The Detroit Lions have been an utter disaster all season long and just got destroyed at their home stadium, 42-17, by the Arizona Cardinals.
Many Lions fans made it well known how annoyed they were with their team by booing and leaving well before the final moments of the game. Worse still is that prior to the game, wide receiver Golden Tate took note of how many empty seats there were even before the game got away from them.
“You know, I’m the first one to say I love our fans,” Tate said (via the Detroit Free Press). “I think our fans are amazing, and they’ve been patient for a long time. But before the game got out of hand, before the game started, I looked up and there were a lot of empty seats. Early on, our team is getting booed.”
Clearly, the lack of support is truly disappointing to Tate, as it must also be to the rest of the team.
“And that’s not the support that we want. When we win, we all win together: the city, as an organization, as a state. When we lose, we all lose together. And today I felt like at times our fan base kind of turned their back on us.”
While Tate’s feathers were ruffled more than he would have liked by disappointed fans, safety James Ihedigbo said that he could relate to some of the frustration, noting how they “pay their hard-earned money for those seats.”
Through five games, it has come to the point where it is painful to watch the Lions, who keep getting their teeth kicked in over and over again. All the players can do is press on and try to be better the next time around, which is much easier said than done. A bit more support from their fans would certainly be welcome.
In Week 6 the Lions face the Chicago Bears, who aren’t exactly having a sparkling season themselves. Perhaps next week the Lions can catch a lucky break against their NFC north division rival, giving hope to themselves and their frustrated fans.