Detroit Lions' Home Opener Not Sold Out: Can You Blame the Fans?

In the "Extra Points" section of the Detroit Free Press, I came across this information:

The Lions aren't saying exactly how many, but there are seats available for Sunday's game.

If the game isn't sold out by 1 p.m. Thursday, it will be the first local TV blackout of the season.

In an effort to prod sales, the Lions have offered $78 tickets to Ford employees for just $30.

Cash for clunkers?

Being a big fan of the Lions for so many years, my first reaction to this was to be mad at the fans. But then reality set in. 

Lions fans have endured mediocre teams for decades.

Lions fans have endured the fiasco known as the Matt Millen era, which in my opinion should be renamed the second Dark Ages.

Lions fans have endured William Clay Ford, Sr. for 45 years and his continuous non-involvement and non-accountability for the team's failures.

Lions fans endured perhaps their most humiliating event, the 0-16 season of 2008, which could be the third Dark Ages.

The Lions had numerous blackouts last year, which we all hoped would send a strong message to Mr. Ford: Your product sucks, and you need to fix it. But many of us had been saying that for years.

They didn't do themselves any favors by losing 45-27 last week. The defense was the main scapegoat in allowing Drew Brees to throw touchdowns at will and Mike Bell to run for a career-high 143 yards.

It's not going to get any easier with the Vikings and the Adrian Peterson/Brett Favre show coming to town either.

I can't blame the Detroit fans for not showing up. Being a native Detroiter, I can relate to what the economic status is in the area. But I find that the Detroit fans don't mind spending their hard-earned money provided that what they are paying for is worth it.

For the last decade, the Lions have been shaming the fans. They are presenting a Ford Pinto in a Lincoln Continental body. Still, if it looks like crap and smells like crap, then it's still pretty much crap, right?

So I don't blame the fans for not shelling out the big bucks for a crappy team. Despite all of the changes, most of which I support and will continue to support, the Lions are still a crappy team. 

Sure, they showed some fire and heart in the New Orleans game. But that doesn't put butts in the seats. Start winning some games and the fans will come back. Have a winning streak and they will go nuts. Get to the playoffs and Ford Field will become a madhouse.

But let's start small...just get the first win.