Every one of us has that special Lions fan in their life. I happen to have a few.
With the wounds still open and bloodied, the season-ending loss to the Washington Commanders perplexing if not nausea-inducing, I asked dear friends of mine, who ranged from disillusioned to shocked to angry to not surprised at all, to share their emotions after yet another soul-crushing loss that only Lions fans can truly understand.
I have also asked them to remain nameless, using a pseudonym of their own creation, to symbolize the long history of Lions fans who have shamefully worn paper bags over their heads ever since the day that shame and paper bags were invented.
One of them from whom you will hear, has forever called his favorite football team the “Lie-Downs,” as they never, ever, and I mean EVER win a game of merit. Another watched the game while simultaneously watching her Red Wings get beaten by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Talk about a bad night!
The 2024 Lions had us all fooled. Even the Lions fans from whom you are about to hear got drunk off the Kool-Aid. Heck, the Lions even fooled Las Vegas who, for the first time in the franchise’s history, had them as odds-on favorites to win the Super Bowl. Silly Vegas.
These woefully underachieving Lions fought tooth and nail to retain the number one seed and home field throughout the playoffs only to realize that home field would last only sixty minutes. A highly unwatchable, and for Lions fans, forgettable sixty minutes.
As they’re good friends, and I’m only here to help therapeutically, I’ve asked them all the same questions with the hope that they answer honestly, perhaps angrily, to share what it’s like to root for a team that, year after year, beats you into emotional submission, always reminding them of their proper place in the pecking order of sports misery, which is pretty damn high.
Thank you all for participating. I’d love to ease your pain by saying something quippy like “We’ll get ‘em next year” but at this point, you all know better.
- Where did you watch the game?
- Who did you watch the game with?
- How much Lions gear were you wearing for the game and at what point during that game did you want to tear it off your body and never wear it again?
- On a scale of 1-10, before kickoff, how confident and/or disillusioned were you that this team might finally exorcise the demons of years past?
- Who do you blame most for the loss?
- Is there anything else you’d care to add?
Lions Fan #1: Nome de Plume: Richard Cranium
Here you go, Chris. No bag was available, as we ditched those when Patricia was fired!!!

1) Where did you watch the game? I watched it at my brother’s house in Columbus, Michigan
2) Who did you watch the game with? Watched it with my wife, brother, his wife and my nephew.
3) How much Lions gear were you wearing for the game and at what point during that game did you want to tear it off your body and never wear it again? Was wearing my (used to be) lucky Lions Henley under a Lions sweatshirt. I felt like tearing my gear off after Goff’s pick-six but maintained my composure. I refuse to wear any Lions gear until next season.
4) On a scale of 1-10, before kickoff, how confident and/or disillusioned were you that this team might finally exorcise the demons of years past? Prior to kickoff I was totally disillusioned by thinking our offense would simply outscore the Commanders in a shoot-out. My confidence level was 9 out of 10, due to my blind faith.
5) Who do you blame most for the loss? I blame Goff for the loss. The defense was missing five starts (six after Robertson went out), so they were able to take advantage from the opening kickoff.
6) Is there anything else you’d care to add? It’s always been tough being a Lions fan, but I think our fan base needs to be very realistic, as it is extremely hard to make it to the Super Bowl, let alone win one. It’ll be interesting to see how the defense performs when they’re entirely healthy. Cheers to next year.
Lions Fan #2: Brat

1) Where did you watch the game? I was watching the game on the phone of the guy sitting next to me at the Lightning/Redwings hockey game. I was receiving double gut punches all night to my dismay, as I attempted to cheer on my heart and soul teams.
2) Who did you watch the game with? Well, Dave, the guy streaming the game. I would fill in my bestie, who would respond with, “oh”, she’s not the biggest sports fan. Then I returned to the home base of JJ to have Mr. Chump look over his glasses from behind the bar, as I walked through the door, threw my hands into the air and screamed, “what the fuck!!!”. He was also not pleased, however for different reasons, maybe a little something to do with a betting app and monies wagered.
3) How much Lions gear were you wearing for the game and at what point during that game did you want to tear it off your body and never wear it again? I had a Lions T-shirt on under my hockey shirt. I did not tear my shirt off, I chose to dull the pain with a nice shot of alcohol, it didn’t help. I will indeed be wearing Lions gear proudly as our Lions had a historic season. Although it’s probably not difficult with a 30-year history of last place rankings.
4) On a scale of 1-10, before kickoff, how confident and/or disillusioned were you that this team might finally exorcise the demons of years past? I really thought we had this. Being favored so highly, essentially across all platforms, the support from the diehard Lions fans grew insanely, they traveled in droves to away games and people who weren’t even Lions fans were showing lots of love. It was so wild to see!
5) Who do you blame most for the loss? Who’s to blame? These guys fought so hard all season as week by week we lost another key player to injury. The guys who filled those positions of the injured players had a chance to shine, and they showed up and won the NFC North for the second year in a row. For us, that’s a win! Since I was at the hockey game when the game was on, I fortunately missed some of the painstaking plays that contributed to the loss. You just cannot have 5 turnovers in a game, you just can’t! Watching the replays was just devastating, I had to order another shot… Jameson please, no chaser.
6) Is there anything else you’d care to add? In closing, I will proudly wear my Honolulu blue Lions gear, because that’s what we do. So let’s rest up, get our injured players healthy and kick some ass next year. Hear us ROAR!
Lions Fan #3: “White Shoes”
1) Where did you watch the game? Nashville, TN, in my room, on my computer.
2) Who did you watch the game with? No one. I watched while playing a video game, and doom scrolling.
3) How much Lions gear were you wearing for the game and at what point during that game did you want to tear it off your body and never wear it again? I have never, ever, purchased Lions gear in my life. I am a lifelong Barry Sanders fan. After Barry retired, the Lions weren’t worth watching. I used to have quite a bit of Piston’s Bad Boys gear once upon a time…heh.
4) On a scale of 1-10, before kickoff, how confident and/or disillusioned were you that this team might finally exorcise the demons of years past? Actually, 7 confidence for this game. The Redskins (I refuse to refer to the Washington Team by any other name) really didn’t seem like much of a threat. I was more concerned about the Eagles.
5) Who do you blame most for the loss? Defense IR. Goff serving up turnovers like McDonald’s Fry Cook. 1st week bye
6) Is there anything else you’d care to add? The Lie Downs were 0-16 in 2008, 3-13 in 2021, and 15-2 in 2024. 89-89-1 over the past 10 years, with 36 wins coming from the past 3 seasons. This isn’t the Same Old Lions (SOL). There is a culture of winning that hasn’t been seen in a very long time. Not saying that I’m on the bandwagon, there has been too much humiliation and losing for that to ever happen. Plus, I will never forgive Wayne Fontes for what he did to the best RB in franchise history…. (Michiganders are World Champion Grudge Holders…)