Lions Gonna Lion
In the 1996 movie Tin Cup, Kevin Costner’s character Roy McAvoy stubbornly tries to make it onto the green on the 18th hole of the US Open.
Laying up and playing the short game would have likely sealed the win, but McAvoy is determined to prove he can make the shot.
Ball after ball rolls into the water until his caddy, played by Cheech Marin, hands him the last ball. He dramatically makes the shot, but loses the tournament.
As I watched the Detroit Lions pass up opportunities to kick field goals and go for it on 4th down—over and over and over again—the Vikings fan in me knew that this wouldn’t be good.
Finally, on their final 4th down, the Lions scored a touchdown. It was too late. They lost the game.
John Wagner, former Forest Lake Times staff writer and current managing editor of the County News Review based out of Cambridge, is a long-suffering Detroit Lions fan.
As we texted during the game, he refused to let his heart get too far ahead of the outcome of the game. At one point, he wrote “Lions gonna Lion”.
Despite a 17 point lead at halftime, John pointed out that in 1957, the Lions and 49ers played and the roles were reversed. San Francisco led 24-7 at halftime, but Detroit came back to win that game and win the NFL Championship (this is before the era of the Super Bowl—which Detroit has never played in, let alone won).
John wrote how ominous this was. Call him a prophet. Or perhaps just a fan who knows better.
I tried to argue that as a Vikings fan, I understood his suffering. Trigger warning, I’m about to list Vikings references that might bring back difficult memories.
Gary Anderson. 41-0. The Favre interception across his body. And of course, after the Minneapolis Miracle, there was the letdown in Philly.
I was born after any Viking Super Bowl appearances, but I have vivid memories of teams too good to lose that provided heart-break and a “wait ‘til next year” that never came.
Perhaps in a feeling of solidarity, I found myself drawn to the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions this playoff season. I should’ve known better.
There is a collective sense of joy and hope that fills a fanbase when “our team” wins. Conversely, the suffering and frustration of seeing your team lose can be deflating.
I knew how Bills fans felt when their kickers attempt to tie the game versus the Chiefs sailed wide right (even though most big Vikings kicks sail wide left, again, see Gary Anderson and Blair Walsh).
I knew how the Lions fans like John Wagner felt when a comfortable lead dried up and questionable play-calling doomed the team from victory.
The Bible is full of long-suffering people who are desperate for hope. David beats Goliath. Jesus rides into town and the people throw him a parade, only for those in power and the Roman Empire to crucify him (they never imagined he’d return).
Faith is an underdog story where we know that God understands our suffering and pain—even if it’s as simple and trivial as a sporting event. We know that God is with us in those moments in life when it really matters. A devastating diagnosis. Getting laid off. Having a relationship come to an end.
With God, we place our hope for a better tomorrow.
Don’t worry Buffalo, Detroit, Minnesota—and any suffering fan bases. There’s always a chance our teams will break our hearts next year.
Pastor John Klawiter is the senior pastor of Faith Lutheran Church, an ELCA congregation in Forest Lake. For more information, email him at