Detroit Lions End Zones Are Most Definitely Not Blue, At Least Right Now
By Zac Snyder
About three weeks ago I made a post presenting what I believed to be evidence that the Detroit Lions might paint their end zones blue for the first time since leaving the Pontiac Silverdome over a decade ago.
Oct 10, 2011; Detroit, MI, USA; A general view of Ford Filed before the game between the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
Changes in the field’s appearance on the 2013 seating chart caught my eye and since there is nothing about the sections or ticket prices that change for the upcoming season, there was no reason for the image to change at all. But it had, why?
Well, I’m still not sure on the why but the reason is apparently not because the field will actually contain blue painted end zones. Or at least that is what Tom Lewand has said as recently as last week.
My original post got picked up by Doug Karsch and Scott Anderson on the midday show on 97.1 The Ticket and some listeners claiming to work in the offices at Ford Field said the end zones had already been painted blue. At least that part turns out to not be true.
The Detroit Free Press posted a video yesterday which helps to explain the technology improvements that will give fans the ability to connect to an in-stadium WiFi network to watch replays on their personal devices. That video clearly shows that the end zones are not blue, although no paint has been applied to the field whatsoever. Take a look:
The end zones are not blue and Lewand says they have no plans to make them blue. Topic over? Maybe, maybe not. It seems like it should be a dead issue at this point but I still can’t find a reason why a graphic on the team’s page that has no other reason for changing would look any different than it did in the past. If the sections are the same and the prices are the same and the field is going to be painted the same, why does the seating chart image not look the same? Until that question is answered my brain won’t let me close the issue in my mind.
The Lions are hosting an exclusive season ticket holder event on April 9 in which one of the items on the evening’s agenda is “a unique opportunity to top off the new FieldTurf” according to the invitation sent to season ticket holders. I have no idea what it means to “top off” new turf (stand on it?) but perhaps the Lions are waiting for this event to show off a more exciting field paint scheme rather than confirming it ahead of time because some observant blogger (me) made a big deal about it.