Detroit, MI

Mark Woods: More to downtown revival than a stadium. Look at Detroit and its riverfront.

Published

2 years ago

June 5, 2024

Mark Woods: More to downtown revival than a stadium. Look at Detroit and its riverfront.

A follow-up to my last column, about how it would be a shame if we can find money for renovating a stadium but not for finishing our riverfront parks.

I recently went to Detroit. My sister, an engineer for GM, lives and works north of the city. Her son was graduating from college and she knew how to further entice me to make the trip: The Tigers, the baseball team my childhood revolved around, were in town.

It had been years since I went to a game in Detroit. It was a beautiful April night, with a lot for people there to cheer about. And not just because the Tigers rallied to beat the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park.

At one point, the fans began a chant of “Jared Goff, Jared Goff” — the Lions quarterback who plays his home games in nearby Ford Field — that wasn’t as random as it sounded.

It was the weekend of the NFL draft. The league estimated that nearly 800,000 fans filled downtown over the three days, setting the attendance record for the event. The streets were packed with people eating, drinking and checking out shops brimming with Detroit pride. Shinola watches and bikes. “Made in Detroit” T-shirts. Merchandise that said both “Detroit Welcomes Everybody and “313 vs. Everybody.”

The 904 isn’t the only place that can lean into its area code and a sense of being the underdog.

Downtown Detroit on the rise

It reminded me of when we had the Super Bowl in Jacksonville, how during that one week our streets and riverfronts were full of people and activity. I couldn’t help but wonder what downtown Detroit would be like once the big event left.

There’s reason to believe it wasn’t just a one-weekend thing.

Detroit, for all of its problems, has experienced a rebirth.

Downtown is a different place than what I remember, and what many Americans still picture: a hollowed-out, crime-ridden, decaying shell of a once-vibrant city.

That’s not to say Detroit doesn’t still have plenty of issues. But it also has reason for hope — and reasons for people to be living, working and playing downtown.

In the 1990s, when I covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, I made a trip to Detroit every fall for a Bucs-Lions game. Well, sort of. I flew into Detroit, got a rental car and drove about an hour north to Pontiac and the Silverdome. At the time, the NBA’s Pistons played even farther from downtown, in the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Now four major pro franchises play downtown: the Tigers at Comerica (opened in 2000), the Lions at Ford Field (2002), and the Pistons and NHL’s Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena (2017). Also, soccer club Detroit City FC is planning to build a new stadium in Corktown, an old neighborhood described in a recent Detroit Free Press story as the “front porch to downtown.”

It’s tempting to point to Detroit as an example of how building sports venues can transform a place. But while those venues certainly have been a part of what is happening in Detroit, it’s worth noting a few things (beyond sports economists saying stadium building has a dubious return on investment for a city), particularly in regards to Jacksonville.

It’s vastly different to have an MLB stadium (with at least 81 home games a year) and an NBA/NHL arena (the two teams combining for at least 82 home games a year) along with an NFL stadium. Between the three venues and four teams, downtown Detroit has games year-round that, even before you add in concerts and other events, draw nearly 4 million people.

And what is happening in Detroit involves much more than sports venues.

One of America’s best riverwalks

Ask people in Detroit what has changed and, beyond the sports venues, they’ll point to the billions of dollars invested downtown by Dan Gilbert (founder of Rocket Mortgage), the Ford family (as in Ford vehicles) and the Illitch family (Little Caesars pizza).

And — particularly relevant to Jacksonville — look at what Detroit has done to stake a claim to having one of America’s best riverfronts.

Yes, Detroit.

“Ignore the Noise: The Transformation of the Detroit Riverfront,” an hourlong documentary released last year, paints a bleak (and familiar) picture of what their riverfront had become. Desolate, blighted, industrial, buildings in disrepair, empty lots. It was, one of the subjects says, not a place that anyone had any reason to visit.

For decades, there had been plans for a linear park with riverwalks, greenways, playgrounds, events. Not much seemed to come to fruition. Until about 20 years ago.

Look at the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy website today and you’ll find more than renderings of what the riverfront could be someday. You’ll find some remarkable “before” and “after” photos, showing what it actually has become.

In 2021, the Detroit Riverwalk was named the “Best Riverwalk in America” in the USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. It won the top spot again in 2022. And again in 2023, finishing ahead of Tampa, Louisville, Cincinnati, Boston and Indianapolis.

