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There’s truly nothing like sports—the way a game can make (or ruin) your whole week or month, the instant connection when you spot someone wearing your team’s jersey in the wild, and the absolute elation that comes when things finally come together after a tough decade, or perhaps a few tough decades. It’s a joy (and right now, a pain) like no other.

This Detroit Lions team was something special. Their motto for this season, “All Grit,” summed up not just the team, but the city and state that they represent. Even in a heartbreaking NFC Championship, this team has embodied the passion, determination, and kick-ass mentality that defines Michiganders.

I know I’ll be proudly rocking this vintage jacket from 1952 (the last time they won the championship) all off-season.

[Photos of Elissa wearing a 1952 vintage Lions jacket]

Through their run, this Lions team brought us together as a state. The last time I can remember feeling like this was when I was in middle school. It was 1988, and the Pistons had nearly won the NBA Championship the previous season, narrowly losing Game 6 on a controversial foul call. They went on to become back-to-back champions, winning in the 1988-1989 season and the 1989-1990 season. That was the era of Bad Boys, so-named for “don’t-ever-back down mentality.” Sound familiar?

I’ve got a good feeling that these Detroit Lions, like the Bad Boy Pistons of the late 80s, will be back.

A lot has changed since 1990 here in Michigan and around the world, but the sense of community, joy, and pure magic around our beloved home teams hasn’t changed.

#OnePride forever.

Elissa

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