Detroit doesn't deserve its reputation

The Super Bowl is coming to Detroit.

I doubt that any other city would welcome the country's largest sporting event with the same combination of excitement and fear: Excitement because Detroiters love their sports, and they especially love their big sports events; and fear, because we're about to get shredded by the rest of the country.

The national image of Detroit is that of a "hellhole" where people mug old ladies, sleep in cardboard boxes and keep themselves warm by setting police cars on fire. It's grossly unfair. I personally haven't set a police car on fire in years, and even then it was a misunderstanding between me and the old lady I'd just mugged.

I like to think I can make those jokes because I live in Detroit, but the truth is, I don't actually live in Detroit — I live in the general metropolitan area, which as true Detroiters will tell you, is not remotely the same thing. That's Detroit. As somebody once told me, this is the only region in America where where you live is a political statement.

This is one reason I find Detroit so fascinating. You can trace much of the history of the 20th century in Detroit, from Henry Ford's assembly lines through to the proliferation of the automobile, the subsequent sprouting of suburbia-mania, into the 1967 Detroit riots, followed by white flight, urban decay and the drug-and-gun culture, and finally to attempts at urban renewal, through projects like taxpayer-supported sports stadiums like Ford Field, which will host the showdown between the Steelers and Seahawks on Feb. 5.

This is all small consolation to visitors who can't find a taxi. They see the cold, gray winters and abandoned downtown buildings and think they have stepped on the set of a post-apocalyptic movie. And then they leave. And that is one of the great tricks of Detroit: It is not cool to live here, and so anybody who is preoccupied with being cool stays the hell away, leaving a vibrant, exciting part of the country for the rest of us.

The thing about Detroit is that you can't just show up downtown expecting a party. You have to know where to go. The city's gems are hidden. Oh, you'll probably find Greektown on your own, and maybe you'll find the Detroit Opera House or Fox Theatre, but a lot of the great bars, restaurants, clubs, music venues and shops are nowhere you might expect. And the locals probably won't tell you, since they have long since given up on selling their city to cynical visitors.

All this abuse is one reason why, as an American sports town, Detroit is unsurpassed, perhaps even unrivaled. People can rip Detroit all day and night, but when the Pistons win a championship, nobody can argue.

I've lived in New York, Philadelphia and Chicago, and love them all, but what separates Detroit is its passion for just about everything. New York has no college football team, or at least, none that stirs the city's blood. Chicago has a limited appetite for hockey, and love for college sports comes and goes. But as a sports town, Detroit has no holes in its game.

The Red Wings are so huge, they call Detroit "Hockeytown" and nobody outside of Canada blinks. The Pistons have more than 100 consecutive sellouts in the NBA's largest building. The Tigers owned Detroit in the 1980s, and they still drew 2 million fans in 2005 despite a 12th consecutive losing season. Michigan football draws more fans than any program in America; admittedly, that's largely a function of stadium size, but Michigan State sells out all its games, too. Michigan State basketball is a phenomenon, and before that, Michigan hoops had the most popular team in the country (and the best funded).

And yet the most popular team in Detroit, by a show of hands, is the Lions. Yes, the Lions. They have the worst record in the NFL over the last five years, but interest has not dropped one percent. Detroiters hate the owner (William Clay Ford, who has picked up one playoff win since the end of the Eisenhower administration) and the team president (Matt Millen) and they swear they will stop watching, but they never do. If the Lions ever get good — we're talking serious, 14-2 good — they will generate enough heat to melt all the snow, and then we won't need to set police cars on fire at all.

Then there is golf (the state of Michigan has more golf courses than any state besides Florida and California); the hunting and fishing (pretty much everybody knows somebody with a place Up North); boxing (Joe Louis and Tommy Hearns are from here); high school sports (which are huge); and motor sports (this is the Motor City, after all).

And one other thing: Detroit is pretty much the bowling capital of the world.

Like I said: No holes in our game.

I'll admit Detroit is not for everybody. If you live for palm trees or bright lights, and are appalled by the occasional broken window, then don't move here.

And I'll admit that there are times I park in an uneven, gravel parking lot, look at a big empty building and shake my head. But mostly, I have fallen in love with the people, places and heartbeat of the Detroit area; it feels real to me, with history you can almost touch and people who understand who and where they are.

