Here are five reasons Detroit Lions fans should be rooting for the Baltimore Ravens over the San Francisco 49ers. Photo Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Another Super Bowl is upon us and like the 46 that preceded this year’s edition, the Detroit Lions will not participate. So who is a Lions fan to root for? Some could take the “who cares” or “I just want to see a good game” approach, but games, particularly big games, are much more fun with a rooting interest. Here are five reasons Detroit Lions fans should want the Baltimore Ravens to beat the San Francisco 49ers.
5. Rust Belt Rivalry
Detroit fans and Cleveland fans tend to not like each other very much. The former Cleveland Browns never made it to a Super Bowl, but this would be the team’s second championship since Art Modell moved the Browns to Baltimore to become the Ravens after the 1995 season. Another Ravens Super Bowl win is another twist of the knife in Cleveland sports fans’ back.
4. Underdogs
Detroit Lions fans don’t know what it is like to have a team in the Super Bowl, but we know a little something about being an underdog. We’re not front-running fans, so why would we root for the favorite? In the absence of a vested interest, fans should always root for the upset and that means cheering on the Ravens on Sunday.
3. They’re Coming to Town in 2013
The Baltimore Ravens are one of eight teams that will make a trip to play the Lions at Ford Field during the 2013 season. Entering as the defending Super Bowl champs would give that game a little extra panache.
2. World Series Payback
The thought of a championship going to San Francisco should still make Detroit sports fans queasy. The last championship in major American sports was won by the San Francisco Giants after they swept the Detroit Tigers to earn the right to celebrate in the center of the Comerica Park diamond. It was a gut punch for Detroit sports fans, a Ravens win allows San Francisco sports fans to feel the same way.
Oct 16, 2011; Detroit, MI, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh (left) fights with Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz after the game at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber- USA TODAY Sports
1. Watching the 49ers Lose Would Be a Back-Slapping Good Time
The Jim Harbaugh-Jim Schwartz handshake/back-slap incident following the 2011 meeting between the Lions and 49ers has outlived its shelf life as a compelling storyline when the two teams meet, but that doesn’t mean we can’t hold it against Harbaugh as he seeks football’s biggest prize. Harbaugh and the 49ers got a road win over the previously unbeaten Lions back on that October day and the effect was apparently so intoxicating he acted like he won the Super Bowl that afternoon. May he never know football joy again.
Are you convinced?