The Detroit sports teams are (almost) all very competitive. But who will lift their respective trophy first?
If I had a nickel for every time a Detroit football team lost in disappointing fashion to a Washington-based team in the playoffs in 2025, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
The Michigan Panthers of the United Football League shared a similar fate as the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. The Lions, winners of the NFC’s top seed, fell to the Washington Commanders in a playoff letdown. The Panthers, meanwhile, lost to the DC Defenders in the UFL’s championship showdown, getting demolished to the tune of 58-34. Playoff hardships are nothing new to Detroit sports, with the Detroit Tigers (MLB) and Detroit Pistons (NBA) also falling short in their latest playoff appearances. The last major professional sports team in Detroit to hoist their respective trophy was the 2008 Detroit Red Wings, an era of domination that feels long passed.
The University of Michigan Wolverines graced the state of Michigan with their NCAA football championship back in January of 2024, but otherwise, it has been a barren trophy cabinet for the state. Looking exclusively at professional sports, which team has the best chance to win a championship?
Today’s Question of the Day is:
Which Detroit-based sports team is closest to winning a championship?
My answer: the Detroit Lions.
Had you asked me a year ago, this would have been a lock for the Lions. The other franchises in Detroit were struggling, and the Lions were nearly atop the league and one-half of football away from a Super Bowl appearance. Yet, while I still think they are the likeliest to win a title for Detroit, there are some competitors.
The Panthers are quite literally the closest to a championship—they just lost in the title game, of course. However, unlike most of the professional teams in Detroit, the Panthers play in a lower tier. The UFL is equivalent to the minor leagues for the NFL, and as a result, there can be a high roster turnover from year to year. For example, the Panthers were carried by quarterback Bryce Perkins, winner of the league’s MVP award this season. He is almost certainly a lock to re-join the NFL this upcoming summer, leaving a major question mark for the Panthers. The UFL is a smaller league (just eight teams), but next year’s roster could look very different.
The other team that gave me surprising consideration was the Tigers. For years, the Tigers were in their rebuilding phase—perhaps too long for some fans. Yet, years of mediocrity have seemingly been rewarded. The Tigers are the surprise of the 2025 MLB season thus far—as of this writing, they have an MLB-leading 46 wins with a stellar 46-27 record.
Sure, they play in a weak division (the Chicago White Sox, in particular, are a bottom-feeder), inflating their win total. However, the Tigers have the makeup of a team that could do well in the playoffs. For one, they got some much-needed playoff experience for a young core last season—not only that, they won a series. That maturation could prove foundational for a playoff run. Furthermore, elite starting pitching wins championships, and the Tigers have an incredible stable right now. Tarik Skubal is in contention for back-to-back Cy Young awards, and fellow pitchers Jack Flaherty, Casey Mize, and Reese Olson are pitching quite well. The hitting lineup might not have the household superstars, but players like Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene are playing great baseball so far this season.
My hiccup with crowning the Tigers is that they are still a young team, and there could be some over-performing from guys with lesser track records—will those hot streaks hold up over the next few months? The MLB season is long, and the Tigers still have a ways to go before October baseball. They need to prove this is not an early-season peak. Consider me impressed and intrigued, but I’m not ready to crown them yet.
The Lions are facing a similar question about whether their peak is ahead of them or already passed. Though they have concerns with regression from a 15-2 season and losing players like Frank Ragnow, I still believe they have a core that is proven to compete with the NFL’s best. The Tigers may be hot right now, but I believe the Lions have the best chance of being consistent competitors in the near future.