For the Detroit Lions, home-field advantage is real
The Detroit Lions’ fan experience creates a very real on-field benefit to the team as the Arizona Cardinals found out in Week 1 at Ford Field.
If you get the chance to head to Ford Field to root on the Detroit Lions in person, take it. As an out-of-state fan, I’ve watched many games on television at home or at a local sports bar. And after seeing the season opening 35-23 victory against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, the television experience doesn’t even come close to the real thing.
There are obvious factors we could mention. The cost of food and beverage at a game is going to be more than sitting at home. But if you want to feel the energy surrounding a game, witness the intense moments of every third down and be part of the crowd erupting for a Lions touchdown, you need to be at the stadium. Look at it as an investment in upgrading your experience.
The new video boards at each end zone are huge. They give you a great view of important replays wherever you’re sitting. They get fans on their feet with “Defense” and “On Your Feet” graphics in sync with their booming sound system.
It’s hard not to get dragged into the atmosphere. It’s electric. It even caused the Cardinals to receive a false start penalty. The noise meter on the video boards showed more than 110 decibels more than once during the game as fans made their presence known. The home field advantage was real.
If you get to the stadium early enough, head down to the player’s field entrance. You’ll get to see your favorite players up close. Bring a sharpie and you might be lucky enough to score a signature. Trust me, it’s worth it.
After the kickoff, you get a view of the entire field. All the action unframed. You’ll never get that on television as they follow the ball and you can only hope it’s going to an open receiver. The cameras and production team do the best they can, but it’s never as good as the real thing.
In the stadium, you can see that Lions rookie wide receiver Kenny Golladay has his man beat deep and are just waiting for Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford to throw the ball with a sense of the greatness that’s about to happen – the resulting 45-yard touchdown pass.
On that same play, you might miss that Lions tight end Eric Ebron pull attention from the linebacker and safety on the same side of the field as Golladay. Double covering Ebron on the curl route left one-on-one coverage on the outside, which was quickly exploited.
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It’s the details you can see as they happen that make the difference. There’s no waiting and hoping for a replay or hoping the announcers give you more info. You see it all unfold before your eyes. You’re screaming and high-fiving everyone around you. You’re celebrating a shared experience as One Pride. Here’s to hoping you can make it to Ford Field to do the same for more Lions victories this season.