The Detroit Lions’ playoff win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is sending them to the NFC Championship Game. Along with moving the team on to the next round in the NFL playoffs, it’s also fueling victories off the football field.
Detroit Sports Commission Executive Director Dave Beachnau and Jason Hall with RiDetroit appeared on Live In The D to talk with host Tati Amare and guest host Jon Jordan about the impact the Lions’ winning season is having on the community.
From an economic impact standpoint, fanfare has led to upwards of 20 million dollars being injected into the downtown core each of the two weekends where the Lions hosted NFL playoff games, Beachnau explained.
Beachnau also talked about how sports tends to be a rallying point for a community. Hall agreed saying, “when people in the city can vibe and come together like that, that’s what it’s all about for me.”
Detroit can expect more upcoming attention from NFL fans because the city will be hosting the NFL Draft in April. Hall said he thinks this current momentum in Detroit will go right into the draft. Meanwhile, Beachnau said the goal is to have the Lions pick 32nd in the draft this year because that would mean that we had won it all this season.
Watch the video above to see the group’s entire conversation about the Lions and what their success means for the city.