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Mitch Albom: The end of a perfect weekend: Lions, NFL draft, Detroit, all went great
Mitch Albom
Detroit Free Press
The stage is empty and the deconstruction will soon begin, rafters coming down, seats removed, trucks carting away the various booths, exhibits and pavilions from their venues. But like the family cleanup after a wedding, there’s a wistful joy in the farewell, because the memory is indelible.
And this was. Indelible. Let’s just say it. The NFL draft was one of the best things to hit this city in decades. If the Chamber of Commerce went to Fantasy Land and asked three fairy godmothers for a gift, it would have looked like this. Detroit did more for its reputation in the last three days than it has in the last 10 years.
We were massively organized. We were good hosts. We shared the party in different pockets of the city. We even arranged for decent weather. On top of that, our team drafted really well.
The reward was a sea of humanity that broke attendance records, and when you break a record in the NFL, you are doing something. Campus Martius was Woodstock without the mud. Hart Plaza was Disneyland on a summer weekend. I spent many hours these last three days scooping desserts at the Detroit Water Ice Factory on Woodward, and at times, we had a line that spanned a city block. No one got impatient. Everyone was in a good mood. Young couples stood next to grandparents, who stood next to toddlers in colorful wagons.
“Yo, Detroit is ON THE MAP!” I heard one happy local yell. “This is BIG TIME!”
Our city: Absolutely a first-round pick
Of course, we’ve always been on the map. And we should have always been big time, given the size and history of our city. But you know how it’s been. For so many years, no media came to Detroit unless they were doing a hit job on Devil’s Night. One of our biggest tourist attractions was a burned-out auto factory. People snapped photos. Poverty porn.
After this weekend, we should declare those days history. Remember, more than 50 million people watch the draft. Over three days. That’s an awful lot of eyeballs on the beauty shots of our skyline, our waterfront, the RenCen, the mass of happy people filling Woodward like gumballs in a giant glass container.
And let’s be honest. Football lighting is elite lighting. When the NFL blesses you, you take it. It’s a bit like Taylor Swift saying she likes your clothing shop. People pay attention and crowds are sure to follow. I’m betting a good percentage of people who came to Detroit for the first time this weekend will come back again. You can’t buy that. We looked good. We hosted well. We surprised a lot of people.
Who knew an event in which the primary activity is reading names off cards could do so much for a hungry metropolis?
Lions GM may be happiest guy in the city
Speaking of those cards, the Detroit Lions and their fans were pretty ecstatic about the top names being read. General manager Brad Holmes was so giddy in his remarks about trading up five spots to nab Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold in the first round, I thought they’d have to tie him down to keep him from floating off to nirvana.
“We couldn’t be more ecstatic or thrilled (with) how it went,” he said,
He was almost equally happy with his second round pick, Ennis Rakestraw Jr. from Missouri, who fell to the Lions without a trade. “Hate to sound like a broken record,” Holmes told the media, “but again thrilled with how it fell tonight.”
Holmes spent Day 3 moving all over the place, trading up twice for players that were not as obvious a need as the cornerbacks he drafted Thursday and Friday. Sending next year’s third-round pick for a fourth-round project offensive lineman in 6-foot-8 Giovanni Manu from (ahem) the University of British Columbia is a head-scratcher for sure, but Holmes has earned the right to take his chances.
Same holds for the dual threat running back/defensive back Sione Vaki, whom Holmes chased with a trade with Philadelphia. But hey, never let it be said that this GM sits on his hands. He worked the draft like a man at the craps table, moving chips on this number and that number, playing his hunches. Remember, a lot of people thought Sam LaPorta was a reach, too.
The best part of all this analysis is that for the first time in a long time, draft picks weren’t the biggest dollop of hope for the Lions. Everyone seems to think they are already returning a Super Bowl contending team. And if the huge number of blue jerseys in the more than 700,000 visitors were any indication, there’s an awful lot of Lion pride in this city outside of the locker room.
Someone asked me if this draft would have been the same success if the Lions were still lousy, and I thought about it, and the answer is no. We’d still have done a nice hosting job. But this weekend felt like the confluence of respect for the NFL and NFL respect. Like that fan yelled out, we are on the map, we belong on the map, and people who just love football now love Detroit football as well.
That’s a wrap, folks. The draft is over. The circus is moving on. Thank you all for coming, for enjoying, for spending your money, and for getting to know us. And don’t forget to tell your friends to come by for a visit. We’re a friendly bunch — although I will say a woman came into our shop on Saturday wearing a Green Bay Packers jersey, and since the Lions fans jeered the Packers when they selected Thursday night, I felt compelled to say something.
“Sorry about the booing,” I offered. “We’re usually nicer than that.”
“That’s OK,” she said, grinning, “we all know who the better team is.”
“Not last year,” I said.
She shrugged in defeat. And I have to admit, that felt good, demanding a little respect for our oft-jilted city.
I just hope she doesn’t drive past that new Detroit sign on her way out.
Contact Mitch Albom: malbom@freepress.com. Check out the latest updates with his charities, books and events at MitchAlbom.com. Follow him @mitchalbom.