This is why I much prefer Detroit to, say, Florida. I find much of Florida to be depressing and miserable, a situation I address by not living there. But I would never claim to be right; some folks think Orlando is heaven, and more power to them.

I'll stick with a city that is north of Canada, short on glitz and overflowing with soul.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5268730

Motown ready to play its best defense

From the top of Ben Wallace's Afro to the bottom of Matt Millen's approval rating, Detroit is a fine city.

It has a lot to offer, including employee pricing on a new car.
Unfortunately, Motown is just a few days away from going on the civic defensive.

As host city for Super Bowl XL, Detroit will be in the crosshairs for some mean sniping delivered by representatives of the worldwide media. For the record, representatives of the worldwide media do not like their Super Bowls served cold.

According to the city's official website, Detroit rarely climbs above 31 degrees for a high in late January or early February. This can lead to frosty dispositions for potentially hostile sportswriters, who don't require much cold to become embittered.

Anyway, Motown now has less than two weeks to hide its homeless and its "Fire Millen" signs. I'm hoping for and expecting the best.

To validate this optimism, I offered to make a list of XL reasons why Detroit is a great place for a Super Bowl. After extensive consideration, I've decided this list will be just fine at only XX reasons.

Please note that these reasons are listed in no particular order of importance:

I. Eminem may be available to pinch-hit for the Rolling Stones in the event that Keith Richards is not allowed to cross back over from Canada. For those of you who still believe rap is law-enforcement slang, Eminem is Detroit export Marshall Mathers, whose lyrics are slightly less profane than hate mail from a Lions fan. Eminem also can be referred to as Slim Shady, a name that should not be confused with that of Larry Brown's agent. The Stones, by the way, have been hired to star in XL's halftime show.

II. The game will be contested at beautiful Ford Field, which has an impressive atrium that affords a view of the Detroit skyline. That view, it should be noted, is considered a good thing. Ford Field has a roof, a crucial design factor that will keep out the cold and prevent someone like Terrell Owens from parachuting in.

III. Detroit is a culinary paradise. For example, Domino's Pizza is based in nearby Ann Arbor. But even more good eats can be had at the Chrysler Jeep Dodge Taste of Detroit. Based on its sponsorship, the Taste of Detroit may be an all-drive-thru affair.

IV. There should be no shortage of rental cars. Don't be surprised if you see Commissioner Paul Tagliabue riding in the back of a stretch Mustang.

V. The Motown Winter Blast. This is not a fancy name for the expected weather. No, the MWB is a festival of good times that includes the aforementioned Taste of Detroit. According to the official website, the Winter Blast is "a unique combination of hip and fun winter events that is centrally located in downtown Detroit." Warning: if the word "hip" is used, don't expect it to be.

VI. Local newspaper columnist Mitch Albom. Generally regarded as the top sportswriter among humans, Mitch seized crossover fame with the publication of his non-fiction book "Tuesdays With Morrie." He also achieved a level of notoriety thanks to a fiction column that featured details of two former Michigan State basketball players attending an NCAA tournament game they later decided to skip. If you're feeling lucky, but not lucky enough to have Super Bowl tickets, tell a friend that you do. Maybe Mitch will write a piece that puts you on the 50-yard line. For now, he's putting the finishing touches on The Five People You Meet In The Back of Kid Rock's Limo.

VII. Detroit is a place for dog-sledding exhibitions. These exhibitions are not intended to be used as an alternative to public transportation, but would seem much more efficient than the media shuttle bus.

VIII. Detroit is a place for Super Bowl history. Super Bowl XVI was conducted in nearby Pontiac, where the San Francisco 49ers rode a 20-0 halftime lead to a 26-21 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The game was played at the Silverdome, which is where the U.S. men opened play during World Cup 1994. That June match was played on grass, although I recall an even more important Silverdome fact: the place wasn't air-conditioned.

IX. Only true football fans will attend. This is another weather-related variable that may lead to several others.

X. Due to the January-February chill, there will be a slim (and/or shady) chance for an embarrassing boat-cruise incident. Just asking a female crew member to remove her coat seems like a long shot.

XI. The Super Bowl's neutrality concept may never be compromised by the home team participating in Detroit. The Lions have yet to reach the Super Bowl and still may not be ready by the time the NFL grants another big game to the Motor City.

