When I was about 8 years old my Grandpa introduced me to a drug that I have been addicted to ever since and will probably be addicted to for the rest of my life. Don’t get all excited, I am not talking about “illegal drugs”, I am talking about the drug which is called, SPORTS! It was October 1985, and I can remember watching the World Series on television with my Grandpa. It was a great series in which the Kansas City Royals defeated the St. Louis Cardinals 4 games to 3 and I had never been so excited in my life to watch baseball. I also remember asking my Grandpa at one point, “who won the World Series last year?” When he told me that the Detroit Tigers had won the Series, I was beside myself, I felt ripped off. How could I miss it? Why didn’t we watch it? Why was I not AT it? Ever since that moment I have been waiting and waiting for my beloved Tigers to win a World Championship and I have been let down year after year. In fact, since that time, they have only made the playoffs twice, once in 1987 and once in 2006. So, long painful story short, I have been rooting relentlessly for the Tigers for 26 years and they have only come through for me twice! This is unacceptable.

Early in the next year, I watched the Super Bowl for the first time in my life. It was Super Bowl XX and it was played between the Chicago Bears and the New England Patriots. It was not a good game by any stretch of the imagination, the Bears won 46-10, but it was enough to get me hooked on football. Ever since that time I have been a die hard Detroit Lions fan, and just like my Tigers, they have let me down year after year after year. Sure, they have had a few great players over those years, including Barry Sanders, but as a team they have not won a Super Bowl and that is all that I care about. In fact, the Detroit Lions have never even played in a Super Bowl! They have not won a playoff game since 1991 and as we speak, the word “playoff” almost seems foreign to me and to any Lions fan.

I know that it is a little bit weird to be getting a Christmas letter from a 33 year old man, but I feel like I am out of options. I am sure that you watched me grow up and I know that there were times when I did not listen to my parents. I definitely know that there were many times when I did not listen to my teachers. That being said, overall I think that I have been pretty good for the past 33 years or so I figured I would give this a shot. Santa, my wish for Christmas this year is that my two favorite teams win a Championship. I am not asking for a “winning season” or for “improvement”, I am asking for a CHAMPIONSHIP. Santa, I know that I may sound a little pushy here, but to be honest, anything less would be unacceptable. Other cities have won, why not us? Finally, Santa, if you do this for me, I promise that I will never ask you for another Christmas wish in my entire life. Thank you for your time Santa, good to talk to you again big guy! Oh, one more thing, thanks in advance!