Could Major Sports Help Put Detroit Back on the Map?

Detroit has seen some major upgrades in just the last 5 years, particularly in the fields of sports and entertainment.

The most noticeable being the new home of the Detroit Red Wings and Pistons, Little Caesar’s Arena. The new arena, which is located on Woodward Ave in the heart of Downtown Detroit, has sports fans buzzing with excitement and for good reason. The newly constructed arena seems to have started a trend as talks of a MLS stadium replacing the site where the halted Detroit Prison project sits are still underway and Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions, is in the process of a $100-million renovation.

Ford Field, which was built in 2000, has only had some minor renovations in the 17 years that it has been standing. With all the upgrades throughout the city and with all of the new features going into Little Caesars Arena, the Detroit Lions have decided that it was time to finally make some changes. Some of the new upgrades include new LED video boards, surround systems and new concessions for food and drinks. Comerica Bank has even mention that they are funding the building of the Comerica Gridiron Club and Suites which is similar to Huntington Bank’s Club and Suite in Little Caesar’s Arena and will include two bars, large screen TV’s and Detroit inspired food. Fans can also expect to notice certain things that have been removed from the stadium, such as the playoff appearance banners. The banners, which represented the Lion’s just simply making an appearance and not winning their division or winning a single playoff game, had seemed to represent a very low expectation of what the team could accomplish. Perhaps with the banners removal, expectations can be set a little bit higher and the Lions can finally hang a banner worth showing off.
Speaking of a banner worth showing off, according to the Detroit Free Press, the renovations also seem to be inspired by the idea of Detroit possibly hosting another Super bowl between the years 2022 and 2026. The bid to host one of the Super Bowls start early 2018 and according to team president, Rod Wood, the team hopes to place a bid in the next round. Super Bowls are usually awarded to cities that tend to have nicer, warmer weather, unless it is rewarding a team, such as when Detroit hosted Super Bowl XL in 2006 in reward for building Ford Field. Of course the Lions don’t want to just host a future Super Bowl to show off the new renovations, the City of Detroit has practically remade itself in the past 11 years since Super Bowl XL and it would be a great opportunity to show off the city, which is why the team is also putting a bid in to host the next round of draft picks. In an interview with Rod Wood for the Detroit News, Wood states that the NFL Draft, which was hosted in Philadelphia last year, is on a three-year cycle and Detroit plans to bid on all three in hopes of getting at least one.

And, although it might not be as major as the renovations at Ford Field, Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers, has had some minor upgrades as well. Following some big changes that were made in 2016, this year the Tigers left it simple by adding a large out-of-town scoreboard at the base of sections 101 and 102, as well as upgrading the ribbon that runs across the concourse. That’s not to say that Comerica Park won’t be getting any major upgrades soon. In fact, there has already been a big addition, as in scan your fingerprint for entry big. In a Fox 2 Detroit article, it was mentioned that the new technology, known as CLEAR, made its debut on July 25 which will allow willing fans to have their fingerprints scanned in order to get quicker access into the park. And that just seems to be the beginning. According to Robert Thormeier, Comerica Park’s concessionaire, “Next year we’re hoping to hit it again big.”

So, with the opening of Little Caesars Arena in September, the completion of the renovations for Ford Field ending in time for the pre season, the potential of a MLS stadium and team calling the city home and some major future renovations for Comerica Park, it is safe to say that Detroit is becoming more than capable of putting itself back on the sports world map.