This isn’t something that happens because you build a stadium or two. It happens because you are determined to build a riverfront — in Detroit’s case, take 5.5 miles between two bridges and turn it into “a beautiful, exciting, safe, accessible, world-class gathering place for all.”

Since 2003, the Riverfront Conservancy, the nonprofit managing the riverfront revitalization, has invested more than $200 million (a mix of donations, grants and public funding). This has been an economic spark, according to the conservancy generating more than $2 billion in investment.

A familiar setback: corruption

I’ve said repeatedly that it would be a shame if we manage to build a shiny “stadium of the future” but fail to do much more than that. And with a stadium deal on the table in Jacksonville — including the community benefits agreement that would provide money for, among other things, riverfront parks — I was planning to write a column pointing to the Detroit riverfront offering some things to strive for here.

Then a funny thing happened. Well, not so funny to those in Detroit.

The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy’s CFO was fired and the CEO resigned after, according to the organization, it discovered the CFO had embezzled more than $40 million.

So we might not want to copy that part. (Not that we really need a reminder of the need for oversight and the potential for scandal where there is money. We’ve recently had both the JEA saga and a Jaguars employee stealing $22 million.)

In a sign of how much has been accomplished on Detroit’s riverfront despite this, two top philanthropic donors responded by reaffirming their support and pledging to give more money to sustain the “transformational projects.” The Detroit Free Press wrote an editorial saying the riverfront and conservancy must survive this — because the riverfront represents “this city’s most dramatic transformation.”

In the documentary, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan says: “Nothing compares to the beauty that’s being created along the riverfront. … It’s creating a totally different impression to the world about what the city of Detroit is.”

So the point still holds for Jacksonville. It will be a shame if we just build a stadium, expecting that alone to change our city.

If we truly want to create the kind of spark that comes from riverfront parks, we should do the obvious: Invest in riverfront parks.

mwoods@jacksonville.com

(904) 359-4212

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Red Wings blank Montreal Canadiens behind John Gibson

Published

10 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Detroit Red Wings blank Montreal Canadiens behind John Gibson

MONTREAL — The atmosphere at Bell Centre never disappoints, especially when two Original Six rivals meet on a Saturday night.

The Detroit Red Wings tuned out the “Go Habs, Go,” chants and turned in a fine road performance, avenging an opening night loss and evening the season series. The Wings came away from their only visit of the season to the home of the Montreal Canadiens with a 4-0 victory on Saturday, Jan. 10, in the second of three meetings.

Alex DeBrincat added a goal to his night when he was left wide-open to rip Patrick Kane’s pass into Montreal’s net 34 seconds into the third period. Andrew Copp added an empty-net goal with 1:07 to play.

The Habs, who schooled the Wings, 5-1, back in the season opener in October, were denied on 27 shots by John Gibson as he earned his third shutout since Dec. 8.

Red Wings playoff position

The two points earned lifted the Wings (27-15-4) into first place in the Atlantic Division, a point up on the Tampa Bay Lightning (who have played three fewer games). Next up, the Wings host Metropolitan Division leader Carolina on Monday (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit), with the Hurricanes visiting on the night the Wings will retire Sergei Fedorov’s No. 91.

Rough stuff in Montreal

The Wings incurred some bumps along the way, especially Mason Appleton, who took one stick near the eye area and another – by teammate Elmer Söderblom – to the lips. At one point in the third period, Gibson had to check his helmet for damage after getting dinged by a puck.

But what a win.

The Wings came out with good pace, and there was a good deal of back-and-forth early on. The Habs shot wide on Gibson until more than five minutes in, when Ivan Demidov set up Oliver Kapanen just outside the crease. Kapanen’s shot slid into the paint, but Gibson was able to glove it before it crossed the goal line.

The Wings went on a power play seven minutes in, and the unit of Moritz Seider, Dylan Larkin, James van Riemsdyk, Lucas Raymond and DeBrincat had such control of the puck they were out the entire two minutes – but the Canadiens did a good job getting in lanes to block shots.

Another man advantage materialized around the midpoint when Brendan Gallagher high-sticked Appleton in the face, but again the Habs prevented the Wings from generating shots on net.

Putting it in the net

Ninety-one seconds into the second period, the Wings were back on a power play. Larkin forced a save from Jacob Fowler on a doorstep shot, but the game was back at even strength when they made it 1-0.

