Confessions of a fool

I live in the Indianapolis area.

One year, I had Lions season tickets.

Why? Well, for one thing, I'd been to my first Lions game the year before, and it was kind of nice to be around a bunch of people all rooting for the same team. (And they beat the Packers, and that Favre guy.) And I had some extra money and some time on my hands. (Too much time on my hands ... so I do this ...) And they were good. (Relatively speaking. They'd just made the playoffs for the fifth time in seven seasons. And they had a pretty good running back.)

So I bought the tickets and was immediately acquainted with one of the sad facts of NFL fanship (and, I suppose, pro sports in general).

Exhibition games are included. At full price. Yeah, not going to those.

So anyway, I went to the first five regular-season games, watched the Lions play like crap, figured out how long a drive it was if you made it twice in one day, and then skipped the last three games (Thanksgiving, cold weather, and Christmas).

But through all that, I never got treated like this.

Yep, they messed with a season-ticket-holder's seats (happens from time to time, especially with reconfigurations), promised to fix it, and then didn't. And then when he wrote to see if it could be resolved, the guy presumably forwarded it to his boss, copying the ticketholder, asking for help.

And the boss wrote something back, relaying a not-particularly-complimentary exchange about similar issues, mentioning that it wouldn't be addressed this season, using a four-letter word that sounds like "Firetruck".

And he replied to all.

oops.

The Consumerist posted something about the article as well, and then Football Outsiders referenced that, all the while trailing confused fans from other teams in their wake. You mean you can just go up and get more season tickets? (Teams like the Packers, Giants, and Redskins have long waiting lists. Long, as in bequeathing places on the waiting list to heirs.) And why would you root for this team anyway? Is it any wonder they stink when management treats the best customers like that?

That's right. That's my team. Heck, that's the team that's the reason for my username.

Not a well-respected Division I school.

Not a school with a slightly better academic reputation.

And not the CFL team. (Too bad. They've won more titles, all more recently than Detroit's last title, and they're coming off a 14-win season.)

Nope. My team is the team run by fools, clowns, and jackasses.

It could be worse. There are other cities with a lot less to cheer about. I've got a team in the Finals in one sport and a team in the semis in another; my teams won titles in 1984, 1989, 1990, 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2004, and they made the finals in 1995, 2005, and 2006. At least only one of the franchises is a complete wreck.