# Lions' losing streak--is it okay to be proud of setting a record? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 28, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lions-losing-streak-is-it-okay-to-be-proud-of-setting-a-record/478985 "2008-12-28T19:14:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lions-losing-streak-is-it-okay-to-be-proud-of-setting-a-record/478985/1 "2008-12-28T19:14:17Z")
let’s face it–watching a team set a new record is fun. And a perfect record is the best: reaching 100% is something to be proud of. So how many people are hoping they lose the final game? I’m talking about people who wouldn’t normally care that much, and don’t follow football closely enough to know whether the Lions had, say, 2 or 3 wins. But zero is a number you pay attention to. So suddenly you see a team with chance to be “perfect” --how are you supposed to feel? Am I evil\*? (\*you know–like the people who stand and gawk at traffic accidents. You feel guilty, but not enough to stop staring…) ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lions-losing-streak-is-it-okay-to-be-proud-of-setting-a-record/478985/2 "2008-12-28T22:14:35Z")
I’m a Packer fan and even I felt bad for the Lions at the end, I wished it was a team I hated that we made go 0-16. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lions-losing-streak-is-it-okay-to-be-proud-of-setting-a-record/478985/3 "2008-12-28T22:18:11Z")
My expectations are low. I want to step over the bar. 0-16 lets me do that. ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lions-losing-streak-is-it-okay-to-be-proud-of-setting-a-record/478985/4 "2008-12-28T22:35:39Z")
Wait - Detroit still has a football team? ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lions-losing-streak-is-it-okay-to-be-proud-of-setting-a-record/478985/5 "2008-12-28T22:42:29Z")
I don’t even watch sports, but I’ve been looking forward to today just to see if Detroit would choke and was pleased when they did it. I like seeing zeroes, and wanted New England to win last year for the same reason. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lions-losing-streak-is-it-okay-to-be-proud-of-setting-a-record/478985/6 "2008-12-28T22:45:58Z")
> [@ASAKMOTSD](#): > > Wait - Detroit still has a football team? No. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lions-losing-streak-is-it-okay-to-be-proud-of-setting-a-record/478985/7 "2008-12-28T23:04:55Z")
I’m hoping they put up a banner next year to honor this great accomplishment. This kind of commitment to failure needs to be recognized. ---
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2008, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lions-losing-streak-is-it-okay-to-be-proud-of-setting-a-record/478985/8 "2008-12-28T23:09:18Z")
It’s official - Lions are the first (and so far only) team to go 0-16. Congratulations, I guess? ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lions-losing-streak-is-it-okay-to-be-proud-of-setting-a-record/478985/9 "2008-12-29T00:03:48Z")
I’d rather have a team go for a perfect season, even a perfectly bad season, than to have a team take a 4-0 start and end up in the gutter. (To say nothing about that one Superbowl loss from the 90s I’m still bitter about. Or the fact of four straight Superbowl losses.) ---
**Author:** ![ASAKMOTSD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@ASAKMOTSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASAKMOTSD)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lions-losing-streak-is-it-okay-to-be-proud-of-setting-a-record/478985/10 "2008-12-29T00:04:47Z")
Whoo hoo! We’re number 0! We’re number 0! (That’s more betterer than number 1). ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lions-losing-streak-is-it-okay-to-be-proud-of-setting-a-record/478985/11 "2008-12-29T04:12:52Z")
> [@chappachula](#): > > let’s face it–watching a team set a new record is fun. And a perfect record is the best: reaching 100% is something to be proud of. I think its more like 0% but who’s counting… ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lions-losing-streak-is-it-okay-to-be-proud-of-setting-a-record/478985/12 "2008-12-29T07:10:36Z")
It’s at least remarkable to be record-settingly bad. If they won the last game and they just were horrible but not perfectly horrible, that somehow seems like even more of a waste. FWIW, I was rooting for my team (Browns) to set the record for quarters without an offensive touchdown scored after it was clear they were going to lose. Why settle for merely tying that feat of ineptitude? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lions-losing-streak-is-it-okay-to-be-proud-of-setting-a-record/478985/13 "2008-12-29T16:03:09Z")
I felt pangs of guilt as I hoped for them to lose. 0-16 is somehow much bigger than 1-15. The message of suckatude must be clear. There can be no, well I think they are not that bad ,we can modify what we have. It has to be completely redone. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lions-losing-streak-is-it-okay-to-be-proud-of-setting-a-record/478985/14 "2008-12-29T16:07:15Z")
As a Bucs fan\*, I say yes. Hell, our two most cherished records are both bad ones - we took 31 years to return a kickoff for a touchdown, and we were the only team ever to go 0-14. \*I wasn’t a Bucs fan during the expansion 0-14 season, but only because I wasn’t born yet. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lions-losing-streak-is-it-okay-to-be-proud-of-setting-a-record/478985/15 "2008-12-29T16:15:34Z")
Pre-season champs! Pre-season champs! ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2008, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lions-losing-streak-is-it-okay-to-be-proud-of-setting-a-record/478985/16 "2008-12-29T17:29:15Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Pre-season champs! Pre-season champs! So we were 4-16 then.