Detroit Lions: Alternate universe athletes – Bo Jackson

Sports has given us a chance to see some truly exceptional athletes. Which star player do you wish could have suited up for the Detroit Lions?

There are great athletes from all over the realm of sports who we wish could play on our favorite teams. The dream combinations are nearly endless and it’s always fun to imagine different player/team combinations as if we lived in an alternate universe.

With the Detroit Lions’ current need for more talent at tight end, what if NBA megastar LeBron James took his talents from the hardwood to the gridiron and took the field as Detroit’s new starting tight end! At that position, he could definitely use his incredible athleticism to catch plenty of rifle-armed passes from quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Seeing something like that would be amazing right?!

I know these scenarios would never happen but that’s what makes them so fun. I am a huge fan of sports in general and I am always thinking about ”what if” scenarios that put great athletes in Honolulu blue and silver.

In my opinion, Barry Sanders was the greatest running back of all time but as great as his career was, it would have been absolutely phenomenal if Bo Jackson had been a Detroit Lion!

Bo Jackson, the Bessemer, AL native, was such a sports legend in his day that his myth often overtakes his reality. Most people don’t even realize that he only played for 38 games in the NFL.

A career ending hip injury in 1991 prematurely ended the 1985 Heisman Trophy winner’s pro football future but during his brief NFL tenure, he was one of the most popular and highly marketed athletes ever.

For as legendary as he is around Detroit, Barry’s humility led him to not actively seek the spotlight. Bo Jackson however, was electric.

With the iconic “Bo Knows” Nike ad campaigns, Jackson’s fame and popularity skyrocketed to new levels which made him a household name.

Bo Jackson’s video game avatar in the Tecmo Bowl game is still revered as the greatest (and most dominant) digital representation of an athlete.

Star power of that magnitude has never really been seen in Detroit and that is the part that interests me the most about this would be dream pairing of player and team. Bo’s on-field play and off-field media presence could have potentially lured the pro bowl caliber quarterback that Sanders never had the opportunity to play with during his illustrious career.

The hypotheticals are virtually limitless when it comes to projecting what could have happened in Detroit with the former dual sport legend, Bo Jackson.

All things considered (including Barry’s early retirement), I am ultimately glad that things happened the way that they did. Even though Emmitt Smith did go on to break Walter Payton‘s all-time NFL rushing record, Lions fans know in their heart of hearts that that record was honestly Barry’s for the taking if he had truly wanted it. Sanders would have shattered the mark years before Emmitt was even statistically in the neighborhood.

The old football adage states that the best type of ability is availability and Barry had that in spades to go along with his amazing production.

Jackson’s football career may have been brief but during the height of his ability and fame, there was no other professional athlete like him and his number 34 jersey would have looked even better in the Honolulu blue and silver of the Detroit Lions!