By Tyler Roth
Every journalist and economic pundit seems to have an opinion on Detroit’s decline, from rampant police corruption to widespread home foreclosures to downright bizarre, leftist politicians. It is a city that has become synonymous with tragedy and shorthand for failure.
Looking at Detroit's history, the twentieth century proved to be quite a roller coaster. It boomed in the first quarter of the century, giving rise to the "Big Three" (Ford, Chrysler, and GM) and thus was appropriately nicknamed the Motor City. In the second quarter, President Franklin Roosevelt christened Detroit “the great arsenal of democracy”, referring to the automotive industry’s rapid commitment to World War II arms production. The third quarter was marked by a gentle economic decline, and by the last quarter of the century Detroit had transformed itself into decay. At its peak in 1950, it was the fifth-largest city in the U.S. with a population of 1.8 million. By 2000, residency had plummeted to 950,000.
Then, with the onset of the 21st century, Detroit made a move that would seal their fate in a whole further realm for nearly the next decade. In 2001, Matthew George Millen was named President, CEO, and acting general manager of the Detroit Lions. During Millen’s reign, the Lions .277 winning percentage was among the worst ever compiled by an NFL team. One might find it even difficult to discern what abysmal statistic from Millen’s tenure is the most embarrassing. From 2001-2003, the Lions failed to win a single road game (0-24) and in 2008, the team posted the NFL’s first-ever, full season winless record (0-16).
In 2005, allegedly, a "Fire Millen" chant broke out amongst some disgruntled fans at a Michigan State Spartans basketball game. The anti-Millen movement flourished as the chant was echoed at the arenas of the Michigan Wolverines, Detroit Pistons and Detroit Red Wings throughout the 2006 and 2007 seasons. Finally, on September 24, 2008, the prayers of Detroit fans were answered and Matt Millen was relieved of all duties with the Lions franchise.
Now fast forward three years to this past Monday night where the Lions took to the field and dropped the defending NFC North champions, Chicago Bears, 24-13. Not only was this their first appearance on “Monday Night Football” in over a decade (last appearance, Oct. 8, 2001, 35-0 loss to the Rams) but it solidified their first 5-0 start to a season since 1956. Led by Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson, aka “Megatron”, the 2011 Lions have overcome both 20- and 24- point deficits to achieve their flawless start to the year.
When asked after the Monday night game in front of a record attendance at Ford Field just how big of a win this was for the Detroit Lions, coach Jim Schwartz responded, "this was a big night for the city". As the old proverb goes, it is always darkest before the dawn. For the city of Detroit, recovery from such a violent economic downward spiral will take more than a drastically improved football team. Hopefully, however, it gives us pause to reflect on this city’s great heritage and leaves us with a small example of the patience and audacity necessary to overcome the darkest of days.
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