Because our town borders Wisconsin, the Menominee River separates us here, NFL fans heavily favor the Packers. Green Bay, at about an hour and half drive, is much closer than Detroit at about an eight hour drive.

Add to that the fact that the Lions have not given anyone anything to actually cheer about in many, many years. In fact, the Lions have one only one playoff win in my lifetime. I guess that wouldn’t be so bad if I were, say, five years old. However, seeing as I am in my mid-fifties, one playoff victory in over five decades is horribly pathetic. Actually, pathetic is putting it way too lightly…perhaps dog-vomit awful? So it’s actually a logical and more self-preservative choice to root for the Pack.

Lions fans here must endure smug Packer fans who get to bask in victory frequently. Why be a Lion fan, I’m asked? Well, that’s a great question! The most accurate answer is that being a Lions fan isn’t really about fandom, it’s about a horrible addiction. Think about it–an addiction means one continues a habit even though one knows it is unhealthy and will end badly. Lions fans KNOW this! In my lifetime the Lions have made an art of discovering amazing ways to lose, penalty time run-offs, a record setting field goal bouncing off the crossbar by the other team, getting absolutely stomped by Washington following that singular playoff victory and on and on and on!

So we know it will end badly, yet we still come back for punishment time and time again. This is an addiction! It’s not healthy, but we still do it. Mind you I’m not the most faithful. I long ago decided that Lions fans get a pass on deciding to root for other teams while they wait for the “someday” that the Lions won’t suck. Tom Brady having been a Wolverine has made picking a back up team to cheer for quite easy (thanks Tom!).

Rooting for whatever team Brady is on has also provided me with opportunities to treat Packerland fans with my own occasional smugness in return (thanks Tom!).

So while I root for the Lions to continue to lose in order to secure a better draft pick (a very common position for Lions addicts…usually by the middle of the NFL season and sometimes sooner), I am hopeful for a Bucs Packers playoff game and the ability to say, “Keep your arrogant Rodgers, Tom Terrific won again!”