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