I think it’s safe to say that as college students we all have goals we want to see accomplished during our undergraduate careers.
Most of those goals are probably academic, like making the dean’s list every semester or being the first in your family to graduate college.
But some aren’t.
Maybe you just wanted to find a group of people you could call life-long friends or see the world and study abroad or do volunteer work.
Whatever they are, we all have them. I’m no different. I have several.
I’ll share with you one of my goals.
I’ll admit that it could be read as petty or unlikely to happen but, regardless, I’d like to see it crossed off my list.
Before I walk across the stage at Calihan Hall, I want to see at least one of the four major Detroit sports teams win a championship, and I want to go to the championship parade.
The idea of celebrating a championship in downtown Detroit gives me chills. How great would that be for the city and everyone who calls Detroit home?
And you know what? I thought during my freshman year in the fall of 2012, my first year living in Detroit, that it was going to happen.
The exact opposite happened. The Giants swept the Tigers in the World Series.
What made matters worse was that same year the Chicago Blackhawks came back from a 3-1 playoff deficit to beat the Red Wings en route to another Stanley Cup.
I remember being back home in Geneva that summer and seeing all my high school friends taking the commuter trains to downtown Chicago for the parade. I was envious to say the least.
Ideally, I would like to witness a Tigers’ championship parade but at this point, and given how the Tigers have played in the past two post-seasons, I know I can’t be picky. I’d take watching any Detroit team celebrate in downtown over nothing.
The funny thing about this year is the team with the best chance to have that parade: the Lions.
Yes, I know it’s still early into the season. And, yes, if you follow me on Twitter you’ve seen me call this team the “Same Old Lions” on a couple occasions.
But after watching the Lions defeat the Atlanta Falcons in an early-morning game Sunday in London it got me thinking.
This could be the team that wins it all.
Think about it. When was the last time the Detroit Lions won back-to-back games after considerable half-time deficits?
When has a Lions team looked this composed on game-winning drives?
The best part of this week’s win was how the Lions did it. Undermanned.
The best receiver in the game didn’t play.
Reggie Bush? Nope, he didn’t either.
A quality threat tight-end, you ask? I didn’t see any dressed.
Sure, the Falcons aren’t an elite team and, sure, injuries happen – that’s part of football. But if the Lions were to be fully healthy…
That’s a scary thought for the rest of the NFC North and, quite frankly, the NFL.
As my roommate Tim and I watched the game he commented before half-time that London could be a turning point for the season. At the half, when they were down by three touchdowns, he meant that maybe the wheels had fallen off. Yet, I still think Tim’s right in a way.
London could be a turning point – in the right direction. A turning point toward the Lombardi Trophy.
The Lions’ remaining schedule is no cake walk. And until they prove otherwise, there’s always a chance for them to collapse, yet again.
Sunday’s game showed that injuries can happen to any player at any time.
But as Matt Prater nailed that 48-yard field goal, which ironically enough was a second chance after a delay of game call, as time expired nothing else mattered.
They won.
All the Lions fans I know went crazy on Facebook and Twitter. Tim and I, dumbfounded, couldn’t believe what we had just watched.
This team has a certain feel to it. I’d be lying if I said I could explain it fully.
After today’s game I wouldn’t be surprised to find myself and one million of my closest friends downtown for a parade in the near future.
For the Lions’, and Detroit’s, sake, I selfishly hope I meet my goal.
Walsworth is VN news editor
