Why Are Detroit Lions Fans Holding 3 Signs?
The Lions fans are holding up the 3 signs to shake the opponent by making noise as loud as possible in every 3rd down of the opponent team.
It has become one of the fan’s game day traditions at one of the loudest NFL stadiums. NOISE is the primary factor that needs to be there if you are a Lions fan. You should have to uproar loud enough to tremble the opponent when they are in possession of the ball from huddles to snaps.
And most importantly in the third downs of the road team. While the franchise encourages the fans to display the signs with the loudest roar they can make many other attendees find it irritating.
The reason for them being annoyed is that the display plates block the view of co-attendees and obstruct them from watching the game in a comfortable manner. They find clapping and shouting or whistling as a more effective way of making a loud sound.
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No matter the complaints and comments over the internet, the team’s followers are crazy about it. They love slaying the 3 numbered display and bringing out thunderous cries on the battlefield.
It is a part of their home game culture that has been in practice repeatedly for years now.
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Detroit Lions 3 Signs Meaning
Detroit Lions number 3 sign means that the road team is in their third down and it’s time for the Lions fans to make noise to rattle them.
In each of the home games of the franchise, a certain section is selected as the 3rd down zone. And those designated areas are distributed with the display cards which have “3” marked in them that look like down markers in the game.
Audiences sitting in those zones are encouraged to be as loud as possible during the away team’s third down. The North Endzone of the Ford Field was picked for that specific purpose in the 2022 season.
Many season ticket holders and other attendees have complained about how the displays block their view of the field and how annoying that experience is.
The question is how effectively it has fulfilled its purpose. Well sometimes it has but many times it has not. Although the main reason for the display is to distract and shake the rivals, the franchise has gone unlucky many times.
One of the most popular number “3” raises was on 9 October 2016 when they were playing an NFL regular season game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Ford Field.
It was a lucky day for the team where they got a 24-23 victory over the Eagles. The point difference was just 1 and the fourth quarter point was tied at 4.
Another one of many similar incidents took place on 29 November of the 2019 season when the Lions were hustling up against the Chicago Bears. This time the team got unlucky and the match by 20-24 score.
Other Game Day Traditions
There are several other game day culture that is in practice within the Ford Field in Detroit. Some of them are:
Quick Lane Horn
There is a brand new quick lane horn installed at gate G. A lucky fan gets a chance to press the horn after each of the team’s touchdowns and when heading into the third quarter.
After that Theo will sing to encourage and pump up the crowd in the field encouraging them to cheer for the franchise in the loudest way possible.
The Power Meter Roar
There is a Power Home Solar Power meter installed at the stadium that you need to check out whenever the team is playing defense.
Whenever the ball is in the possession of the opponent ROAR in such a way that the meter passes the 115 mark. The highest noise volume ever recorded was 121.1db on 23 October 2016 while the franchise was playing against Washington Redskins.
Lion Cub Cam
It is a fun tradition for those attending the game with their child. This has been taken from an animated movie titled “The Lion King”.
You will have to hold the child as Rafiki does with Simba whenever “Circle of Life” music plays in the match. In doing so, you will get a chance to appear in the Lion Cub Cam.
Detroit Lions Fans In Stands Moments
Jahmyr Gibbs climbing the stand to celebrate his 27-yard TD with the fans on 30th October is one of the most recent fans-in-stand moments.
The team was playing against the Las Vegas Raiders and got the 26-14 win over them. The 2023 season has been a comeback year for the franchise. The squad has won 6 out of 8 games played while on the week 8.
They started the season going for a 21-20 victory over one of the most powerful teams in the league, the Kansas City Chiefs on 7 September.
This season has been providing several memorable fan moments in the field and many of such have happened in the past. Some of those intriguing memories are discussed below:
Raymond James Stadium Takeover
In their week 6 road game of the 2023 season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on 15 October, Lions followers flooded the Buccaneers stadium.
The cheer and the noise made by the team’s fans represented their unwavering loyalty towards the franchise. In a sense, they made themselves at home.
They are considered to be the best fanbase in the whole league. The sound after the 20-6 win over the Buccaneers was worth witnessing.
Their enthusiasm has now reached the next level as they have waited all these years to cheer for the winning team and the franchise is finally a true contender.
Even Jeff Darlington, a reporter for ESPN mentioned that they are the most impressive opposing fan base he has ever witnessed in an NFL game.
Overpowering The Stadium Against The Packers
The Lions lovers did not fail to change the environment of Lambeau Field into a little piece of home in their week 4 match against the Packers.
In a post-game broadcast of how the Lambeau Field fell victim to the Blue Wave Fox Sports Commentator Charissa Thompson said, “You would think that we were in Detroit with these fans.”
It was one of the most noticeable waves of the blues and their substantial presence in Wisconsin resulted in an interesting incident where the Packers released a statement asking their own fans not to sell tickets to outsiders.
In that match on 28 September, the franchise got a 34-20 victory over the Green Bay Packers.
A Palyoff Roar in 1992
It was the roar unlike any other in their last playoff win against the Dallas Cowboys on 5 January 1992. The blue waves went crazy in that victory.
Sanders was running the ball back then and it was his 48-yard vintage touchdown run that triggered one of the loudest sounds in the Field.
The Silverdome was filled with more than 78,000 audiences and their cheers reached the highest escalation. The date is also the last time when Jimmy Johnson, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin packed Cowboys got embarrassed on such a big stage.
Lions Home Stadium
Ford Field is the home stadium of the Lions located in Downtown Detroit. It has a seating capacity of 65,000 which is expandable up to 70,000.
The doomed stadium is one of the nicest NFL fields was officially opened on 24 August 2002 and was renovated in 2017. The building cost of the field was $500 million which is $814 million as of 2022.
Ford Motor Company acquired the naming right for $40 million and also controlled the ownership of the franchise since 1963. Prior to the construction of Ford Field, the Lions played at Tiger Stadium from 1938 to 1939 and from 1941 to 1974. From the 1975 season, the franchise named Pontiac Silverdome as their home ground.
Ford Field History And Design
The thought of building a new stadium in Detroit city started rising in the mid-1990s and it was the same time when they started to explore the possibilities.
Their intention to build a new stadium was approved on 5 November 1996. The field features the design of the former Hudson’s warehouse design.
The seating arrangements are most unique among other professional American football stadiums and all the suites are located in the warehouse. The field has been designed in such a way that it allows a large amount of natural light to reach the ground.
The stadium features large skylights and big glass windows at the open corners. The playing field is 14 m (45 feet) below the street level. It has end zones at the east and west sides of the field which is only present in a few fields of the National Football League.
Natural lights entering the stadium don’t distract the players as the sunlight is limited to the sidelines only. The actual play area is properly lit under the artificial stadium lighting.
The field underwent a major renovation worth around $100 million where the suites were upgraded, new video boards and sound systems were installed.