Mitch Albom: The end of a perfect weekend: Lions, NFL draft, Detroit, all went great
Mitch Albom
Detroit Free Press
The stage is empty and the deconstruction will soon begin, rafters coming down, seats removed, trucks carting away the various booths, exhibits and pavilions from their venues. But like the family cleanup after a wedding, there’s a wistful joy in the farewell, because the memory is indelible.
And this was. Indelible. Let’s just say it. The NFL draft was one of the best things to hit this city in decades. If the Chamber of Commerce went to Fantasy Land and asked three fairy godmothers for a gift, it would have looked like this. Detroit did more for its reputation in the last three days than it has in the last 10 years.
We were massively organized. We were good hosts. We shared the party in different pockets of the city. We even arranged for decent weather. On top of that, our team drafted really well.
The reward was a sea of humanity that broke attendance records, and when you break a record in the NFL, you are doing something. Campus Martius was Woodstock without the mud. Hart Plaza was Disneyland on a summer weekend. I spent many hours these last three days scooping desserts at the Detroit Water Ice Factory on Woodward, and at times, we had a line that spanned a city block. No one got impatient. Everyone was in a good mood. Young couples stood next to grandparents, who stood next to toddlers in colorful wagons.
“Yo, Detroit is ON THE MAP!” I heard one happy local yell. “This is BIG TIME!”
Our city: Absolutely a first-round pick
Of course, we’ve always been on the map. And we should have always been big time, given the size and history of our city. But you know how it’s been. For so many years, no media came to Detroit unless they were doing a hit job on Devil’s Night. One of our biggest tourist attractions was a burned-out auto factory. People snapped photos. Poverty porn.
After this weekend, we should declare those days history. Remember, more than 50 million people watch the draft. Over three days. That’s an awful lot of eyeballs on the beauty shots of our skyline, our waterfront, the RenCen, the mass of happy people filling Woodward like gumballs in a giant glass container.
And let’s be honest. Football lighting is elite lighting. When the NFL blesses you, you take it. It’s a bit like Taylor Swift saying she likes your clothing shop. People pay attention and crowds are sure to follow. I’m betting a good percentage of people who came to Detroit for the first time this weekend will come back again. You can’t buy that. We looked good. We hosted well. We surprised a lot of people.
Who knew an event in which the primary activity is reading names off cards could do so much for a hungry metropolis?
Lions GM may be happiest guy in the city
Speaking of those cards, the Detroit Lions and their fans were pretty ecstatic about the top names being read. General manager Brad Holmes was so giddy in his remarks about trading up five spots to nab Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold in the first round, I thought they’d have to tie him down to keep him from floating off to nirvana.
“We couldn’t be more ecstatic or thrilled (with) how it went,” he said,
He was almost equally happy with his second round pick, Ennis Rakestraw Jr. from Missouri, who fell to the Lions without a trade. “Hate to sound like a broken record,” Holmes told the media, “but again thrilled with how it fell tonight.”
Holmes spent Day 3 moving all over the place, trading up twice for players that were not as obvious a need as the cornerbacks he drafted Thursday and Friday. Sending next year’s third-round pick for a fourth-round project offensive lineman in 6-foot-8 Giovanni Manu from (ahem) the University of British Columbia is a head-scratcher for sure, but Holmes has earned the right to take his chances.
Same holds for the dual threat running back/defensive back Sione Vaki, whom Holmes chased with a trade with Philadelphia. But hey, never let it be said that this GM sits on his hands. He worked the draft like a man at the craps table, moving chips on this number and that number, playing his hunches. Remember, a lot of people thought Sam LaPorta was a reach, too.
The best part of all this analysis is that for the first time in a long time, draft picks weren’t the biggest dollop of hope for the Lions. Everyone seems to think they are already returning a Super Bowl contending team. And if the huge number of blue jerseys in the more than 700,000 visitors were any indication, there’s an awful lot of Lion pride in this city outside of the locker room.
Someone asked me if this draft would have been the same success if the Lions were still lousy, and I thought about it, and the answer is no. We’d still have done a nice hosting job. But this weekend felt like the confluence of respect for the NFL and NFL respect. Like that fan yelled out, we are on the map, we belong on the map, and people who just love football now love Detroit football as well.
That’s a wrap, folks. The draft is over. The circus is moving on. Thank you all for coming, for enjoying, for spending your money, and for getting to know us. And don’t forget to tell your friends to come by for a visit. We’re a friendly bunch — although I will say a woman came into our shop on Saturday wearing a Green Bay Packers jersey, and since the Lions fans jeered the Packers when they selected Thursday night, I felt compelled to say something.
“Sorry about the booing,” I offered. “We’re usually nicer than that.”
“That’s OK,” she said, grinning, “we all know who the better team is.”
“Not last year,” I said.
She shrugged in defeat. And I have to admit, that felt good, demanding a little respect for our oft-jilted city.
I just hope she doesn’t drive past that new Detroit sign on her way out.
Contact Mitch Albom: malbom@freepress.com. Check out the latest updates with his charities, books and events at MitchAlbom.com. Follow him @mitchalbom.
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