The Detroit Lions’ major owner, Sheila Hamp, is fortunate that after decades of inactivity, she has finally uncovered the key to turning around an NFL team’s fortunes. In contrast to Tom Gores, the owner of the Detroit Pistons, who manages his basketball team like a part-time amateur, Hamp has access to the cultural foundation required for success in both on and off the court. Ownership outlined a plan to try another rebuild after realising the organisation, from the top down, needed to address their culture and create a football brand the fanbase can rally around.
Chris Spielman, a former linebacker for the Lions, personifies the grit, toughness, and no-nonsense nature of fans. Following his advice, the team brought in general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell, and they developed an inclusive and cooperative culture. Criticism reached a fever pitch when the 2022 Lions opened the season 1–5. Instead of shamefully waiting until a Friday evening to assemble media members in a classic effort at a news dump, Hamp spoke to the fan base in front of television cameras during regular business hours.
Even in the end, how many of those games should we have won even though we should have won a couple more? Three or four, perhaps? Who is aware of that number? However, we’re not organised as well as we should be,” Gores told reporters, as cited by Mlive. “So, in no way are we fooling each other that we are there,” Regretfully, for the Pistons and their management, there is now very little faith that they can actually do anything significant other than throwing t-shirts into the stands. It is evident that Gores has a leadership team that rarely or never responds, and only steps in once the structure has collapsed and significant damage has been done.