XII. The city's sports-riot-celebration history allows Detroit cops to be more than ready to handle a gang of sportswriters on expense accounts.

XIII. Due to the expected cold, undercover female cops are less likely to have a shot at busting the NFL's man of the year for curbside solicitation.

XIV. The objectivity of reporters will not be twisted by lousy rounds of golf.

XV. An unscheduled, Janet Jackson-type event would be no match for the Lions' recent history of front-office boobs.

XVI. Players, coaches, reporters and fans will be at full strength after getting more sleep than usual.

XVII. The "Winter Experience" — sponsored by michigan.org — features a 200-foot snow slide that has a suspicious resemblance to the jaw of Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher.

XVIII. Any trip to Detroit may be enough to remind sports reporters that the NHL is up and running again.

XIX. Scalpers may have to give in before they freeze. By 30 minutes before kickoff, a seat between the 30-yard lines could go for as little as one Starbucks coupon.

XX. While in Motown, Stevie Wonder could be available as an upgrade to the NFL's replay official.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5274370

I thought we could use a thread posting articles written about how Detroit fared in hosting the superbowl.

I'll start us off with one from Jay Mohr.

Detroit Rock City
As it turned out, Motown was perfect Super Bowl host


I have to admit it, I was dreading going to Detroit. I thought it would be too cold and be a miserable a place to host a Super Bowl. Man, was I wrong. Detroit freaking ROCKS!

When I arrived last Wednesday, the weather was mild, somewhere around 48 degrees, or roughly the same temperature as it was at kickoff of last year's Super Bowl in Jacksonville. I've always heard that Detroit has two seasons -- winter, and July 15. This year there was a definite party season added. Celebrities were everywhere.

(Cont.)

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/jay_mohr/02/07/mohr.sports/

Here are some from Mlive:

What they're saying about Detroit

Thanks to everyone who emailed me stories they found of people talking about Detroit during the Super Bowl. I received so much feedback, and with the hectic events of the week, I didn't have a chance to read anything -- except the Shaughnessy (extremely positive) and Telander (extremely negative) columns. This blog entry looks back at all the emails that I've accumulated throughout the week.

Being such a Pardon the Interruption slappy (I've seen nearly every episode since 2001, thanks to Tivo. Starting with the very first episode.) I'll start with Michael Wilbon. I had a chance to talk with Mr. Wilbon after the Super Bowl for 10 good minutes. I reminded him that he compared Detroit to Beirut a few years back, and he strongly encouraged me to read his column last week. He said I'd be pleased with his new opinion. I am.


Feb. 3, Washington Post: It seems nobody has ever tried harder than Detroit to put on a good Super Bowl this week. But there's so much more at stake than that game or even the weeklong extravaganza. One of America's most important cities is auditioning for acceptance -- nationally and beyond. Known as much for the local murder rate as for being America's automotive and music capital, Detroit is hoping to say to the world, through the Super Bowl, "We've changed." All that's hanging in the balance is a city's worldwide reputation.
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But Detroit has the beginnings of a riverfront (on the Detroit River that separates the city from Canada) that ought to make the District of Columbia jealous. General Motors has invested tons of money in a project Kilpatrick calls "a $2 billion waterfront development."

In some ways, the Steelers' Jerome Bettis is the face of Detroit's renaissance, at least for this week, and not just because he's a native playing in the big game. Bettis is purchasing land and interests at the Uniroyal plant that is so visible and reflects how big the auto industry is here. The mayor said of Bettis, "He's not just coming home to play a game; he's coming home to get his hands dirty


Wilbon's piece includes quotes from locals whom he respects. He said he let them ramble, to give him an idea of what they think before he writes. He agreed with me that columns like Telander's are just lazy. Someone doesn't want to do any legwork, find out what's really going on so they fall back on cliches. He said Tony Kornheiser does the same thing, and he despises lazy journalism. (Kornheiser's column last year launched the negative attacks on Jacksonville. The headline was "What's that smell? Jacksonville.")

Terrence Moore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution says Detroit's Super Bowl transformation is just lipstick on a pig. This is odd coming from an Atlanta resident. Have you been there? It's a carbon copy of Detroit. His final conclusion is that Detroit is an OK city. So it's not entirely negative, just skeptical.


