The Detroit Lions stare down yet another rebuild after their latest attempt to overcome the demons of their past failed. Matthew Stafford is gone. His brilliant career with that franchise totally wasted. Just three playoff trips across 12 seasons. Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones are out too. This is a team that is starting from scratch. So one can understand why they might seek a fresh start from a merchandise perspective as well.
That includes a fancy, new hat for the 2021 season. This emerged on Twitter Monday. Most of the things about it aren’t all that interesting. It’s all blue with “Lions” emblazoned in silver on the side. The Lions logo is front and center as well. Yet there is one feature on it that stands out above the rest. Something that seems a bit ill-conceived given the team’s longstanding track record.
Probably the worst Lions hat I've ever seen. This hat is a literal giant L. pic.twitter.com/WqrFFUX9BX
— Nick Brandel (@MotorCityBanter) June 7, 2021
Clearly, nobody in the design department registered that detail.
The best part though might be the reactions. Suffice to say Lions fans weren’t too enthusiastic about the hat. They’ve had a hard enough time being the butt of jokes for so many years. This is just adding insult to injury. Here are just a few choice examples of the glorious responses to the hat reveal.
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@EricRamrezMald1 the whole franchise 🤡 pic.twitter.com/d6HWtlk8UU
— Alan Castillo (@alancs98) June 8, 2021
There’s no way they didn’t know what they were doing with this. They must be exploring a “Lovable Losers” marketing push
— DAMASCUS BAINBRIDGE (@tyquta) June 7, 2021
The amount of thought put into this design: pic.twitter.com/yBVXANLAp8
— Jeriat Gillum (@Jeriat817) June 8, 2021
On brand. Just embracing the heritage
— Hank Scorpio (@Hank_Scorio) June 7, 2021
alright who the fuck designed these lol, these are awful
— BareNeuz (@TNeuz) June 7, 2021
— David Ming (@DavidMing1) June 7, 2021
https://twitter.com/MrJonez1/status/1401967035643478020
Not exactly a warm reception. Yet even amidst the backlash, there are some fans willing to give it a try. Another reminder that fan loyalty is so incredibly difficult to kill. Kudos to the Lions faithful for that much at least. Not that it helps with the bottom line.
Detroit Lions certainly haven’t been boring the past few months
They first cracked headlines a few months ago when they traded Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams. A blockbuster move that landed them multiple future 1st round picks. It also sets up Jared Goff as their starting quarterback in 2021 and maybe beyond. A significant downgrade from what the team had for the previous decade.
Their new head coach Dan Campbell added to the fun when he delivered one of the quotes of the offseason. A Monty Python reference stating they (the Lions) were going to be tough and resilient. They were going to “bite a kneecap off” if they had to. If that weren’t enough? Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes hatched an incredible celebration in the team draft room when they successfully grabbed Oregon left tackle Penei Sewell with the 7th overall pick.
If nothing else, the Lions don’t aim to be boring.
Whether this enthusiasm and new direction leads to wins? That is another story. Their roster still needs a ton of work and one can make a case they have the worst quarterback situation in the division. That would change if Aaron Rodgers stays away from Green Bay, which is just surreal to think about. Either way, it is nice to see the NFL keeps finding unintended ways to make their lives a little more frustrating. Maybe they can adopt that new logo style onto T-shirts and jerseys as well. Just a thought.