Performance, not Fluff Pieces, Attracts Fans

By: Cameron Miller

12/18/2009 3:52 PM- Sports fans say attending an NFL game can be one of the most exhilarating experiences for a sports fan. Few other events can match the enthusiasm an NFL crowd has, they say. Even the lowly Detroit Lions have a contingent of fans who scream their brains out in support of their team. Unfortunately as the economy trends downwards and fewer people can afford to attend games like they had in the past owners are looking for ways to spice up the game.

The trend of NFL games nowadays is not just to push the product of their football team, but to create an experience for even non football fans to enjoy. According to the Detroit Lions Web site there are 132 suites in Ford Field, all of which can be rented for corporate parties and have multiple diversions including television and full service from Ford Field staff. There also are 56 permanent concession stands along with 39 portable ones.

Photo of entrance to Ford Field

Also included in Ford Field are the two enormous end zone boards that are 27 feet high and 96 feet wide. The boards are often used for displaying information irrelevant to football, such as the much maligned kissing camera. Some venues extort the scoreboard even further; one of the biggest attractions in football this season was the unveiling of the Dallas Cowboys new video screen that stretches from one 20 yard line to the other. In addition to these amenities the Lions are featuring their new "all you can eat seats" this year. The promotion has been pushed so hard that there are ads featured not only in newspapers and on the Lions Web site, but they have been stuffed inside every pizza in the Detroit area, this discount has been seen so much that people are beginning to ask for ink as a third topping.

Professor Bill McMillian was asked about his opinion on the amenities at Ford Field and how they have changed the feel of the game. “I watched the field being built, got to see it during different stages and helped put together a special section for The News. It is first- rate, one of the best if not THE best in the NFL now. Good sightlines, fantastic suites and it was built with a portion of the old Hudson's department store brick warehouse to give it a sense of history and class. I still get excited every time I go to a game or event.”

While nostalgia and interest play a role in fan attendance Professor McMillian also commented on what a quality team brings to the table. “The atmosphere, the history all work to draw you in, but in the end if the team is bad or does not have a chance, repeat visits will not happen. If the team is hot I would make an extra effort to go to games.”

To surmise Professor McMillian was asked if the team’s performance was the main factor in determining his attendance. “Like I said before, I think everyone goes to a Lions (or other team) game once just for the nostalgia, the feeling of being part of an excited crowd. After that you have to be a true fan (or have friends with tickets!) The special pricing may help them come back. The rabid fan will go no matter what, but the discerning fan who expects at least some sort of quality and a chance that their team might win, will not.”

Photo of Lions playing field. Taken by MrMiscellanious (Wikipedia user)

The feeling is mutual for another local Lions fan. Mike Rader has been a Leos fan for going on 25 years and he says no amount of advertising can make him go to a game. “I used to buy tickets all the time when the Lions were worth watching,” said Rader. “Since Sanders left they haven’t had anything worth seeing as far as I’m concerned and I won’t go to another game until they prove to me they can win.” This is the sentiment for many Detroit sports fans, but for some these amenities add a new opportunity to attend a game.

It is true that the experience is changing, but according to Lions fan Josh Rozales, it's not necessarily for the worse. "It adds a new dimension to the experience; I think an environment for more people to enjoy,” Rosalez said. “Now that games are more appealing to people who aren't that into sports I might be able to get my wife to go to more games since they have more to offer than beer drinking pigs screaming curse words at players."

Here are some other links that contain information on this topic.

http://www.epinions.com/sprt-review-17C-13906588-394549A8-prod
1http://sportscareers.about.com/b/2009/08/30/nfl-rules-on-dallas-scoreboard-placement.htmhttp://www.detroitlions.com/ford-field/facts-history.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Field

and as always more information on Ford Field can be found at

www.detnew.com

www.freep.com

Rough Draft

By: Cameron Miller
Friday, December 11 2009

Attending an NFL game can be one of the most exhilirating experiences for a sports fan. Few other events can match the enthusiasm an NFL crowd has. Even the lowly Detroit Lions have a contingent of fans that scream their brains out in support of their team. Unfortunately as the economy trends downwards and fewer people can afford to attend games like they had in the past owners are looking for ways to spice up their game.

