Tigers are the new Wings?

[GiantRobot 0]

I agree with the first two but I really think it's Wings >>>> Pistons.

Agreed

You couldnt give pistons tickets away a few years ago, but then they get good all of a sudden, and its a basketball town?

Detroit is a Football town. The Lions have ALWAYS sucked, yet fans show up at the games.

Detroit is a Baseball town. Baseball is the sport with the oldest history here, and it's part of the culture.

Detroit is Hockeytown. The NHL might be a "Niche" sport in the U.S, but not in Detroit. Too much history, too many fans.

Detroit is a Sportstown. That's the best way to put it.

Fairweathered fans will always be here, cheering in the good times.

[Lou_Siffer 1]

yes, but who gets the airtime on FSN? Wings hands down.

I dont know anything about the television deals of each. Arent the Pistons on channel 20 or whatever too?

The Wings soared in popularity because the Pistons and Tigers had become crap. Now that those two are back on the map, the original pecking order has returned.

[Heaton 1]

I dont know anything about the television deals of each. Arent the Pistons on channel 20 or whatever too?

The Wings soared in popularity because the Pistons and Tigers had become crap. Now that those two are back on the map, the original pecking order has returned.

Too bad only half the people will be able to see the Tigers on TV now.

[Statts 4]

lions... not gunna happen anytime soon... they are #4

technically the pistons aren't in Detroit, so its a 1 and 1a scenario with the wings and tigers

In all reality, there really isn't a favorite Detroit team, the wings have sold out for the past 11 years, the tigers and pistons are back to championship form... The teams are not competing, they are supporting, I can't count how many times have the wings players worn tigers colors and publicly supported the tigers, as well as tigers players going to the wings games. Its all love in Detroit between the teams.

I agree. I remember reading something about the Wings team leaving for a road trip a day later than scheduled so they could attend a Tigers World Series game. Detroit is a great sports town in general

[Kp-Wings 3]

This is the facts people. Hockey takes a backseat in a primarily black town. This is not me being a racist or anything, but seriously. How many black people, that aren't canadians, really watch hockey?

[rwfan007 18]

This is the facts people. Hockey takes a backseat in a primarily black town. This is not me being a racist or anything, but seriously. How many black people, that aren't canadians, really watch hockey?

the mayor

[Kp-Wings 3]

the mayor

One out a million I guess.

I'll give him his credit. He does like the Wings.

Edited March 29, 2007 by Kp-Wings

[Lou_Siffer 1]

This is the facts people. Hockey takes a backseat in a primarily black town. This is not me being a racist or anything, but seriously. How many black people, that aren't canadians, really watch hockey?

That goes without saying. The actual city of Detroit is football and basketball dominant by far...hell you could probably even make a case for the Pistons being bigger than the Lions. I dont know about everyone else, but i took this debate as meaning the entire Detroit area including suburbs, or really the whole state of Michigan i guess you could say.

Kwame likes the Wings? Haha you gotta be kiddin'! If thats the case i bet the big ass Wings jersey they put on the statue is probably hanging up in his closet right now. He throws it on on gameday.

[Heaton 1]

That goes without saying. The actual city of Detroit is football and basketball dominant by far...hell you could probably even make a case for the Pistons being bigger than the Lions. I dont know about everyone else, but i took this debate as meaning the entire Detroit area including suburbs, or really the whole state of Michigan i guess you could say.

Kwame likes the Wings? Haha you gotta be kiddin'! If thats the case i bet the big ass Wings jersey they put on the statue is probably hanging up in his closet right now. He throws it on on gameday.

The Pistons are not bigger than the Lions in Detroit.

The Pistons have actually toned down A LOT since they started faltering a bit.

[Lou_Siffer 1]

The Pistons are not bigger than the Lions in Detroit.

The Pistons have actually toned down A LOT since they started faltering a bit.

Well if you think about the whole black angle....basketball is easily the most popular sport amongst black people wouldnt you say? Thats my logic with that.

[kylee 727]

Well if you think about the whole black angle....basketball is easily the most popular sport amongst black people wouldnt you say? Thats my logic with that.

no doubt.

and football.

but i'll always love my Wings.

im here to stay.

nothin like going to a game at the Joe and taking in the atmosphere and the pace of the game, the sounds.

nothing can compare to that.

i really like baseball a lot also.

but hockey will always take the cake.

[Kp-Wings 3]

Well if you think about the whole black angle....basketball is easily the most popular sport amongst black people wouldnt you say? Thats my logic with that.

That being said, it still doesn't mean their more popular than the Lions.

