It’s by no means a new phrase, as a 1989 New York Times headline read, “Toothless Lions Hope to ‘Restore the Roar’ to the Silverdome.” But the catchphrase is back with a vengeance (especially as the Detroit Lions have been looking better than they have in a long time)!
On the opening night of this year’s NFL season, I watched the Lions play the defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. I joined new friends at a bar in Midtown called Second Best (side note: can recommend), and I’m so glad I did! The place was so full of energy and enthusiasm as it became clearer and clearer that the Lions were really going to pull off this major win. A local Detroit man (who happened to be turning 38 at midnight that night) said to me, his voice on the verge of tears with pride, “This is the biggest win I’ve seen in my entire life. This is so huge for us. For all of us. This has been a long time coming.” When the Lions took their last knee, the place truly erupted with cheers. It’s hard not to be energized by the energy so many people feel for the Lions this year! I haven’t experienced anything quite like watching Detroit sports live in Detroit.
The Lions are an easy, trending example to talk about right now, but they really are just one example of a reason locals are motivated and excited to “restore the roar” in Detroit. For some time now, a comeback story has been in the works.
This year marks 10 years since Detroit became the largest municipality in the United States to file for bankruptcy. So many resources—money, time, and talent—have been poured into rebuilding and revitalizing Detroit since then.
This year, renovations were finished on The Book (an historical, architectural landmark, and one of my favorite downtown buildings!), and Dan Gilbert—the local Michigan billionaire responsible for the project—said, “Our goal is to provide the spark that will ignite other businesses, both small and large, as well as developers to get involved, attracting further investment and talent to come here and be a part of this.”
Well, they got me! I was drawn here, and I love being here. I love that when I go for a morning run and say good morning to people, they look genuinely excited to be greeted by someone else who’s happy to be in Detroit. I love that when I go to a local festival and talk to a local artist at their pop-up shop, I can ask them about their efforts to pour into the community and every one has a passionate story.
When someone shares success stories from Downtown Detroit, many are quick to point out that not all Detroit neighborhoods have shared in that success. That’s a valid, important thing both to remember and to act on: There’s still a lot of work to be done, and it’s going to take the power of everybody to do it. For Habitat International, Brown University’s Yushu Zhu writes, “Community participation, that is, a local population’s voluntary involvement in community political or social affairs, is a critical component of sustainable community development.” Detroit is a city that has long been in need of just that: a local population’s voluntary involvement.
I have been so encouraged by the enthusiasm and the optimism of the people I meet in Detroit, and I am eager as I join with them—to be voluntarily involved in the quest to “Restore the Roar!”
Up Next: “The History”
Sources
- George, Thomas. “Toothless Lions Hope to Restore the Roar.” The New York Times. Aug. 7, 1989. Accessed Sep. 25, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/07/sports/toothless-lions-hope-to-restore-the-roar.html
- Klinefelter, Quinn. “10 Years Ago Detroit Filed for Bankruptcy. It Makes a Comeback but There are Hurdles.” NPR. July 22, 2023. Accessed Sep. 25, 2023. https://www.npr.org/2023/07/22/1189093540/detroit-bankruptcy-comeback-hurdle
- Zhu, Yushu. “Toward Community Engagement: Can the Built Environment Help? Grassroots Participation and Communal Space in Chinese Urban Communities.” National Library of Medicine. Apr. 1, 2015. Accessed Sep. 25, 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4665117/
Recommended Reading
- If you have an Audible subscription, you can listen to a free audiobook of Detroit Resurrected: To Bankruptcy and Back. It’s an easy listen and a well-researched account of “what happened” to Detroit. Access the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Detroit-Resurrected-Nathan-Bomey-audiobook/dp/B01E0B1J0Y
Detroit, Reformed. 
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