DETROIT (WWJ) - Lions fans are more hyped up that ever in the days leading up to the home opener at Ford Field this Sunday -- and if you need any confirmation of this, just check out the availability of blue ski masks.
Blue ski masks have been selling out on major online retail sites, like Amazon, after Lions safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson donned one after last week's win against the Kansas City Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champions.
And now, he wants fans to do the same when the Lions take on the Seattle Seahawks at home this weekend.
"You gonna see on Sunday, blue ski masks everywhere," Gardner-Johnson said on Tuesday to reporters. "Part of us, it's the culture. I'm changing it."
"I just love being a part of something that's real again," Gardner-Johnson continued.
The athlete encouraged Detroit fans to take off the paper bags of shame and assume the "bad guy's role" that began with Lions General Manager Brad Holmes earlier in the year.
"Holmes sported a hoodie that said villain across the chest this off season and now their newest veteran leader wants to continue with that narrative," WWJ sports reports Chris Fillar explained.
Fans have already flocked online to purchase blue ski masks, which had at one point sold out on Amazon within hours of Gardner-Johnson comments. As of Wednesday morning, the major online retailer had restocked the item and is available for purchase a $9.99 a mask.
Whether or not it will be a sea of blue ski masks at Ford Field remains to be seen, but Fillar said the hype surrounding the Lions is very real and has only skyrocketed among fans after Week 1.
"The home opener at Ford Field expected to be thunderous as a 1-0 Lions team plays on their home turf for the first time this season. The Super Bowl odds are improving," Fillar said. "The hype has been gassed even more with that win over the defending champs and the people of Detroit are feeding into the excitement and likely a lot of them will be hidden under those ski masks instead of the infamous paper bags on Sunday."