The trend of NFL games nowadays is not just to push the product of their football team, but to create an experience for even non football fans to enjoy. According to the Detroit Lions website there are 132 suites in Ford Field, all of which can be rented for corporate parties and have multiple diversions including television and full service from Ford Field Staff, and 56 permanent concession stands along with 39 portable ones. Also included in Ford Field are the two enormous endzone boards that measure in at 27x96 feet. The boards are often used for displaying information irrelevent to football, such as the much maligned kissing camera. Some venues extort the scoreboard even further; one of the biggest attractions in football this season was the unveiling of the Dallas Cowboys new video screen that stretches from one twenty yard line to the other, ultimately proving size does matter.

In addition to these amenities the Lions are featuring their new "all you can eat seats" this year. The promotion has been pushed so hard that there are ads featured not only in newspapers and on the Lions website, but they have been stuffed inside every pizza I've had over the last month, I've seen this discount coupon so much I've begun to ask for ink as my third topping.

(I hope to comprise this paragraph with quotes from Ruben Luna on how amenities have changed the experience of an NFL game.)

( I have also yet to interview a second non expert source I am hoping to provide his opinions here.)

It is true that the experience is changing, but according to long time Lions fan Josh Rozales it's not necessarily for the worse. "It adds a new dimension to the experience, I think an environment for more people to enjoy. Now that games are more appealing to people who aren't that into sports I might be able to get my wife to go to more games since they have more to offer than beer drinking pigs screaming curse words at players."

Josh may be right, while the procedure of today's game may differ from that of the past, it doesn't necessarily mean it's for the worse. After all, as long as we keep filling the seats we will always have a team, and who knows maybe someday it'll be a good one.

Here are some other links that contain information on this topic.
http://www.epinions.com/sprt-review-17C-13906588-394549A8-prod1
http://sportscareers.about.com/b/2009/08/30/nfl-rules-on-dallas-scoreboard-placement.htm
http://www.detroitlions.com/ford-field/facts-history.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Field

and as always more information on Ford Field can be found at
www.detnew.com
www.freep.com

Stafford re-injures shoulder, could sit against Ravens

Here we go again. Stafford re-injured his left shoulder in the game against the Bengals this week, which means we can all look forward to a week of speculation as to whether he will play against the Ravens next Sunday. As far as I'm concerned, I have seen what I needed to see out of Stafford this season; there were the expected rookie mistakes, but there have been flashes of brilliance as well. In my eyes Matt Stafford has nothing left to prove to Lion's fans this season, except that he can heal up and return even better next season.
I'm not saying I want Stafford to sit out the last four games this year and that I want to cradle him into the 2010 season, but I think its time we accept this one fact, these games mean nothing. The entire 2009 season has been a preseason for 2010, we needed to focus on identifying holes in the team and we did that, we needed to get these young guys some playing time and we did that to. I don't want to see Stafford out there risking serious injury on a shoulder that has given him trouble on multiple occasions this season. I guess what I'm saying is I want the Lions to do everything they can to be competitive and potentially win another game this year, but I don't want to see them make a mistake that could forfeit future victories.

You can read more about Stafford's injury at www.freep.com and www.detnews.com.

I also recommend reading Jaime Samuelson's on Stafford's injury at freep.com. It takes a similar viewpoint as mine, but has some additional information that I found interesting.
http://www.freep.com/article/20091207/SPORTS01/91207040/1049/No-way-should-Matthew-Stafford-play-through-pain

Jungle Cat Jamboree ends Poorly for Lions, but Smith shows promise

The game seemed winnable, even the final line looked in the Lions favor, well all but one stat. Kevin Smith averaged 4.7 yards per carry while all Cincinnati running backs averaged only 3.1 yards. The Lions Defense also held Carson Palmer to a below average game, he finished with a quarterback rating of about 65.
So what was it that made the Lions lose this game in a 23-13 effort you might ask? The Lions continued to allow the Bengals to convert on late downs. The Bengals went 6-16 on converting third downs and also converted their only fourth down of the afternoon.
As I mentioned earlier however, Kevin Smith had a pretty decent game. Smith amassed 75 yards on 16 carries against the Bengals. While he still isn't showing the break away speed we would like in a running back (his longest run was for 17 yards) he did pick up strong yardage in between the tackles, which makes me believe he could be a quality complementary back in the future when the Lions get a balanced team.

