The Lions yesterday sold all tickets to their Oct. 10 "MNF" game against the Bears "less than 45 minutes after individual game tickets went on sale," according to Dave Birkett of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. The Lions "haven't played on Monday night since 2001 and haven't appeared in prime time since 2005." By the end of yesterday, the Lions also "were close to selling out their Thanksgiving clash with the Green Bay Packers." Lions President Tom Lewand said demand for tickets is up "significantly" over recent years. Birkett notes after a "decade of losing football, often in front of less-than-capacity crowds, Lions fever seems to be at a post-Barry Sanders high." The team's game Saturday against the Patriots also sold out, the Lions' "first preseason sellout in six years" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 8/25). In Detroit, Drew Sharp reports "hundreds of hopefuls had lined up outside Ford Field, waiting for individual tickets to go on sale" yesterday after some fans reportedly "camped out Tuesday night to get first crack at the choice seats." Sharp: "The Lions are selling the idea that they're good, and people are believing" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 8/25). PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Michael David Smith wrote, "The Lions have frequently been blacked out in recent years, thanks not only to the Lions’ terrible record but also to the terrible economy in Detroit, but early indications are that they have a chance of selling out all their home games. There’s real excitement for the Lions in Detroit, the likes of which hasn’t been seen in years" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 8/24).