Just look at the Lions. They are single handingly one of the worst run organizations in all of sports. Yet, this does not stop people from going. Now, if we were to flip the Pistons to this side of the spectrum, it'd be the opposite. You could here a pin drop at the Palace if the Pistons were anything like the Lions, or even if they were a bad team in general. That's kinda how it works in Detroit. Unless you're the Lions, you have to solidify a winning product to draw fans. It was that way with the Tigers until last season, and it was that way with the Wings in the 70's and early 80's.

Edited March 29, 2007 by Kp-Wings

[Lou_Siffer 1]

That being said, it still doesn't mean their more popular than the Lions.

Just look at the Lions. They are single handingly one of the worst run organizations in all of sports. Yet, this does not stop people from going. Now, if we were to flip the Pistons to this side of the spectrum, it'd be the opposite. You could here a pin drop at the Palace if the Pistons were anything like the Lions, or even if they were a bad team in general. That's kinda how it works in Detroit. Unless you're the Lions, you have to solidify a winning product to draw fans. It was that way with the Tigers until last season, and it was that way with the Wings in the 70's and early 80's.

I believe 100% the Lions are the #1 team in the state of Michigan. I rank it Lions, Tigers, Pistons, and Wings. But the actual city of Detroit i think may hold more Pistons fans than anything...especially in the male 18-25 demographic I mean if you walked the streets of Detroit and polled 100 random people, odds are you'll find more Pistons fans just because basketball is so huge in the black community.

[Jwo 7]

Someone post the pic of tupac wearing the Red Wing jersey

Does Africa hold the most percentage of the black race? If they do then Soccer is the game of choice.

[timothy1997 0]

Couple of things.

#1 The Tigers are the soup of the day. What happened last year was so off the radar and such a miracle season that the buzz around town was better than any of the wings previous seasons, including the cup ones.

#2 The lockout and lack of depth in the playoffs have turned off a lot of red wing fans. They sorta have established the "wake me up when its the cup finals approach". Red Wing fans are spoiled by their success.

#3 Tiger tickets are still reasonable and you can take the whole family to a game. The same cannot be said about the Red Wings. You have to take out a loan to take a family of 4 to a game.

If the Lions ever turned it around and made it into the playoffs or the Super Bowl. Detroit would be Lion Country.

People need to just ignore articles like these. Just except their are a lot of sports fans who aren't necessarily hockey fans. Bottom line:

Cheer for whatever team you want to.

[C-TownWing 0]

Well if you think about the whole black angle....basketball is easily the most popular sport amongst black people wouldnt you say? Thats my logic with that.

No offense to anyone, but the "black angle" seems like kind of a ridiculous argument...just some numbers to chew on:

Metro Detroit: 4.5 million people

Detroit city: 0.9 million people

Or split it up like the Census bureau does...

Detroit-Livonia-Dearborn: 2.0 million people

Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills: 2.5 million people

Here's my angle. Football is the most popular sport in America, the NFL is the most popular league in America. So I think if you just go by attendance, TV ratings, merchandise sales, etc. pretty much every city would be a football city first. Why not compare your teams to some kind of vague average? Here's how I see it as an outsider:

Wings: WAY above average support for a US NHL team.

Lions: Slightly above average support for an NFL team, which considering their suckiness, is a pretty big deal.

Tigers: Right now, above average support for an MLB team. Two years ago, below average.

Pistons: Generally, right around average support for an NBA team with a slight boost with recent success.

I guess the larger issue to me is: why does anyone care? Here in my hometown, it's basically a large group of fans jumping from bandwagon to bandwagon depending on which team is doing the best. That'll happen with no major-league championships since 1964. But in Detroit, every team has been getting a decent share of success in my lifetime except the Lions, who aren't hurting for support. I say root for who you like, and as long as enough other people are doing the same so that the team survives and thrives, who gives a crap who's "most popular" or whatever?

[Barrie 900]

You know..I absolutely love the Tigers as well, but I hate the fact that they make it seem like all the teams are competing against each other. It's pathetic that they have to put the Wings and Pistons down just because the Tigers went to the World Series last season. Why can't they just call Detroit a great hockey, baseball, and basketball town instead of saying it's only now a baseball town, and making it seem like the Wings and Pistons don't mean anything anymore. It's dumb and im sick of it. All Detroit teams are great. They should all stick together and be one big happy family. No competition.

I like the fact that the Detroit teams compete against each other. I think it's the reason why 3 of them are among the top teams in their League.

[Barrie 900]

In sales of merchandise apparently they are.

I don't like it but it is true.

