Detroit Lions Remain Cheerleader-less And Poised to Triumph

The Detroit Lions are one of two NFL franchises to have never had cheerleaders, and one of six who currently do not. Considering the franchise was founded more than 80 years ago, this seems like a practice that the organization would have changed by now, if they wanted to. Nevertheless, year by year, some fans raise their voice in hopes that, finally, scantily dressed women will be brought to the sidelines to execute dance routines and lead the crowd in spirited applause.↵↵It’s not like Lions fans have a lot to go crazy about, though some of their recent drafts indicate that might be in the course of changing. Still, fan sentiment must be somewhat strong if the team has to address whether or not it will hire cheerleaders. And, frankly, the franchise isn’t going to stand for it. Because, obviously, cheerleaders would take away from the team’s clearly established winning formula.↵

↵↵⇥“My focus has been what happens on the field,” Lions president Tom Lewand (pictured above, to the right) said. “I don’t think that the folks in Green Bay and Pittsburgh and some of the other places get asked a lot about cheerleaders. And one of the big reasons for that is because they’re successful on the field. And that’s where our focus is. The more entertainment we can provide by winning football games that’s where our focus should be.”↵↵↵That line of reasoning isn’t difficult to puncture. The Cowboys have arguably the most famous cheerleading squad in sports, and yet they seem to have done all right for themselves over the years. Hey, both teams that appeared in the Super Bowl this year have cheerleaders. ↵

↵↵So either it’s a money issue (in that they just don’t want to spend any) or simple personal preference to uphold tradition by the owner. To pretend that the process of hiring a cheerleading squad would detract or really have any impact whatsoever on football operations is patently absurd. ↵

↵↵(H/T to Detroit4Lyfe)↵

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