True, the oddsmakers say that’s a long shot, but if it happens, then Michigan’s long-suffering Lions fans will indeed have reason to give thanks today. Frankly, it’s been a pretty barren year on the sports front in Michigan. The Spartans and Wolverines have had dismal seasons. The Tigers should have been in the playoffs, but blew it. The Red Wings are struggling and the Pistons are worse.
Back during the Great Depression, we depended on these teams to distract us from our economic troubles. In 1935, the Lions, Tigers and Red Wings all were national champions.
But in this recession, our sports heroes seem to be dropping the ball. Perhaps this is all part of some cosmic plan to teach us the virtues of patience. We’ve had a difficult year in Michigan.
For many people, especially the hundreds of thousands without jobs, it might seem like there isn’t very much to be thankful for. But I think there are some glimmers of hope.
Last week I spent some time talking to Detroit’s new mayor, Dave Bing, who coincidentally, lifted the city’s spirits forty years ago when he was a National Basketball Association superstar.
Bing is that rarest of creatures - a truly reluctant politician. He resisted appeals to run for mayor for years, till he finally feared that perhaps he was the only one who could save his adopted city.
I’ve talked to every mayor Detroit has had since the 1960s, and none of them has been as candid or as honest as Dave Bing. He didn’t sugarcoat the situation. There was none of the usual rah-rah about “Detroit’s best days are still ahead of it.” Bing knows his patient is in intensive care, and the future is anything but certain.
His goal right now is to make sure Detroit has a future. He isn’t taking a salary, he isn’t sure if he’ll run for a second term, and he says he won’t run for anything else, ever.
People in the Motor City this month also voted to rewrite their horribly flawed city charter. They voted for new school buildings. And they elected what appears to be a far better and more responsible city council. Detroit and its troubles may seem far away if you live in Grand Rapids or Traverse City or even Ann Arbor or Grand Blanc.
But as long as Detroit is a dysfunctional mess, everyone in Michigan pays a price that’s only partly economic. Who can feel good about coming to or being from a state where the most important city is a postcard for financial and social devastation, political corruption, and violence? The good news for Detroit is that the city’s leaders now admit they have a major problem.
The good news for all of Michigan is that we now realize the auto industry is never again going to be our economic salvation.
We are finally facing reality. Now, the trick is to take our considerable assets, including our formidable manufacturing talents and great universities, and turn them into some version of gold.
We’ve got a lot going for us, and life hasn’t licked us yet. I think today, we should all give thanks for that.
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