Detroit bloggers’ roundtable (Pt. 1)
Last week, I sent an email to many sports bloggers who cover Detroit teams with five questions about why the city of Detroit is such a great sports city. I received so many great and well thought out responses that instead of posting the answers to all five questions at once, I will spread it out throughout five days.
I’d first like to thank the bloggers who participated in this discussion:
Kurt @ Mack Avenue Tigers (Detroit Tigers)
Scott @ Quo Vadimus & Cutoff Man (Detroit Sports & Detroit Tigers)
Sean @ Pride of Detroit & Michigan Sports Center (Detroit Lions & UM Sports)
Matt @ Lets Go Wings (Detroit Red Wings)
Paul @ Kukla’s Korner (Detroit Red Wings/NHL)
Al @ The Wayne Fontes Experience (Detroit Sports)
Ripismoney @ Detroit Sports Unleashed (Detroit Sports)
If you received an email from me with the five questions and didn’t have time to email me your answers, you can still do so and I’ll just update these posts.
Sporting News Results for Best Sports City:
2006 – Chicago (#4 = Detroit)
2005 – Boston (#3 = Detroit)
2004 – Boston (#7 = Detroit)
2003 – Anaheim-LA (#9 = Detroit)
2002 – Boston (#4 = Detroit)
2001 – New York City (#9 = Detroit)
2000 – St. Louis (#6 = Detroit)
1999 – New York City (#7 = Detroit)
1998 – Detroit
1997 – Denver (#7 = Detroit)
How Detroit sports teams have done of late…
2007- Detroit Red Wings lose in Western Conference Finals, Detroit Tigers are second in their division, Detroit Pistons make fifth straight Eastern Conference Finals, Plymouth Whalers become OHL Champions, and MSU Hockey team wins NCAA title.
2006- Detroit Tigers make it to the World Series, Detroit Shock win the WNBA championship, Detroit Pistons lose in the ECF, and Detroit Red Wings lose in the Western Conference Quarterfinals
Since 1997, the Red Wings have won 3 Stanley Cup titles, the Pistons have won the NBA championship once, the Tigers have made it to the World Series, the Shock have won 2 WNBA titles, UM women’s softball has won the national championship, MSU hockey has won the NCAA title, UM football won the title, UM hockey won a NCAA title, and the MSU men’s basketball team made four Final Four appearances and won in 2000.
The first question I asked the panel was…
“In 1998, Sporting News named Detroit the top sports city in the US. For the past decade, the city has been in the top ten each year. Do you think Detroit is the best sports city in America? Why or why not?”
Note: These answers all came before the Pistons lost in the 2007 ECF.
Kurt @ Mack Avenue Tigers: “I’d say it’s got to be No. 1, at least this year. I can certainly understand Boston’s claims in the past, but now is undoubtedly the best period for Detroit sports during my life. With the Wings and Pistons in the conference finals and the Tigers coming off an American League championship the previous season, it’s pretty hard to find any city that can match that claim. And of course, the metro area is filled with college grads who saw the University of Michigan football team have a pretty successful season and Michigan State won the college hockey national championship. All this, and we still largely root for the putrid Detroit Lions as if they were a winning team. We’re truly blessed with good teams and good fans.”
Scott @ Quo Vadimus & Cutoff Man: “Absolutely. Very few cities have what we in Detroit are lucky enough to have. All four professional sports teams, all with incredible rich traditions (even the Lions, who have been bad for so long, dominated the 1950’s NFL). Two prominent and successful college programs with success in football, basketball, hockey, and other sports too. A championship WNBA team. More golf courses per capita then any other state in the country (though I guess that’s technically “Michigan†and not “Detroitâ€) and one of the world’s foremost courses in Oakland Hills. Michigan International Speedway. It’s really incredible once you think about it, the variety we have here. We really cover all the bases. And the support which fans show for the teams here, selling 60,000, 70,000 even 83,000 (when the Silverdome was around) seats for Lions games. 110,000+ every Saturday in Ann Arbor rain or shine. There is no better place to live if you are a sports fan.â€
Sean @ Pride of Detroit & Michigan Sports Center: “When naming the top sports city in America, there are a number of factors you have to look at: fans, revenue, and most importantly, success. Detroit is lucky enough to have a team in each of the 4 major professional sports, and on top of that, U-M and MSU nearby. Looking specifically at the pro teams, each has a great fan base. Lions fans have stuck with their team throughout the Millen era (although support is beginning to fade somewhat). Tigers fans came out of the woodwork last year after an amazing season. And then you have the great fans of the Pistons and Red Wings that have been able to sit by and watch both teams have great success for the past 10 years, with the Pistons really excelling in the last 5 or so.
As far as revenue is concerned, all 4 teams are definitely seeing the profits come in. That is probably the reason Matt Millen hasn’t been fired. William Ford still is raking in the dollars, so why even bother making a change? The Tigers are experiencing great wealth now after a run to the World Series that has them selling tickets and merchandise. Moving back to the Wings and Pistons, both again have consistently been in good shape when talking money.
