Detroit Lions Fans Protest Upcoming Nickelback Halftime Show

Posted on Nov 3rd 2011 5:00PM by Theo Spielberg Comments

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It is the first time in years that the Detroit Lions haven't been terrible. It is also the first time in years that people are even thinking about Nickelback, because much like the Detroit Lions, Nickelback have a long and storied history of being terrible. As they approach their annual Thanksgiving Day game facing the Green Bay Packers, Detroit fans are trying to put as much distance between their team and Nickelback, the band that has been booked to play the halftime show.

According to RollingStone, Lions fans have begun a petition asking to have Nickelback removed from the halftime show and replaced. "This game is nationally televised, do we really want the rest of the US to associate Detroit with Nickelback?" the petition reads. "Detroit is home to so many great musicians and they chose Nickelback?!?!?! Does anyone even like Nickelback?"

"Is this some sort of ploy to get people to leave their seats during halftime to spend money on alcoholic beverages and concessions?" the petition continues. "This is completely unfair to those of us who purchased tickets to the game. At least the people watching at home can mute their TVs. The Lions ought to think about their fans before choosing such an awful band to play at halftime."

And they have a fair point. In addition to Nickelback being Canadian (and terrible), Detroit has one of the richest and most diverse musical histories out of any city in America. Rather than being a U.S. vs. them (Canada) situation, it seems to be a simple case of Detroit being proud of its own culture. As one fan tellingly wrote: "Nickelback is a very poor representation of Detroit. Detroit is proud of its musical heritage, so why not celebrate the city by getting one of many great Michigan bands. Hell, if Bob Seger's on the road, get him. I'm not a fan, but he would be a far better choice than Nickelback. Seriously."

Another fan put it slightly more bluntly: "I'd rather drink bleach than listen to Nickelback and have them associated with Detroit."

Since last Wednesday the petition has already garnered over 6,000 of its projected 7,500 signatures.

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