Not many prominent sports media personalities have actually spent time around the Detroit Lions and their fanbase. And that probably accounts for why the team is being undercovered even into the deepest postseason run they’ve had in a generation. But Detroit native and former Detroit Free Press sports reporter Jemele Hill understands what this run means to the city and how deep its Lions’ love runs.
Speaking on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz on Wednesday, Hill gave a touching tribute to Detroit and expanded upon why last week’s Lions playoff win mattered so much to locals in the area.
“Truthfully, if the Lions went to a Super Bowl it would probably be the biggest sports story in Detroit history,” Hill said. “And maybe even in the state’s history. Because people have been waiting for this for a long time.”
While many in the national media (including Hill herself) initially doubted new head coach Dan Campbell and outcast quarterback Jared Goff, they are eating crow now. And in turn, this young Detroit squad has taken on the personality of its fans and the city it plays in.
“For a lot of people (in the Midwest), the identity of football very much relates to the identity of the town,” Hill explained. “Really, every winning team in Detroit takes on the personality of Detroit. I don’t know what’s the chicken and what’s the egg or whether or not they have players and teams that fit the personality, or those players and teams start to fit the dynamic of Detroit. Which is blue-collar, very transparent people, very nice people. All of these characteristics.”
Hill added that many Detroit residents tend to be defensive over the city’s reputation. They are often made fun of and doubted.
“[It’s a] gritty city, because Detroit has often not been regaled very highly in the national media,” Hill said. “For so many years, Detroit was the butt of the national joke when it came to crime, when it came to poverty during the recession when it went viral about how there were homes in Detroit going for $1,000 that you could buy. There’s a long history of people always laughing at Detroit. And it’s something that people from Detroit take very personally.
“So when there is a time that we can show people that good things, positive things, great things happen in the city, that’s when I think we really are filled with the most pride, is allowing people into our lair to see that despite what people say about our city, good things are here.”
Hill grew up in Detroit, attended Michigan State, and covered the university from 1999-2005 for the Detroit Free Press. She explained that while she chose the San Francisco 49ers as her NFL team to avoid the misery of Lions fandom, her husband is also from the area and supports the Lions.
It’s a fantastic sports story to see this Lions team come together, and cool of Hill to go back to her roots and explain why it’s so special.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.