2024 is the best year to be a Detroit sports fans since….

Congratulations to the Detroit Tigers for their historical comeback and playoff berth. Just a month or two ago, analysts were talking about how disappointing of a season this was, and how it was a waste of a year for players like Tarik Skubal, whom many wanted traded at the deadline. Now, they’re the hottest team in baseball and playoff-bound.

Which got me thinking: 2024 has been a historical year for sports in this state. It started on January 8, when the Michigan Wolverines won their first National Championship of the College Football Playoff era. Not long after that, we had the Detroit Lions’ unreal playoff run—the deepest they’ve ever made it in the Super Bowl era. A few months after that, the Detroit Red Wings made one hell of a run at the playoffs, narrowly missing the postseason, but creating some unforgettable moments in those final games.

Obviously, we’d like the Detroit Pistons to enter the mix, as well, but it’s extremely rare to have all four teams humming at the same time.

So today’s Question of the Day is:

When was the last time it was this good to be a Detroit sports fan?

My answer: My brain first goes to the aughts. The Pistons won a championship in 2004, which was sandwiched by Red Wings titles in 2002 and 2008. Unfortunately, that happened to coincide with a Lions’ run of failure that included no seasons with eight wins from 2001 to 2011. The Tigers were also historically bad over most of that stretch, save their 2006 season, when they made a run to the World Series.

2006 is probably a decent answer, looking at the individual results of each team:

• Tigers: Lost in World Series
• Red Wings: Lost in the Conference Finals
• Pistons: Lost in Conference Finals
• Lions: 3-13

Again, success for all four teams is pretty darn rare.

But even now feels maybe more special than 2006, because it feels like each team is just beginning to create something huge after at least a decade of failure for each franchise.

When is the last time you remember Detroit sports fandom being this good? Scroll down to the comment section and share your favorite memories.