Okay, by a show of hands, how many of you watched the last two minutes of the Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons National Football League game this past Sunday?
Now, by another show of hands, how many of you turned the game off with after the two minute warning mark in the fourth quarter?
If you raised your hand for question Number Two, I don’t blame you because the game was following script for another head-shaking loss for your Lions. I also feel kinda’ bad for you, because the last two minutes of the game were really incredible to watch. The Lions actually won as the Falcons did a pretty darned good job of impersonating the Lions of lore.
As a franchise, the Detroit team has got to be one of the worst managed in the league — well at least since 1964 or so when the Ford family took over. I say all that to say, we fans also suck. No kidding, get a load of this.
Recently I received a press release from Matt Zajechowski of Digital Third Coast out of Chicago. The opening paragraph intrigued me. “As a long lifelong Lions fan, it seems like we should have more to complain about than just about any other NFL franchise right? (Matt Millen, the Calvin Rule, wasting Calvin Johnson & Barry Sanders, drafting another tight end in the first round, Matt Patricia’s 4th quarter super bowl play that we weren’t in . . . I could go on, but I won’t). MI Bets recently surveyed 5,100 fans from across the country to determine which NFL players, coaches and fanbases complain the most.”
Guess what? Even though the Lions have found more unique and interesting ways to lose than any team in the history of sports, as fans, we didn’t even rank in the top 10 of complainers. That’s astonishing to me. In the Detroit Lions universe, we all — players, coaches and fans — have been Lionised. We can’t do anything right, not even complain the most.
According to the survey, the top NFL fanbases who complain the most: 1. Dallas Cowboys 2. New England Patriots 3. Buffalo Bills 4. Chicago Bears 5. Philadelphia Eagles. (No wonder I hate Dallas so much. America’s team, BAH!)
The survey also said the Lions’ fans’ most annoying trait was having a “victim” mentality. Boy, I sure get that one. Is there a fanbase more of a victim than the Lions’? I doubt it.
In case you wanna’ know, here are the nuts and bolts of the survey: From September 22 to October 8, 2020, the MI Bet folks surveyed 5,103 people to determine which NFL players, coaches and fanbases complain the most. 57% of respondents were male and 43% were female. The average age of respondents was 36-years-old.

To see the whole report, click here.

 
* * *
I have found myself listening to more sports talk radio (97.1 on your FM dial, aka The Ticket) and audio books than ever (thank you public library for having free audiobooks). At the same time, I have tuned out most TV watching. Pourquoi? I bet you’re asking. (For those not in the know, that’s “why?” in French.)
The answer is quite simple: Political Advertising. Have you ever seen a more mean-spirited political season? And, the sheer number of broadcast TV ads for Democrats and Republicans — wholey moley! I think we can probably fund something the country really needs if politicians voted to tax all the money they raise for advertising. And, while they’re at it, any money that they get but don’t spend could go back into some worthwhile cause, like supporting a third party.
Just a thought, well, more of a pipe-dream because we all know that will never happen.
* * *
If you are caught up in the politics of the day, sharing your views on social media and, in general, being agitated, I recommend you watch the 2020 documentary titled, “The Social Dilemma.” As, not to give too much away, here’s the synopsis: “Tech experts sound the alarm on the dangerous human impact of social networking.”
Basically it says all those social networks we have signed up for, are, in essence not selling us a service, rather selling us to whoever has the money to buy us.
* * *
Received another press release this past week (we get a bunch every day), this one from a Sarah Strackhouse, who worked as a reporter for 10 years, somewhere in the United States. She was pitching a story on first-time buyers “fuel pandemic-related surge in gun sales.”
I found this interesting, too.
“Gun retailers and industry analysts say it’s normal for Americans to stock up on firearms and ammo during an election year. In many cases, the analysts say, the surge is motivated by fears that a Democratic president might expand restrictions on gun ownership. But this year’s sales spike is different because it’s being driven by a rise in first-time gun buyers, especially among African Americans and women.”
I reckon the country is getting more equal all the time.
Send your comments to, DontRushDon@gmail.com

  don rush, don’t rush me