Jan. 30, AJC.com: Detroit — As somebody who has cringed often through the decades at just the thought of having to spend more than a millisecond around here, this city never has looked better. It’s on the verge of moving from horrible to tolerable to somewhat enjoyable. It’s a mirage, though, because you know what they say about putting lipstick on a pig.

To paraphrase, Detroit is still Detroit, with clean streets, fancy casinos and Super Bowl banners only in the areas that will get the most scrutiny with that little game sitting at the end of the week.
...
This is the old Detroit with lipstick. Only New Orleans has a higher unemployment rate among big cities, and that was before Ford announced its plans last week to slice 25,000 more jobs nationally. General Motors also is hemorrhaging. Plus, murders continue to happen as rapidly within the city limits as the wind rattling through all of those buildings that were scorched into a crumbling mess nearly 40 years ago during the riots.


A Toronto columnist decided to take the road-less travelled, and find a way outside of the downtown area. And what he saw, and writes about, is what we all know is there -- but hoped would be missed. Somehow. He doesn't slam Detroit, but throws a light to where most reporters didn't make it to.


Feb. 1, Toronoto Star: But downtown Detroit, save for small pockets of prosperity abutting its crown-jewel football and baseball stadiums and its trio of casinos, is an eerie ghost town. A short walk from where they'll stage the sporting world's biggest one-day spectacle — where multi-millionaires employed by billionaires will compete in front of a rarefied audience that can afford tickets worth a minimum of $1,200 a pair (all figures U.S.) — the urban landscape is startlingly bleak. Building after building is vacant or dilapidated or both. Window coverings appear to come in two varieties: iron bars or plywood sheets. And the few souls who populate the streets stand on street corners or loiter outside the liquor stores that are the only hubs of commercial activity.
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But while the NFL likes to call the Super Bowl an undeclared national holiday, while at least one cultural commentator has coined it the "new Mardi Gras" now that New Orleans lies in water-logged ruins, many residents of this city will be excused if they're not in the mood to party hard...


Tim Dahlberg of the Associated Press throws the spotlight on Detroit's poor and homeless, saying they are proof that the city is still decaying. A new paint job won't put the city's poor back to work a day or two after the Super Bowl.


Feb. 2, Associated Press: Try as it might, Detroit couldn't hide its warts this week behind a fresh coat of paint, a few new downtown shops or some repaved roads. There's too many of them, and they're everywhere.
...
As big as the Super Bowl is, 60 minutes of football can't undo a half century of decay. One game isn't nearly big enough to jump-start the rebuilding of a 304-year-old city whose main industry is teetering on the brink of collapse and whose residents are fleeing at the rate of 200 a week.


Dan Pompei of the Sporting News says Detroit is doing pretty good as a Super Bowl host. But only because Jacksonville set the bar so low. The friendliness of the people comes across most to Pompei.


Feb. 1, Sporting News: Jacksonville lowered expectations to the point where I can't find anything to complain about in Detroit. Sure, it's spread out and there is no central gathering place. And of course, the weather isn't ideal.

But it could be a lot worse. The host committee here is doing an outstanding job of creating an organized, efficient environment. Everything is laid out nicely for the media. Detroit is fairly easy to navigate. The city is ready for the event, and is not overwhelmed by it. The people here have been extremely gracious and friendly. Almost ridiculously so. Security is everywhere.


Peter King of Sports Illustrated kicks off his column by raving about the Henry Ford Museum, and apologizes for not talking about football more.


Feb. 1, SI.com: Forgive me for not sticking with the football theme at the onset today. (I've actually thrown in a few football thoughts below.) But if you come to Detroit sometime, your life will be enriched by making a side trip to the Henry Ford Museum. Americana lives in this building. Amazing, real Americana. Every car from every era. And trains. Trains that look like they were straight out of the "Wild, Wild West'' show. And historic cars, including the one John F. Kennedy was shot in. It's all here ... plus the thing Collinsworth and I were most impressed with.

Collinsworth had taken a tour of this underrated museum before I got here, so he led me past the Lincoln chair -- a rocker, upholstered in what looked to be frayed crimson velveteen -- and past two water fountains. One said "Coloreds.'' One said, "Whites only.'' Real southern water fountains. And now we were at a beautifully refurbished bus.