Looking at the final aspect, success, this is where things really make a strong case for Detroit. The Pistons are still alive and are hoping to reach the NBA Finals again, looking to add a fourth title overall. In the NHL, the Red Wings were knocked out of the Stanley Cup playoffs after losing to Anaheim in the Western Conference, but it was still a valiant effort. With the Tigers, we got to see a magical season in 2006 that ended up in the World Series, and they are still playing strong in 2007. Finally, the one team that is lagging behind is the Lions, who just can’t get to any level of success. The Lions have actually been one of the worst franchises in all of sports, but the 3 others team balance that out. And you can add in two titles from the Shock in the WNBA for good measure.
With all of that, I would without a doubt name Detroit the best sports city in America. Whether it be the fans or great play on the field, ice, or court, all come back to the city of Detroit.â€
Matt @ Lets Go Wings: “There’s obviously some heavy bias here, but I would have to say “yes”. If not at the top, then in the Top 3. Metro Detroiters are a very lucky group in that we have teams in all of the major sports and top universities in the vicinity — there aren’t many regions in the country that can boast that kind of sports exposure. It’s still somewhat surprising that even with the huge successes of the Red Wings, Pistons and the Tigers that this city is still enraptured by the Lions. Even though I’m a hockey fan through and through, the whole of Metro Detroit would implode if the Lions won a Super Bowl. It’d be unlike anything this city has seen.â€
Paul @ Kukla’s Korner: “This year Detroit should be at the top again. With three teams having legitimate shots at winning their championship (Tigers, Red Wings and Pistons), no other city can match that or even come close.
Even though the Lions are in a sad situation, their fan base remains loyal and ticket sales continue to be stable. If they ever get to a Super Bowl, look out, the Detroit area will go nuts.â€
Al @ The Wayne Fontes Experience: “Detroit is by far the best sports city in America, for several reasons.
A. First is the fact that college and pro sports are equally important to the locals. You can’t say the same about other “Sports crazy†cities, such as Boston or Chicago. Most Detroit pro sports fans are also avid followers of Michigan and/or Michigan State. For example, college football is unquestionably huge in Detroit, while it is an afterthought in other large metropolitan areas.
B. Another reason is due to the idea that our area’s self worth is tied, be it right or wrong, to how well our local teams are performing. The worse our economy becomes, the more important our local teams are in keeping us from worrying about life’s heavier issues, if only for a few hours a day. This area is continually dissed the world over, so being able to point to the success of the Tigers, Red Wings, Pistons, Wolverines, and Spartans is a way of us saying that Detroit and it’s suburbs are actually a pretty nice place to be.
That’s also the reason that we take what outsiders think about big time events in the area so personally. Detroit has the MLB All- Star game or the Super Bowl, and we’ll bend over backwards to make sure the attendees have a good time. We are overly apologetic if even the smallest thing goes wrong. Those same events are held in tourist havens like Miami or L.A., and it’s obvious those areas treat it as just another event.
C. I think this area is so over the top about sports is that Detroit that has been considered “Major league,†so to speak for generations. Not all that many cities have the ability to support all 4 big time pro sports. The Tigers are charter members of the American League. The Red Wings are one of the NHL’s legendary “Original 6.†The Lions have been an NFL mainstay since the 30’s, and the Pistons in the NBA since the 50’s. Add in Detroit’s great boxing history from Joe Louis to Tommy Hearns, and the University of Michigan being an iconic school for over a century, and that makes for rabid fandom to be passed from generation to generation.â€
Ripismoney @ Detroit Sports Unleashed: “Detroit is certainly the top sports city in America — overall its teams have enough winning between them to assure its dominance not only in a standings standpoint, but also from a standpoint of fans. Detroit is a city that has so much sports variety that there truly is something for everybody, whether it be the professionals that make the big money or the college athletes from nearby Michigan and Michigan State. I simply cannot think of many other cities that have been graced with an NBA Championship, a pair of Stanley Cups, a pair of WNBA Championships, and such great success in college basketball & football over the past decade. Add in the AL Pennant from the Tigers last year and the opportunity to watch an NFL team and sincerely say “I could do better than that,” and there truly is no better city for a sports fan than Detroit.”
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3 Responses to “Detroit bloggers’ roundtable (Pt. 1)”
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June 6th, 2007 at 9:28 am
[…] Moving along, Christy over at Behind the Jersey has a good roundtable on what makes Detroit such a good sports city. Kurt at Mack Avenue Tigers makes a compelling case for why the past year has put Detroit at the top of the list for the best sports city. “I’d say it’s got to be No. 1, at least this year…With the Wings and Pistons in the conference finals and the Tigers coming off an American League championship the previous season, it’s pretty hard to find any city that can match that claim. And of course, the metro area is filled with college grads who saw the University of Michigan football team have a pretty successful season and Michigan State won the college hockey national championship. […]
June 14th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
[…] Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 […]
June 19th, 2007 at 1:16 pm
these guys hit in right on the head about the college teams. Every white trash dude from Wixom loves UM…and chances are have never even been to Ann Arbor. that shows you we love sports in the D. also it shows how great is is to be a Spartan Alum.