch party on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024.
Anuddin said she has been following the Lions since she was 14, after moving to metro Detroit from the Philippines. Football culture, she's learned, "brings everyone together."
And this season's successful run is particularly meaningful, she said.
"It means so much to our state, getting to this point," she giddily said.
Contact the reporters: laltavena@freepress.com and abenavidescolon@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions fans show 'One Pride,' even in defeat