The Rosa Parks bus.
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Three black men, sitting on the Rosa Parks bus. Two white men, sitting on the Rosa Parks bus. I know it doesn't amount to a hill of beans in Steeler-Seahawk mania, but it will be a snapshot I'll always remember from this Super Bowl.


Sean Deveney of the Sporting News says enough of the whining from sportswriters. You're doing a job, on the biggest stage of American sports. Enjoy it. Regardless of the city.


Feb. 1, Sporting News: If I have to be reminded by one more sob-story sportswriter that the Super Bowl is in Detroit, and that this is an unfortunate circumstance for the media assigned to cover the event, I just might quit this sportswriting racket and find something more useful to do with my life, like becoming the guy who sews the tags onto mattresses, or one who clamps the little plastic tips on the end of shoelaces. If the Super Bowl were in Siberia, if it were in Death Valley, if it were in the sewers of New York City, there should be no complaining.

Let me tell you, good readers, what sportswriters do all day: We watch sports, then we write about it. When we are not writing about sports or watching them, we are either talking on the phone about sports or napping. Or eating. We like eating.

That is pretty much what is happening now in Detroit.
...
Of course, Detroit has been crunched by layoffs in the automotive field. Everyone knows that. But someone please explain why, exactly, this is the cause for a stale, tired parade of jokes? From sportswriters, of all people. Perhaps some of my sportswriting brethren should approach soon-to-be-out-of-work Ford employees and, you know, run some Detroit jokes by them.


From that Deveney column I find this column from the Providence Journal in Rhode Island. How lazy is it to write something like this? Enough so that the author, Jim Donaldson, didn't even ATTEND this year's Super Bowl and still found the time and space to bash the city.


Jan. 30, Providence Journal: People were poking fun at Jacksonville last year. (Full disclosure: I may have been one of those people.) Well, compared to Detroit, Jacksonville is Shangri-La.

I would go back to Jacksonville. Not in early February, but I would go back. I would go back for the golf, for the beaches, for the seafood.

I have been to Detroit a number of times and wouldn't go back unless

somebody paid me. Or, like so many Motown residents, I had a scheduled court appearance.


You can reach Mr. Donaldson at jdonalds@projo.com or (401) 277-7340.

Before you read this next shot at Detroit, be sure to remember that Jason Whitlock is a noted Detroit lover. Also keep in mind that he's saying Detroit couldn't kill the national holiday that the Super Bowl is, but the refs could. So it's kind of a playful shot, I believe, knowing his history with the city.


Feb. 6, Kansas City Star: What crime-ridden, boarded-building, automotive-industry-ravaged, snowy Detroit couldn’t do, an NFL officiating crew pulled off with relative ease in front of plenty of bored-silly football fans inside beautiful Ford Field.

Sports’ and television’s most indestructible beast — the Super Bowl — met its match in the 40th playing of the game the world stops to watch.

The inevitable finally happened. A group of middle-aged executives trying to keep pace with a group of highly trained 20-something athletes destroyed America’s sports holiday.


Dan Wetzel of Yahoo! Sports rips newspapers like the Florida Times-Union who tried to rebut everything anyone said about Jacksonville last year. He says Detroit shrugged off the criticism. In reality, I was just too busy. I had to rely on you guys for sending me stories of what people were saying. I haven't seen too much negative publicity... but maybe because I was too busy to noitice.


Feb. 6, Yahoo! Sports: Winner: City of Detroit
Maybe it was because Jacksonville set the bar so low last year – the people tried but the city just lacked the size and infrastructure to host such a monster event. Maybe it was because the weather wasn't too bad. Maybe it was the casinos or the 4 a.m. nightclubs or because the town really knows how to party or because whiny sportswriters had become cliché. But Detroit got a ton of positive feedback, reaped $100 million-plus in revenue and had a blast in the process.

As an added bonus, the local media did a good job ignoring the few rip-job newspaper columns that were printed. It was a refreshing change from the thin-skinned Florida Times-Union, which tried to respond (poorly) and only invited more scorn.


I don't know who Peter Schrager is, but he writes for FoxSports.com, and he is down with the 'D.' And we're not talking about the Steelers' defense.


