Crutchfield found his own way to celebrate the team’s first division title in more than 30 years. He did it with his daughter, a local tattoo artist. “I’m supporting my daughter and her craft, she’s a tattoo artist and I’m a big Lions fan,” he said. Zoe Watts likes tattooing her family. And after encouragement from her dad to pursue the profession, she found herself getting one herself because “you can’t be a tattoo artist and not have a tattoo,” she said.
Coming up with a tattoo can be designed by the artist or the person receiving the ink. Or sometimes, like in Crutchfield and Watts’ case, the design is done together. “I don’t know much about football – well I knew I wanted the old English D to be in there cause I figured you gotta rep the city,” said Watts.
In Ann Arbor, one longtime fan has taken it to a whole new level – capturing the feeling he’s waited decades for in one immortal drawing; a tattoo. Like many others who have watched each snap this season, Cinque Crutchfield knew something was different at the end of last season. “We’ve always been fans,” he said. “The way that they ended that season last year, I saw something. I knew, I knew they were going to be good this year.” There’s nothing quite like having one’s beliefs match reality. Though not many may have imagined just how sweet reality feels these days in Detroit.
