Sports, as a body, and the narratives that they carry, are generally made up of ‘bandwagons’ and fanbases. Divided into countless different crowds and groups, from the patient, to the loyal, to even the toxic fanbase, they are essentially the foundation which drives the competitive nature of sports fans everywhere.
The NFL has some of the most passionate fanbases in American sports. Predominantly determined by geography, most NFL fans remain devoted to the same team their entire lives. For most, there have been great highs and great lows through the history of their fandom. For others, it is mostly made up of the lows.
Psychologists say that our view of the future is shaped by the past. We tend to use memories of past experiences to predict what our life will be like in the future. A study demonstrates the likelihood to make more specific predictions for our future when imagining that future in a familiar place as opposed to an unfamiliar place.
Of course, psychologists are studying the human minds’ perspective on day-to-day life. But, could this same study be applied to how sports fans view their team year in and year out?
The Detroit Perspective
Most of the Detroit Lions’ fanbase awoke Monday morning with an ever so familiar phrase stuck in their heads. “Same old Lions”. Their team lost on Sunday afternoon, to a 1-9 Redskins team that appeared to be tanking throughout the season. It was Detroit’s lowest low of the past few years, to say the least.
Lows are something that Lions fans have become all to familiar with. From having statistically the worst team in NFL history in 2008, to only achieving one combined playoff win between two of the franchises all-time talents in Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson, Detroit football has never really known what it’s like to sit near the top. They’ve achieved a total of one playoff win in the past 62 years.
If those 62 years for the Lions were to be summed up with one word, that word would be: losing.
It’s all that a majority of Lions fans know, is losing. There’s a few bright spots here and there. The team was just one play, or maybe a blown call away from making the next step. However, it’s all ended the same way over the past six decades.
So when the team finished with their second straight 9-7 season in 2017, they decided to move on from the 26th coach in the franchise’s history, Jim Caldwell. It was a move that was expected, barring a division title. There was a new regime that was entering Detroit. Management did not tolerate the mediocrity that Caldwell was criticized for.
Fans were, for the most part, excited about the new hire that was to replace Caldwell. Matt Patricia, named head coach of the Detroit Lions on February 5, 2018, had just spent 14 years with the New England Patriots. He won three super bowls with one of the most dominant dynasties in sports history, calling defensive plays for two of those championships.
It was one of the most exciting and ambitious moves made by Lions management in recent memory. With both the General Manager and newly appointed head coach hailing from an immensely successful Patriots organization, Lions fans had legitimate reason to be hopeful.
There’s one problem with having hope as a Lions fan. It’s not because of that baseless and ridiculous phrase mentioned earlier. It’s because, as I said, all Lions fans know is losing. What does a Lions fan know about how a good head coach is supposed to build his team in this organization? The team has never had a good coach, not in the past six decades at least.
This is an organization that is even divided on its appreciation for its franchise quarterback. Matthew Stafford is one of the organization’s most loyal and reliable players in its history. Every year, Lions fans are divided on whether or not the team should move off of him, or if he is the one to blame for the team’s struggles. How would a Lions fan know what a franchise quarterback is supposed to look like in Detroit? They’ve never had one, before Stafford.
Lions fans’ view of the future is shaped by their past, and their past is made up of losing.
With Matt Patricia at the helm in his first season, the Lions went a disappointing 6-10, finishing last in the NFC North. After a successful offseason in free agency, a solid draft class from GM Bob Quinn and Stafford returning with full health, the Lions were fully prepared for a run at the division in 2019.
It didn’t take long for that infamous Lions phrase to be uttered once again this season. After a coaching error where the sideline called a timeout on what looked to be a game sealing 3rd-down conversion, the Lions crumbled to the Arizona Cardinals, who forced overtime. In what ultimately felt like a defeat, the game ended in a tie.
Fast forward ten weeks later, and the Lions are sitting dead last in the NFC North with a 3-7-1 record. Lions fans back in a familiar place, losing. A majority of them are also calling for head coach Matt Patricia to be fired, because he hasn’t met the fans’ standards.
In the face of the constant losing, Lions fans want to stand up and expect more from their organization, and they have every right to.
But when the toxicity of a fanbase becomes so blinding that they are unable to see a future they’ve never even experienced, that’s when there is a problem. It becomes a cycle. As mentioned before, Lions fans have never known what a good coach is supposed to look like in Detroit.
The San Francisco Perspective
Taking a look at another fanbase in the NFL, San Francisco 49ers fans woke up on Monday with a smile on their face, I’m sure of it. Their team just improved to 10-1 after a convincing 37-8 win over the Green Bay Packers, another NFC division leader. Head Coach Kyle Shanahan, in the middle of his third year in San Francisco, has finally got the 49ers rolling.
Shanahan was named head coach of the 49ers franchise on February 5, 2017. In his first two seasons as the head of one of the most historic franchises in the league, he had a combined record of 10-22. The organization made some big moves on the defensive side of the ball this past off season, they got their quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo back healthy, and they’re cruising through their 2019 schedule and tied for the best record in the league.
I understand making an example out of the Lions and the 49ers is a very unique comparison to use, and different comparisons can be made all day, but the polar opposite histories of each organization make for an interesting observation.
Since 1957, in the time that the Lions have achieved a total of one playoff win, the 49ers have compiled 30. Plain and simple, they are historically a winning franchise. NFL Legends like Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Dwight Clark and Steve Young have all helped to lay this foundation. It’s a tradition that 49ers fans will always know, remember and be a part of.
49ers fans know what a franchise quarterback looks like in San Francisco, and they can appreciate it. They certainly know what a good coach is supposed to look like. Look no further than Bill Walsh. The legendary coach started his 49ers tenure with an 8-24 record through two seasons, it was rough. His third season? The 49ers went 13-3, and ended up winning the super bowl.
So, why didn’t a majority of 49ers fans call for Coach Shanahan’s job halfway through last season? Because they know a good coach when they see one, and it’s paying off now.
The 49ers fans’ view of the future is shaped by their successful past.
Here’s the point I’m trying to make. The past two seasons for the Lions have been rough. Especially considering the amount of hope fans had for this new regime. No excuses are being made here, just trying to use the voice of reason. Maybe Matt Patricia isn’t made out to be a successful NFL head coach, let alone for the Detroit Lions. However, as a fanbase, we certainly are in no place to determine that.
The Lions fanbase has no clear perspective on what the near future has the potential to hold, and we need to stop using our own pathetic past to make an attempt at determining it.
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