Feb. 6, FoxSports.com: Super Bowl week's seen the city of Detroit evolve from a supposed urban wasteland into a media darling.
...
This week's MVP award: The people of Detroit.

Kind, courteous, and helpful, the fine folks of Motown have made this week as wonderful as possible. Breathe easy, Detroit — you pulled it off.


In Schrager's blog, he gives Detroit some serious love.


Feb. 2, FoxSports.com: All in all, today was another amazing day in Detroit. I'm loving this city, its residents and the spirit surrounding the big game. And after tonight, I can confidently say I love the 'burbs of Detroit too.


San Diego is giving Detroit some love. SAN DIEGO! One of the cities that sportswriters suggest should get the Super Bowl every year. Mark Sauer of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes like Wilbon writes, laying out the good and the bad. It doesn't make judgement, but does illustrate that a lot of work needs to be done.


Feb. 2, San Diego Union-Tribune: Over the past three years, nearly 70 new businesses – including Compuware's stunning new corporate headquarters and 35 bars and restaurants – have opened in a downtown that had been eerily dark and empty. Abandoned buildings have been turned into lofts; old factories and cement plants along the wide Detroit River are being demolished to make way for new houses and condo complexes; dirty and dilapidated downtown streets and squares have been turned into landscaped boulevards with wide, inviting sidewalks. Even the decrepit former home of Motown Records has been razed.
...
While the Chargers wrangle with the city for new digs and the NFL says its big game will not return to San Diego until a new stadium is built, Detroit and the Lions have ponied up. They built (with city, county and private financing) a $300-million domed edifice downtown next to Comerica Park, where the Tigers play baseball.


Kirk Bohls of the Austin American-Statesman kept a blog during Super Bowl week. (Only five entries? Even I did better than that.) He raves about Detroit, as well.


Feb. 2, Austin American-Statesman: You know it's Super Bowl Extra Large when the last media shuttle bus between the Steelers' and the Seahawks' hotels that carried only seven of us sportswriters had three police vehicles as escorts.

Nevermind that some Detroit motorists kept cutting in between the bus and the trailing state police van. It just shows that Detroit has bent over backwards to do a first-rate job.

It's been one of the most well-coordinated Super Bowl weeks that I can remember. Even with the weird setup in the Renaissance Media Center with its disconcerting mazes and pods and confusing levels, the organizers have done a great job.


Mike Downey of the Chicago Tribune defends Detroit. (He used to live here as a writer for the Free Press.) I couldn't find the column on the Chicago Tribune website, but the link is there to a Charleston, SC newspaper website that carried the full column.


Jan. 27, Chicago Tribune: You know how it works. Writers do it all the time. Chicago is windy, Seattle is wet, Boston eats beans, Baltimore eats crabs, Florida is full of old people, yada, yada, yada.

This stuff seems pretty harmless and silly to me. But the jokes about Detroit don't, because they tend to be about what a bad place it is to be.

A lot of the rips are about going up there and having your car set on fire. Or getting a gun stuck in your face.
...
Over the last few years, the Detroit area has been host to the NBA Finals, hockey's Stanley Cup, golf's Ryder Cup and baseball's All-Star Game, each of which came off delightfully. So chill out. You need to pack a winter coat, not a bulletproof vest.


The earliest launch of unplesantries at Detroit came from Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist Art Thiel. This was referenced in many of the stories ripping Detroit that I've read. Art's email is artthiel@seattlepi.com, his phone number is 206-448-8135.


Jan. 23, Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Only the tiniest fraction of locals will witness the Seahawks' next game in person, and because this year's game is held in Detroit -- Baghdad, you may have read, was booked -- they will be better served to watch it on TV.


But don't blame all of Seattle. The Seattle Times wrote a story about how Detroit has cleaned up for the big game. This reads like a guidebook for those who are headed to Detroit looking for something to do. It doesn't make judgements either way, really.


Jan. 27, Seattle Times: Detroit backers are hoping Super Bowl visitors will focus on the new Detroit and not the old — which, for many Americans, was symbolized in past decades by the city's outbreaks of arson each Halloween. The "Devil's Night" rampages no longer take place, and other urban ills also are being remedied, with the Super Bowl as an impetus. The city is repaving roads, tearing down vacant buildings and removing graffiti. But Detroit also is coping with economic woes, including the announcement Monday that the Ford Motor Co., headquartered in Detroit, will lay off 30,000 workers and close plants, including some in the Detroit area.
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For the next week, though, Detroit plans to party. During Super Bowl week, a winter carnival called Motown Winter Blast will be held around the Campus Martius Park, with a 200-foot-long snow slide, sled dogs and ice skating. Heated tents will showcase musical entertainment and some of the city's best cuisine.


