If you live in Michigan, there is a good chance you are familiar with and maybe even a fan of one or more Detroit sports teams. The NBA Detroit Pistons, NHL Detroit Red Wings, NFL Detroit Lions, and MLB Detroit Tigers are the four major professional American sports that our state has, which sets us apart because only 12 other states have all four as well. If you have had the experience of being a fan of any of these teams, or even more so all of these teams, then you know the pure joy they can bring…along with the agony.

I have been a devoted fan to all Detroit teams (plus the University of Michigan Wolverines) since I can remember and for the last 10 or years have developed enough sports knowledge to study them intently. Granted, I was born in Detroit and have loyalty to my city, but even throughout my eight years of living in Indiana, I remained a huge fan (which is a big deal because to be a fan of anything Michigan in Indiana is basically taking a risk with your life). I love my Michigan sports teams, but they have also hurt me dearly. Being a Detroit sports fan means having to accept that a lot of the times, if we are good, it’s probably too good to be true. The principle holds true for games where we lead until the final minutes and then blow it at the end, to seasons where we start out strong and just can’t finish. The Lions have never won the Super Bowl, and are 1-3 this season already. The Tigers just lost their last game of the season 1-0 to the Atlanta Braves, and consequently missed the playoffs for another year. The Pistons had a promising season last year, and after about 7 years straight of missing the playoffs, they made it in 2016 but got swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Red Wings lost last year in the first round of the playoffs to the Tampa Bay Lightning, but have a new season starting shortly that will hopefully hold more promise.

Although it is hard being a Detroit sports fan, and it causes near-physical pain when one of our teams misses the playoffs, loses a game, or just acts completely dumb (looking at you, Lions offensive and defensive line), it does make the wins that much more precious and valuable when we get them. It puts us on Cloud 9 until the next week, when we will probably mess up and lose again. Such is the life of a Michigan sports fan, and I’m happy to wear whatever colors the game at hand dictates and ride the rollercoaster all season long.