It’s a bittersweet time for Detroit sports fanatics. With the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup finals and the Detroit Pistons one step behind in the Eastern Conference finals, fans have been forced to make agonizing decisions in their living rooms. Each of the past four games have been televised on the same night and at virtually the same time, leaving Detroit fans wavering over which jersey to don.
“I think that both games being on the same night is a little ridiculous,” MSU sophomore Danny Gustafson said. “The leagues should have worked better together to prevent this.”
Instead of spending the games with their fingers glued to the “last” button on their TV remotes, many fans are heading out to TV-laden sports bars to watch the games.
But even some bars are having trouble meeting the high demands of their patrons, said Aaron Weiner, general manager of Buffalo Wild Wings, 360 Albert Ave.
“With both the Pistons and the Wings on at the same time, we deal with complaints about what games we are featuring,” Weiner said. “We have six big screens so we are able to show both games, but we have a big problem with which game we want to put sound with.”
MSU student Dave Newman said venues with multiple TVs solve the problem.
“It’s great for the bars,” the interdisciplinary studies in social science senior said. “There is nothing better than enjoying both games at the same time.”
This isn’t the first year Detroit sports fans have seen their teams succeed to this degree in the same postseason. The Red Wings and Pistons both advanced through the third round of the playoffs last year, as well.
However, last year’s games weren’t televised on the same nights and didn’t pose the same problem for fans.
“Every fan and sports bar is going to have the same issue with both games being on the same night,” Weiner said. “It’s not anything that we can stress over or do anything about.”
The success exhibited by both clubs also stimulated much-needed life into Michigan’s slumping economy, as celebrating fans spend big.
According to Anderson Economic Group, an East Lansing-based independent research and consulting firm, every home Red Wings playoff game this season has generated roughly $3.1 million for the city of Detroit.
This year marks the fifth time in the last 20 years that a city has had both its basketball and hockey team advance to its leagues’ semifinals in the same season. Over that period, Detroit is the only city that has experienced this degree of success multiple times.
No city has ever won a basketball and hockey championship in the same year, but Detroit has had multiple championships in the same season.
In 1952, the Detroit Lions (NFL) and the Red Wings both won their league championships, while in 1935, the Detroit Tigers (MLB) and Lions accomplished the same feat. The last time a city won multiple championships was in 2004, when the Boston Red Sox (MLB) and New England Patriots (NFL) both transcended the competition.
“It’s an exciting time,” Gustafson said. “I’m not worried about it because Detroit fans are true fans.
“We will find a way to watch both games.”
Staff writer Joy Walter contributed to this report
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