Detroit Today: Checking in on Detroit sports after a controversial NFL Draft
Some of the city’s top sports reporters discuss their takes on the Lions, Tigers and Red Wings.
Ford Field full of fans before a Lions game.
Sports are a big part of Detroit’s culture. All the major stadiums sit within the city limits, and thousands show up to celebrate the wins, losses and everything in between.
But Detroit sports haven’t been so great as of late. The Detroit Red Wings didn’t make the playoffs, nor did the Detroit Pistons. The Detroit Tigers sit at 9-15, which leaves them in the middle of the pack in the AL Central. And people are wondering what will come of the Detroit Lions in the coming year, especially as the NFL Draft kicked off last night.
“The Lions certainly have shown a willingness and a propensity to want to establish the run game.” — Kirkland Crawford, Detroit Free Press
Listen: Checking in on Detroit sports after a controversial NFL Draft
Guests
Cody Stavenhagen is a Detroit Tigers beat writer for The Athletic. He says the Tigers offense is bad, and that has been holding the team back.
“Tigers had baseball’s worst offense last year, they did not add a free agent hitter on a major league contract, so when you look at it from that perspective, it’s not really surprising that again, the Tigers rank 30th in team batting average, 30th in team slugging percentage,” says Stavenhagen.
Helene St. James is a longtime Red Wings reporter for the Detroit Free Press and author of “On The Clock: Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft” and “The Big 50: Detroit Red Wings” from Triumph Books. She says hockey has been “phenomenal” to watch.
“I love the first round of the playoffs because… you can watch two to three games every single night and there’s always an upset somewhere,” says St. James.
Justin Rogers is a Detroit Lions beat writer for the Detroit News. He says management for the Detroit Lions did something unique with their first draft pick.
“I would say that the general reaction was surprise,” says Rogers.
Kirkland Crawford is a sports editor for the Detroit Free Press. He says the Lions first round pick indicates the team’s desire to improve the run game.
“The Lions certainly have shown a willingness and a propensity to want to establish the run game,” says Crawford.
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