Today should be our day.
That’s the sentiment of many Lions fans as we gear up to once again watch Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in another Super Bowl — their fourth appearance in five years.
While some lament the national media spotlight surrounding the team — and Taylor Swift — and their recent success, it’s their opponent, the San Francisco 49ers, who Lions fans will be looking at with envy on Sunday night.
The Lions were in prime position to make their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, but saw a 17-point halftime lead over the Niners slip away in the NFC Championship.
It was an epic collapse that will have many fans playing “the blame game” forever. Was Dan Campbell right to stick to his guns and go for it twice on crucial fourth downs instead of taking the points? Was it Josh Reynolds’ drop? Jahmyr Gibbs’ fumble? Kindle Vildor’s missed interception and helmet doink?
Truth is, it was all of those things. That’s why that loss stung so much. After weeks of riding the high of Detroit’s first division title, first home playoff game, first playoff win and the first time many of us have truly dared to dream of actually winning it all, it was gone in a flash.
“It’s the hope that kills you,” as the great Ted Lasso once said.
And that’s true. But it’s also the hope that makes it all worth it. What’s the point of being a sports fan if we don’t ride the highs and the lows?
On an episode of The Daily J podcast the day following the Lions’ meltdown, Dr. Jaclyn Issner, a clinical psychologist at the Detroit Medical Center, told WWJ’s Zach Clark that his reaction of feeling anger towards celebrating 49ers fans isn’t out of the norm.
“How dare these fans be happy when we are feeling so terrible,” she said. “ Do you remember how intensely excited you got when the Lions scored that first touchdown and then again scored later? Was that like one of the biggest adrenaline rushes?”
Of course it was. We all felt it. A trip to the Super Bowl was right there. We could taste it.
“To go from there to feeling such extreme disappointment, anger… we’re really in it as it’s though we’re really disappointed about something truly important that goes wrong in our lives and these feelings of highs and lows are so extreme,” she said.
Sure, we could all maintain a more level head. We could decide to not get irrationally upset over a football game played by men making millions of dollars.
But it’s about more than that. It’s about the friends and family we share our fandom with — and those who aren’t here anymore to experience it. It’s about pride for the city and state we love. It’s about the memories we make along the way as we distract ourselves for three hours a week from the stressors of the “real world.”
Not getting emotionally invested would mean not feeling the euphoria we felt at bars and watch parties across the state of Michigan the night the Lions beat former face of the franchise Matthew Stafford for that elusive playoff win. It would mean not sharing that joy with your family and friends you suffered through all those bad years with.
It would mean not ever feeling that moment we’ve all dreamt of if and when the Lions finally win it all.
But as things stand, we're left to enter what's supposed to be a festive Sunday night thinking about the "what-ifs." If the Chiefs win, many Lions fans will be quick to point out that Detroit started the football season with a road win over a true dynasty. If the Niners win, the NFC Championship stings even more. So it's hard to feel invested in the outcome of this game.
So when the ball kicks off Sunday night, it’s okay to feel bummed. It’s okay to feel like the Lions should be there. Because they should and we don’t know for certain they’ll be back anytime soon.
With a strong core of young talent and the right regime in charge, we can certainly hope.
But then again, it’s the hope that kills you.