For those who didn't hear it, listen to my interview with Rick Telander of the Chicago Sun-Times the day after his column hit the web. I told him I blogged it, and encouraged readers to let him know what they thought. He said, "So that's why I suddenly had 300 emails in my inbox all around the same time." See? The blog does have a little power. Click here to listen to his universal response to all those who emailed. (Warning, some profanity.)

Finally, thank you to everyone who submitted stories all week to my email. This blog entry is compiled almost entirely by emails you guys took the time to send to me.

XL REPORT CARD: Detroit's transformed downtown exceeds expectations, wins praise

Back in late 2000, when the National Football League awarded Detroit its 2006 championship game, many people around the world proclaimed it a bad joke.

Detroit offered lousy winter weather, a bleak downtown, a new football stadium that wasn't even finished and memories of a 1982 Super Bowl at the Pontiac Silverdome marred by snow and traffic snarls.

Who's laughing now?

Frank Supovitz, the NFL's man in charge of Super Bowl XL, called Detroit's performance "absolutely perfect" and said during a morning-after news conference Monday that "expectations were clearly exceeded."

A tired but beaming Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick thanked everyone and said, "This week is a week we can tell our children and grandchildren about."

Roger Penske, the businessman and racing legend who chaired the Detroit Super Bowl XL Host Committee, used the shorthand term for a game's most valuable player and said, "The MVP, as far as I'm concerned, is the city of Detroit."

Admittedly, not everything worked to perfection during the past week. Visitors often experienced long lines; celebrities sometimes didn't show at parties they were supposedly booked for and the Park-and-Ride shuttle-bus system broke down under overwhelming usage.

But leaders proclaimed those problems a symptom of success, not failure -- proof that Detroit's Super Bowl had been so popular.

"We couldn't be more delighted," Supovitz told reporters. "This city has every reason to be proud."

Clearly, the biggest gap between wish and reality was with the Park-and-Ride shuttle system. After encouraging metro Detroit residents to leave their cars outside downtown and ride the shuttle buses in, planners failed to provide for the crush of people that overwhelmed the system, causing long lines and bruised feelings.

Overall, though, the feelings expressed Monday mixed pride and relief in almost equal measure.

Susan Sherer, the host committee's executive director in charge of day-to-day activities for the entire six years of planning, threw her arms wide at the news conference and proclaimed, "I just want to like scream out loud, 'I'm so excited that this is over!' " As listeners began to chuckle, she added quickly, "In a good way! Because it has been a labor of love."

In the afterglow of Super Bowl XL, it may be hard to recall how unlikely a Super Bowl city Detroit seemed in 2000 when it won the NFL's nod to host the game.

Detroit's downtown was among the most deserted central cities in the United States. No one had a clue how to entertain Super Bowl visitors in a cold-weather city. And there were major doubts that the city and its suburbs could work together.

But, gradually, the pieces came together.

Ford Field opened in 2002 and won raves as one of the best new football stadiums.

Then, downtown began to celebrate one piece of good news after the next. The new Compuware Corp. headquarters became a focal point of activity, with the Hard Rock Cafi and other attractions. The new Campus Martius park opened in late 2004, offering a skating rink and other draws.

Loft residential units and dozens of new shops and restaurants filled in many of the blank spaces on the downtown map. Under the city's Lower Woodward Improvement Program, entire streets were remade with wider, pedestrian-friendly sidewalks, better lighting and signage. A fagade-improvement program helped fix up derelict structures.

And the weather? Rather than pretending to be Miami or Phoenix, the host committee decided to embrace Detroit's winter identity.

Sherer and others came up with the idea for what became the Motown Winter Blast, a hugely successful outdoor street party that attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors and became Detroit's public face for the game.

Though outsiders had doubts back in 2000, many in Detroit never doubted that a city that gave the world both the automobile and Motown music could rise to the occasion.

