Is Detroit Becoming a True Sports City Again?

It's been a long time since the city of Detroit, and other Michigan residents have been able to brag about their home state professional sports teams. I'll even throw the Michigan Wolverines in there as well since many fans of the pro teams in Detroit are also fans of the University of Michigan. Many Michigan sports fans have decided to not talk about sports because it's too painful and they have been used to not having much to say.

For reference, Tigers and Pistons fans haven't been able to say much since the mid 2000s, the Red Wings were hanging on to their 25 straight post season appearances streak, but that ended, and well the lions haven't been great since the 90's. Although this has been the trend, with the current state of Detroit sports that may be changing as the old Detroit feel is starting to come back.

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Even though it's October and the baseball season is coming to an end, the other 3 sports seasons are either just getting started or just getting to the meat and potatoes of the schedule. If you take a look on social media or ride around Detroit there is a ton of love being shown to all their sports teams right now, which I believed is rightfully deserved with how the teams are currently playing.

Tigers

We'll start with the Tigers since there isn't much to say with their season already being over. The Tigers didn't make the playoffs this year, but they did get closer. The team is starting to come together and grow to enjoy each other and playing baseball in the D. They gave Miguel "Miggy" Cabrera a proper farewell tour and now it's time for business. They'll look to make a playoff push next year and build upon the multiple 5+ game winning streaks they had this year.

Pistons

The Pistons are up next but that's because they have only played one game so far this season. They are probably the most intriguing team in town as they have so many unknown pieces. This is the first time of that the young core of the Pistons will be completely healthy as Cade Cunningham and crew are ready to go. They dropped the first game of the season to the Miami Heat by 1. I'm excited to see if this team lives up to its potential or not.

Red Wings

The Red Wings have been on an absolute tear to start off the NHL season. They are currently sitting at 5-1-1 and are 2nd in the entire Atlantic Division. Their record is also good enough for 5th in the league as only 4 teams are ahead of them since they haven't lost yet. At this point the Red Wings offense has been on FIRE as they lead the league with 34 goals and have only given up 20 for a +14-score differential which is 3rd best in the league. General Manager Steve Yzerman and the Red Wings will look to continue this success and return to the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

Lions

Last but certainly not least are the wonderful Detroit Lions. Some are ready to throw in the towel on the Lions already, exclaiming that they are no different than the other years after a tough loss to a very good Baltimore Ravens team. The Lions are currently 5-2 and are leading the NFC North. It looks as if they will win the division and make their first playoff appearance since 2016. They're defense has been remarkable, holding everyone they've played but the Ravens to under 100 rushing yards.

I'm not saying that any of these teams are the best in the league or should be considered favorites to win any of the awards or trophies that are given out at the end of each season. What I am saying though is that the people of Detroit, Michigan, and other sports fans can start to acknowledge the greatness that's occurring before it's too late.