In his work The Philosophy of Loyalty (1908), American philosopher Josiah Royce focuses strongly on the phenomenon of loyalty to a lost cause. A lost cause in his view is not a hopeless cause, but rather one that can’t be fulfilled within the actual lifetime of a community or any of its members. He points out that a legitimate cause can be “lost” simply by virtue of its scope and magnitude, but it is precisely that cause that establishes an ideal that evokes high levels of hope and commitment in its followers. It is already apparent that this ideal remains potent among the Detroit Lions faithful, even in the days of temporary resignation following a winless 2008 football season in their cause.
A photograph taken during the Lions last game of the season that graced the front pages of the Detroit papers reveals the long-since-perfected self-derision of team followers. A resigned-looking fan sporting a Detroit Lions jersey is holding up a sign that reads “0-16, Living the Dream” as the team runs out the clock on a historical season. In the past, this fan’s wardrobe might have included a brown grocery sack over the head with eyeholes, a la the supporters of the victory-challenged New Orleans Saints circa 1980.
Fan Gets '0-16' Chest Tattoo
But those who support the Lions are different. They are hurt, cynical, puzzled and often despairing over their team’s vertigo-inducing performances, but are somehow still unabashedly and vocally proud of their football team. Think of a Dickens novel without the happy ending.
“I’m still on the bandwagon, even though it’s more like a tricycle now,” said one diehard 25-year-old Detroit-area fan named Dan, as his wife Kristin shrugged sheepishly behind him. He was being interviewed by the local TV station about the $140 tattoo he got on his chest that read ‘0-16, 2008’ below a Lions logo. “I hope to someday put ‘Super Bowl Champions’ beneath it,” said Dan, with an average-Joe earnestness that is at once innocent and striking. “I shed blood for them.”
Barry Sanders' Retirement No Surprise
The Lions, celebrating their 79th year in the league in 2009, have endured much, as have their fans, in the 51 years since winning their last championship. They have just hired their 16th head coach since 1957, only two of which have left with winning records. They have won one playoff game, in 1992. But the most telling and painful chapter during this lengthy slump was the early retirement of one of the sport’s most productive and dazzling running backs, Barry Sanders, who is reported to have left due to his frustration over the team’s inability to win the big games.
Sanders wanted to be released from his contract, but in his classy, low-key style, didn’t say a word when the Lions refused to let him go. Fans were initially shocked at his decision to retire, but instead of feeling ill will toward Sanders, they howled in frustration at a front office and coaching staff that squandered the abilities of a player who had the best chance to lead the team to a championship since quarterback Bobby Layne did it in 1957.
Blue-collar fans in Detroit, where unions are increasingly under siege, seem to feel a kinship with the white-collar players, whom they feel are getting just as raw a deal as they are. This has created an uncommonly forgiving atmosphere among fans toward players who just can’t make it work.
New Coach, New Quarterback, Same Lions?
Psychologist Robert Passikoff created a fan loyalty ranking of all 32 National Football League teams based on four factors: excitement, team integrity, bonding with players, and tradition. As one might expect from a non-partisan evaluator, the Lions ranked 29th. While on the surface these four factors seem like logical measuring sticks and indeed have some relevance to Lions fans, it must be some other elusive intangible that keeps them loyal in the face of constant disappointment.
But with yet another new quarterback, Matthew Stafford, another new head coach, Jim Schwartz, and another ominous start this season, the scope and magnitude of the Lions’ goal of reaching the Super Bowl does indeed seem like a lost cause to the casual observer, and perhaps even to some fans. But like a marriage, they make that commitment until that goal is accomplished, even if it takes a lifetime. Who knows why anyone gets married, anyway?
