Tigers, Lions Bring Positive Spotlight To Detroit Monday; Quin Hopes Visitors Learn Detroit's 'Cool'
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - Detroit rarely lands in the national spotlight for positive reasons. With the Tigers opening a crucial division series and the Lions beginning their season in prime-time, however, Monday might be an exception to the rule.
The Tigers play the Kansas City Royals at 4 p.m. Monday, and right across Brush Street, the Lions kick off against the New York Giants three hours later.
"Any time you're playing meaningful baseball in September and then opening week of the NFL and you've got the first Monday night game … it's going to be an exciting start of the week for the fans out here and for the city of Detroit to hopefully start to turn things around for this city and give a – hopefully – a positive outlook on a city that has gone through some tougher times," Tigers closer Joe Nathan said, "so hopefully this is a step in the right direction for this city."
It might be a stretch to imagine that one compelling day of sports could soften negative perceptions of Detroit, but if nothing else, Monday gives occasion for Tigers and Lions to talk about their experiences moving to a city that many would advise people to avoid.
Lions wide receiver Golden Tate said at a team luncheon a couple of weeks ago that the Detroit is not as bad as people say it is. Many players agree, including Tigers outfielder Rajai Davis and Lions safety Glover Quin, who admitted that he initially had some misgivings about the city.
"Before you come here, you hear about the crime rate and things like that, you hear about the economy and all those things and how the economy plays into the crime rate with robberies and this and that," Quin said. "You hear about the bankruptcies and the abandoned homes. You hear about all that stuff. You don't hear a lot of positive things about the city of Detroit. As an outsider, you really don't. And then, when the football team gets a chance to represent the city on national TV, when we go out and personal fouls, undisciplined, late hits, fights, this and that, this and that, well, it just adds to, 'OK, wow, it's just bad in Detroit. Like wow, it's really bad in Detroit.'
"That's what it's like for people who don't know," Quin continued, "but after coming here, you see the players aren't as bad as they're portrayed to be on TV, and the city isn't like that, at least the areas that I've been in. You kind of live just like a normal city. I think every city has their bad areas. The economy may be a little different here, but for the most part, it's cool."
Lions tight end Eric Ebron also concurred with Tate's sentiment that Detroit is not quite the place it is often portrayed to be.
"Everything has a rap because of what media, news and all that other stuff makes it out to be," Ebron said, "but things are a lot greener here than people think they are.
"The history, the music history, the culture around here, it's really diverse," Ebron added. "People are missing out on just the richness. My mom loves it. It's modern. It's not outdated. It's getting there."
Center Dominic Raiola, who has played for the Lions since 2001, has little patience for those who take the negativity about Detroit to heart.
"If you can't embrace it and embrace everything that this city brings, you don't really know it – we don't want you here anyway, you know what I mean?" Raiola said. "Really, this game is not to show the nation how positive Detroit is. It's really for these fans and for our team. I don't care how the [country] looks at Detroit. I know it's a beautiful place, and I call it home. That's that. It's really about these fans and rewarding them with a good showing in primetime."
As for what Raiola would tell people about Detroit, he keeps the message short and sweet.
"I'd try to tell them one time it's not as bad as you think. That's really all the patience I have for people – ignorant people – that don't see the beauty about it, but that's usually people who aren't here," Raiola said. "Detroit's a real city to me. There's no superficial stuff like a lot of other cities. It's a real city, and everything that this city gets is people working hard for it. That's what I love most about it. That's why I can relate to it."
The city has its problems, to be sure, plenty of obstacles yet to overcome, but the players advocate that people take an open-minded approach about the area.
"I'd tell them it's a nice city," Quin said. "Don't knock it 'til you try it. That's the thing. Form your own opinion. Don't just go off the opinion of others. Form your own opinion. There's nice people here, nice places, nice things to do. Form your own opinion. Don't knock it 'til you try it."
If a big day for the Tigers and Lions might not help change perceptions of the city in which they play, it at least cannot hurt, as Tigers outfielder Rajai Davis noted and Glover Quin seconded.
"If we go out there and we put on a great showcase to show, okay, the city's changing, the team is changing, it's positive," Quin said. "Any time you have a chance to get on a national stage and show something positive for your team and your city, it's a good thing."