More game coverage can be found on www.freep.com and www.detnews.com

Mangini Madness

I was Surfing through some Lions articles earlier today and I stumbled across one by Tom Withers, writer for The Canadian Press, about Browns head coach Eric Mangini claiming that some Lions players were faking injuries in an attempt to slow down the Browns no huddle offense.
"I'm just saying there were a lot of them" Mangini said in a Monday press conference after noting that many Lions players left the field with injuries only to return later in the game. Browns wide receiver Chansi Stuckey was in supportof Mangini's theory. "Definitely," he said. "I knew that. That's what their coach does. If someone tries to do that to us, I would expect our guys to do the same thing. Unless it gets into that under two-minute situation where that causes a timeout, any other time its fine, I would do the same thing. When Lion's coach Jim Schwartz was posed with the accusation he had this to say "He's way out of bounds on that, tat couldn't be further from the truth. Both teams were running no huddle, and the officials did a very good job of standing over the ball, so there was no need to do that."

I found this article to be very interesting, it has never really occurred to me that faking an injury is such an effective strategy to slow down an offense that is in its two-minute set. While obviously unethical, if this story is true it surely switched the game in the Lions favor. I just thought I would get this story out there to see what some of you think about this faking an injury business.

If you would like to read the full story, you can find it at http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5iVKfeVJz6-g5i0XeBKZ1jwIV3xqQ

Pack in the Turkey as the Packers put away our Lions

Ok it's time for a thanksgiving preview and not a good one. Coming off their second victory the Lions will have to play the Packers on short rest for the enjoyment of Thanksgiving viewers and the agony of Lions fans.

The outlook is not pretty for this game, I'd love to say that last Sunday's momentum would carry our Lions to a victory this week, but with Matt Stafford likely out for the game and Calvin Johnson also day to day the offense looks to have a rough day ahead of itself. In my opinion the O-line is going to have to step up with their biggest game of the season if the Lions are going to have a chance. Since Dante Culpepper will likely be starting he will need as much time in the pocket as possible as I'm sure we can expect him to be rusty. Trust me, I know this is no menial request.

The defense didn't look all that great against the Browns, who are statistically the worst offense in football, so I don't expect much improvement against the likes of Aaron Rodgers and Greg Jennings. In order to have a chance I think the defense will need to be incredibly opportunistic, every mistake Rodgers makes needs to be taken advantage of this week or I could see this game being a blowout.

I know the guys are feeling good after last weeks victory, but unless everything goes their way I don't see another win this week; so my suggestion to you is to take in the game from afar and spend that valuable time with your family. There is some upside....at least Dallas plays later that afternoon.

Stafford Injury

On the second to last play of the Lion's second victory, Matthew Stafford was sent to the ground in an attempt to throw a last second touchdown pass. After the play, which resulted in defensive pass interference and put the Lions on the one yard line, Stafford walked off field with obvious pain in his shoulder and even though he returned to throw the game winning touchdown pass it is now being reported that he likely won't start in the Thanksgiving game against the Packers.

"I don't know, but I'm in a pretty good amount of pain" said Matt Stafford the following day in an interview with Mitch Albom. If this pain holds up I agree that it will be unlikely that Matt Stafford will play against the Packers and rightly so as the Lions need to do everything in their power to protect the sizeable investment they made in this quarterback. It is however unfortunate that this injury came on a career day for Stafford and a hopeful one for all Lions fans. Now it appears we will be forced to watch Dante Culpepper start against the Packers and if his earlier play this season is any indication for this game, it could be another long day for Lions fans.

If you would like to read more on Matt Stafford's injury, coverage can be found at www.freep.com and www.detnews.com