The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The team was founded in 1930 as the Portsmouth Spartans before relocating to Detroit and changing their name in 1934. The Lions had a lot of franchise success pre-1960. The team won four league championships and five division championships. However, they have been the least successful franchise in the NFL since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970. In that timeframe, the Lions have made the playoffs twelve times, but they have won just one game. The team has also only won three division titles. 

The Lions have played their home games at Ford Field in Allen Park, Michigan since 2002. They are famous for wearing brown paper bags over their heads to express their displeasure with the team’s lack of success at different points in its history. The Lions have retired the number of eight players in their franchise’s history, but three of those players (Barry Sanders, Billy Sims, and Lem Barney) shared the number 20. Barry Sanders, considered one of the best running backs in NFL history, and Calvin Johnson, considered one of the best wide receivers in NFL history, both retired in the prime of their career adding to the Lions’ fans disappointment in their team.