This illustrates that the people of Detroit are very much fair weather fans and jump from bandwagon to bandwagon.

I know most everyone here will agree that Hockey is superior to Baseball and these fans are idiots. I wish that everyone could just watch what they like and there not be any problems, but this may be a sign that the Wings will get pushed to the backseat again and their broadcasts will become hidden, and their rinks empty.

I fear that things will get worse for the Wings, they need to win another championship.

Why does Detroit only care about one team at a time?

I don't see a problem with fans jumping from one team to the other in the same city. Even though they may put more time and effort into the Tigers, it doesn't mean they aren't Wings fans.

I'm a perfect example of jumping from one Detroit bandwagon to the other. I'll follow the Wings and Tigers all the time, but only the Pistons and Lions if they are doing well. If the Pistons and Lions are losing, it doesn't mean I'm not a fan, it just means I've got my attention elsewhere. Honestly, I'm really not sorry about it. My disposible income and free time can only go so far. Plus Basketball and Football really aren't my sports, but if Detroit is doing well I'll follow along.

So yes, with that said, I really don't have a clue, other than losing, with what's going on with the Lions.

[royedwards 0]

I haven't lived in Detroit for a while, but I remember when NHLers were almost all Canadian and a lot of the Wings' fans were Canadians, too. When you think about it, it's amazing that the franchise has come so far.

[Barrie 900]

I think this sums it up the best:

"Everybody has filled their house with Red Wings items," Foley said. "They've got everything they need."

Seriously I have all kinds of Red Wings stuff, I actually got rid of some of it on EBay. There's still some more in my closet just sitting there. I don't think it's anything against the Wings, it just everyone thinks they need more Tigers stuff, myself included .

[KronwallCRUNCH 5]

Baseball is America's pastime- of course there are more Tigers fans here than Red Wings fans...but I would argue that hockey die hards > most baseball fans. HOWEVER-

Even though the Lions blow, Detroit IS a football town above all else- fans live and die, mostly die, with this team every single year. This place would go BONKERS if the Lions ever broke the .500 mark (or got to the .500 mark)

[BPenix 0]

I agree with the people that say Detroit is just a good sports town. Of course many people jump on the bandwagon...but that true in pretty much every city. The one thing that ticks me off about the bandwagoners is that a lot of them jump on and act like they've been fans of the team for life when they couldn't tell you who was on the team when they sucked.

Anyway, I love and will continue to love all the teams. I can't really say who I support the most because Iove em all. (even the pathetic Lions ) For the Tigers.....I think be a fan for a long time made last year feel so much better for me. I'm 20 so last year was the first year that I was able to really watch a winning Tiger team. Watching the Tigers win after all the 100+ loss season just made winning all the games so much more satisfying to watch.

For the Wings I'd definately say that we get spoiled. We are lucky to have such a good team for so long. I wasn't able to grow up with or see the "dead" wings era so I really can't remember the Wings having a bad team. Like all the Tigers though, I'll be there through thick or thin.

The Pistons we're like the Tigers for a while. Sucess just came out of nowhere. I mean we had Grant Hill but we'd never be that good. We went from like a 25 win team to 50 team in no time and we did it with team, in the most superstar heavy league of them all.

The Lions, we'll what can be said about the Lions that hasn't been said? They suck. I def. agree that they'd have the most fans if they ever made it to or won the Superbowl. I'm still a fan, and watch all the games that I can. I wish they'd fire Millen, but who doesn't? I think this is the best time of the year for the Lions....people start kinda liking Millen's moves, before they screw up when the team takes the field. I will admit though, the Lions we're probably the best 3-13 team ever.

[elriqo28 2]

this has got to be the dumbest thread I've ever read, and I feel dirty even responding! I root on all three Detroit teams...now when is Detroit getting a professional football team?

[DetroitNativePride 0]

Detroit supports its sports in general. It doesn't matter who's selling the most merch, people are still generally interested in all four teams year round.

[HomeNugget 2]

i think fans for the four teams are always there. its just people don't want to come out and watch a team that sucks unless it the lions.

i'm a fan of the simpsons. if the show started being drawn and voiced by a bunch of children i'd stop watching. if it then went back to how it was before i'd come back. it doesn't make me fair weather, it just means i don't like watching stupid bull s***.

its the same with sports. i've given up on the lions for now. i catch a game now and then, but i'm not gonna really start following them until they give me something to follow.

i'm not upset that other teams outsell the wings. its the way things go. tigers went to the world series, wings lost in the first round. if the wings want better sales they should win a couple playoff series.