From 2000 to 2010, the Detroit Lions didn’t have a single team make the playoffs. That drought ended in 2011, when coach Jim Schwartz and Matt Stafford helped quarterback a team led by Calvin Johnson back to the postseason. They’d get back to the postseason two more times over the next five years, but that’s it for Lions playoff appearances since Barry Sanders 1999.
The Lions have been trying to restore the roar ever since.
Coach Dan Campbell has had a heavy hand in that effort, helping the Lions go from a 5-11 team to a rock-bottom unit that won just three games, finishing dead-last in the NFL in 2021. Then, these Campbell-led Lions started biting back, winning nine games in 2022, and now appear on track to win the NFC North for the first time since, well, ever. The last time the Lions won their division, it was actually called the NFC Central, in 1993.
Needless to say, things are much different in Detroit these days. Yet, because of their success, the Lions are starting to raise ticket prices, significantly, in some areas.
According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, “most seats” are seeing a “hefty” price increase on 2024 season ticket renewals. MLive’s Kyle Meinke added that the average increase is roughly 36%, but other fans, as Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio pointed out, that some fans are reporting the increase to be as high as 85% in some aspects.
What does Dan Campbell think about the rising costs for fans? As the Lions coach reminded everyone, ticket prices are not his area of expertise.
“Don’t put me in that spot. I’m not in marketing, I don’t deal with ticket prices. I’m just trying to win games. It is what it is and I hate to say that, but there’s nothing I can do about anything other than just try to coach and give us a winner.”
Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell on rising ticket prices at Ford Field
Each home game at Ford Field has been sold out this season, and the Lions have seen the largest increase in attendance from 2022. As they say, winning cures everything, but that doesn’t mean Campbell can answer questions that don’t pertain to him. After all, he’s doing what he was brought to Detroit to do. The rest is out of Coach Campbell’s control.
Related: Predicting NFL playoff bracket and Super Bowl 2024 winner