As Sherer, ready for a long vacation, said Monday, "I always knew that this would be great."
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060207/NEWS0101/602070339/-1/BUSINESS07

Detroit proclaims Super Bowl a success

Much-maligned Detroit put its best foot forward to win Super Bowl XL and civic leaders Monday proclaimed the event a rousing success.

'To all the naysayers who said `Why Detroit?` Detroit did, Detroit can, Detroit does and Detroit will do great things in the future,' Larry Alexander, president of the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau, told a news conference.

Detroit dealt with 1.2 million visitors at its downtown Motown Winter Blast last weekend and more than 72,000 at the Super Bowl at Ford Field, despite a Super Bowl eve snowstorm.

The National Football League heaped praise on Detroit. Frank Supovitz, NFL senior vice president of events, told the Detroit News that Super Sunday was 'absolutely perfect' and said Detroit had 'met and exceeded' expectations.

It was Detroit`s first Super Bowl since 1982 when Super Bowl XVI in the Pontiac Silverdome was snarled by snow and traffic.
http://sport.monstersandcritics.com/football/article_1095278.php/Detroit_proclaims_Super_Bowl_a_success

Super Bowl XL puts Detroit in favorable light
City's success helps state

Take a bow, Detroit. Super Bowl XL was a hit, and you and the state of Michigan have reason to be proud.

Super Bowl week was a rare opportunity for Detroit to put its best face forward to the rest of the nation and the world. The Super Bowl Host Committee, a combination of metro Detroit's public and private sector, organized volunteers to ensure visitors would enjoy the best the city has to offer.

The years of preparation paid off. Frank Supovitz, the National Football League's vice president in charge of special events, praised Detroit on Monday for pulling off a perfect event.

The accolades likely will come from many sources, and they should. Super Bowl week gave visitors a variety of ways to enjoy themselves. From Super Bowl parties at a range of downtown venues to ice-skating and snow sliding at Winter Blast, Detroit proved it knows how to entertain its guests.

The effort marked a milestone for Michigan's largest city. Struggling to dispel national perceptions of a dying city plagued by an exodus of jobs and people, Super Bowl Week projected an image of a capable urban area with a wealth of promising possibilities.

The Blue Water Area is part of Detroit's Super Bowl triumph. Our community provided some lodging for Super Bowl visitors. Members of our community volunteered for Host Committee responsibilities.

Regional cooperation was the factor that assured Super Bowl XL's success. It confirmed Michigan wanted Detroit to succeed, and the city's visitors reaped the benefits.

Detroit needed the Super Bowl to succeed. Michigan needed the accomplishment just as much. And maybe the nation needed to see Detroit's success, too.

Despite the troubled times the city and state are enduring, they showed the world there is a lot of strength in them. If the city and state can pull off a Super Bowl, then they also can attract new industries that pay good wages and help raise the quality of life.

In any case, such potential employers saw the city at its best, and that's something. Detroit scored a victory. The hope is it is one more step toward prosperity - for the city and the state.
http://www.thetimesherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060207/OPINION01/602070328/1014/OPINION

Even the professional cynics wowed by Detroit's Super Bowl effort

Detroit faced eight days of scrutiny under a critical eye -- the national media -- and got glowing reports.

The NFL headquarters and media center were at the Renaissance Center. Crowds of fans enhanced programming, said ESPN football reporter Sal Palantonio .

"This Renaissance Center is the best media center we've ever had," Palantonio said. "It was self-contained. Everybody was competent and friendly and nice. The big thing was, everything was on top of you. It was just so convenient and made our jobs easier."

The fans added to the energy level of ESPN's programs. The network's set was on the ground level.

"People literally were on top of what you were doing," Palantonio said. "You were always on. From that standpoint, it added to the energy of the broadcast.

"It was like an amphitheatre, like a Greek theatre. It was like a theatre in the round."

For the print media, the only complaints centered on bus transportation, primarily to interview locations, and it took time to get used to the RenCen layout.

"The people in Detroit were tremendous," said David Elfin of the Washington Times and president of the Pro Football Writers of America. "They could not have been nicer, more polite. We definitely were their guest. Other years, you don't feel that.

"Detroit did itself proud."
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060207/SPORTS0106/602070342/1127/SPORTS0102