Spectator Sports

The Motor City boasts more professional sports teams than most major U.S. cities, and Detroiters are among the country’s most loyal fans, with thousands cheering on the home teams at Lions football, Pistons and Shock basketball, Tigers baseball, and Red Wings hockey games. Most are played at sparkling modern suburban stadiums, much like their counterparts across the country.

Historic Tiger Stadium (www.tigerstadium.org [1]), situated at Michigan and Trumbull, south of I-75, is still standing—for now. Legendary and longtime home to the Detroit Tigers, it was replaced in April 2000 by the glitzy new Comerica Park (2100 Woodward Ave., 313/962-4000, http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com [2], Apr.–Oct.). Tiger Stadium’s future is uncertain, despite ongoing efforts by preservationists who have suggested a number of reuse plans.

While it will never be Tiger Stadium, Comerica Park certainly has its fans. With a family-friendly philosophy that includes a Ferris wheel and a pedestrian museum, it has attracted city and national attention as one of the best of the new breed of ballparks. The location in the heart of the vintage Theater District [3] is also prime.

Just east of Comerica Park is the relatively new Ford Field, home to the Detroit Lions (2000 Brush St., 800/616-7627, www.detroitlions.com [4] or www.fordfield.com [5], Sept.–Dec.).

For information about Detroit’s [6] other sports teams, contact the Detroit Pistons (The Palace, 5 Championship Dr., Auburn Hills, 248/377-0100, www.nba.com/pistons [7] or www.palacenet.com [8], Nov.–Apr.) or the Detroit Red Wings (Joe Louis Arena, 600 Civic Center Dr., 313/396-7575, http://redwings.nhl.com [9], Oct.–Apr.).