Second Michigan NFL Team: Is it Possible?

Is there a case to be made for a second NFL team from Michigan? While the Detroit Lions own a considerable amount of the state's football fanbase, it's certainly not exclusive.

Michigan's Divided NFL Loyalties

A good deal of the Western Upper Peninsula unabashedly roots for the Green Bay Packers while the Southwest corner of the state is pretty strongly Chicago Bears territory.

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While the Grand Rapids area continues to grow and support minor league teams in baseball, basketball and hockey as well as top level volleyball and incoming pro soccer, no one gives West Michigan or anywhere else in Michigan a realistic shot at NFL expansion.

NFL Expansion: The Usual Suspects

The question came up on a subreddit of Reddit devoted to the NFL asking what cities deserve a team. Getting beyond the joke responses about Chicago, Cleveland and New York deserving a pro team, many of the same cities came up. Former NFL cities like St Louis and San Diego were top vote getters. So too were cities with large metro populations that never had teams such as San Antonio, Portland, Salt Lake City and Birmingham. And several international cities got nods as the league continues to look to expand its footprint.

It's interesting to note that many of the cities mentioned have had some form of pro football like a spring league team or a CFL team during the Canadian league's brief flirtation south of the border.

Over 1000 comments on the thread and no mention of any other Michigan pro teams.

Further, when an ESPN article speculated in 2024 what a 100 team NFL could look like, the cities in the Great Lakes region deemed worthy of an expansion franchise included Rockford, Illinois; Columbus, Ohio; and Fort Wayne, Indiana. Michigan was notably absent.

It's difficult to imagine that Fort Wayne or Rockford would be more deserving of a team than Grand Rapids.

👇🏼BELOW: Greatest Detroit Lions Player Nicknames Past and Present👇🏼

While NFL expansion may be a pipe dream overall, any Michigan football fan who desired to see another team within the state's borders may have a slimmer hope than other regions.

The Best Detroit Lions Nicknames for Both Past and Present Players

Part of the great fandom of sports is the assigning of nicknames to players or event entire squads. Is it a lost art in sports or do great nicknames still exist? Here are some legendary names of both past and present Detroit Lions players.

Gallery Credit: Eric Meier

Every Detroit Lions Scorigami - Unique Score in NFL History

There's a small corner of NFL Fandom that tracks a stat called a Scorigami - a final score that is unique and has never happened before in league history. As there have been thousands of game played over the course of decades, getting a Scorigami game is more and more rare. Here are the final scores of Detroit Lions games that have never happened before or since in league history (as of October 2024).

Gallery Credit: Eric Meier