In case you don't know, the Detroit Lions are (apparently) even worse than usual this season.  Today was the home-opener, and only the second game of the season.  They still had trouble selling seats.  In fact, the game would have been blacked-out save for a local furniture retailer buying the remaining seats for promotional purposes.

This was good for us, because they were playing the Packers.  So Nicole bought us a pair of tickets (below face-value), and I went to my first professional football game.  Here are some thoughts:

• Man, can that place be loud!
• But it usually isn't.  I can't believe how inconstant Lions fans are.  At one point, the entire stadium was booing and chanting for the GM to be fired.  Ten minutes later, the Lions were tying the game and the cheers were probably annoying people in Windsor.  For most of the game, the crowd was quiet.  Aside from the drunken loud-mouths in desperate need of anger-management therapy.
• Incidentally, I disagree with the loud-mouths.  I think Kitna is a decent Quarterback.  I think he doesn't have an offensive line.  That forces him to do things quickly, without the possibility of allowing opportunities to develop.
• Initially, the venue seemed small.  One can see the ball clearly, one can distinguish individual players, the field is dwarfed by the seating.  But then I started thinking about it in relation to Van Andel Arena.  At that point, I realized Ford Field dwarfs Van Andel.
• $20 for 2 Labatt Blues and a single pretzel?!!
• I did not see a single instance of a Packers fan being abused.  Not that there were that many.  Several years ago, when the Lions management noticed that there were as many Packers fans in the stands as Lions fans, they instituted a restricted-sale policy.  (Tickets in Green Bay are impossible to get, nearly-so in Chicago, and Detroit is fairly close.)  Even so, the last 4 minutes of the game, the crowd turned green.
  
• For me, the best part was the Packers 2nd touchdown.  I watched them line up, pointed, turned to Nicole and said, "Watch Donald Driver.  He's not covered."  3 seconds later, Rogers threw the ball to Driver.  It was great.
  
• All-in-all, it was a lot of fun.