The Lions' new tagline, "One Detroit, One Pride," had "been in the works for a while" ahead of the city filing for bankruptcy last month, according to Tom Walsh of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. Lions President Tom Lewand said that the tagline "wasn’t suddenly 'grown from seed right after the bankruptcy filing,' but 'there was a strong feeling on our part that we needed to pull that idea ahead, instead of waiting for training camp or the regular season to roll that out.'" Lewand explained that the tagline -- and the Lions' community activites and fan engagement efforts -- will "get much more visible in the coming months." The Lions since the tagline first appeared last month have "used it during public days at the team’s Allen Park training camp and will soon be deploying it in a multipronged effort to support economic development projects, along with health and wellness initiatives around the city." One "high-profile effort under way now is the Lions’ partnership with Hatch Detroit to boost retail storefront development in six Detroit neighborhoods." The Lions sometime this year also may "partner with Henry Ford Health System in a 50-50 raffle during games, becoming the first NFL team to conduct such a raffle electronically." Other initiatives "focusing on community engagement include embracing Detroit and Michigan brands by selling Slow’s Bar B Q and Zingerman’s Deli products, along with local craft beers, at Ford Field." The organization "is clearly using" the tagline to "rally not only football fans, but also the region’s citizenry" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 8/14).