Jacob Bernard-Docker had the puck at his own goal line when he sent a pass to van Riemsdyk (who arrived at Bell Centre dressed as Batman, for his 4-year-old son) along the boards. By the time he got to the red line, van Riemsdyk had two defenders on him, so he dumped the puck deep. But instead of going around the net, as Fowler thought it would as he skated behind his net to play it, the puck bounced off the end boards and out front, where Raymond turned it into his third straight five-on-five goal in the last three games.

The Wings built on their momentum just past the midpoint of the game when they converted during their fourth power play. Seider had the point up top and found DeBrincat along the left boards. DeBrincat made a short pass to Larkin, who took advantage of van Riemsdyk getting in Fowler’s line of vision to one-time a shot that gave the Wings a 2-0 lead.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Lions score 4 players with AP All-Pro nods, including 2 first-timers

Published

23 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Detroit Lions score 4 players with AP All-Pro nods, including 2 first-timers

ALLEN PARK — Jack Campbell and Penei Sewell were named to the AP All-Pro first-team for the Detroit Lions.

It’s the third consecutive first-team nod for Sewell, 25, who was also named Pro Football Focus’ protector of the year earlier this week. PFF graded Sewell as the top offensive lineman, and not just tackle, in the NFL this season. He allowed only two sacks and 19 pressures across 601 pass-blocking snaps as the top-ranked pass-blocking offensive lineman.

For all the focus on the offensive line and what needs to happen this offseason, Sewell’s presence gives them a cornerstone, blue-chip piece to build around.

Campbell earned his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro nod this season, putting the bows on a true breakout campaign for the former first-round pick. The 25-year-old joins Chris Spielman and Joe Schmidt as the only Lions linebackers ever to make the All-Pro first-team.

The linebacker finished the season by playing all 17 games for the third straight season, posting career highs in tackles (176), sacks (five), forced fumbles (three), fumble recoveries (two) and tackles for loss (nine). Campbell did all this while taking over the green dot for the first time, and playing more snaps than any other teammate — offense, defense or special teams.

The third-year linebacker finished the season as PFF’s second-best overall linebacker, trailing only Fred Warner of the San Francisco 49ers. Campbell’s 176 tackles were the second-most in the league in 2025.

“He’s extremely valuable,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said of his linebacker last month. “He’s taken more reps than anybody on this team. He plays on kickoff for us, and he’s an asset on kickoff and then everything you see on defense. He doesn’t come off the field; he’s our bell-cow, green-dot. And he does –, and the guy is smart, and he’s instinctive, and he is snap-to-whistle all-out, all the time, in practice too. And he doesn’t take plays off, he doesn’t take days off, he goes after the football, he’s a ball guy.

“So, he’s invaluable.”

Amon-Ra St. Brown, who had made the first team in consecutive years, was named to the AP’s second team this time around. St. Brown finished the season fifth in receptions (117), fifth in yards (1,401), tied for second in touchdowns (11) and seventh in yards after the catch (570).

The star wideout became the first player in league history to have at least 90 catches through a player’s first five seasons. St. Brown has at least 100 catches and 1,000 yards in four straight seasons, and has caught double-digit touchdowns in the last three.

Aidan Hutchinson joined in on the fun this year, too. Hutchinson earns his first AP All-Pro team nod, landing a second-team spot this season. Not too shabby for someone returning from a season-ending leg injury, and his return served as quite the response.

Hutchinson, who got his big extension this year, played every game and set a new career-best mark with 14.5 sacks and 35 quarterback hits. He also scored his second Pro Bowl appearance this year, as well. Since PFF started tracking pressures, there have been six players to reach the 100-pressure mark. Hutchinson is the only one on that list to have done it twice.

The pass rusher led the NFL in pressures created, finishing the campaign with a clear 100. The next closest player was Jacksonville’s Josh Hines-Allen, who had 95.

“The number of things that he’s able to do for us in the run and the pass game,” Dan Campbell said of Hutchinson earlier in the season. “Man, it takes up — he pulls a lot of slack, man. You talk about pulling your weight, he pulls his weight and then some. He requires a lot of resources offensively, which helps everybody else out. Guys like him, he’s in that rare world of man, you don’t get the easy way out. He’s got to beat the nudges, he’s got to beat the back chip, then the tackle’s on him. Or he’s got to beat the nudge, sometimes the back, the tackle, and the slide’s coming to him with the guard also.

“So, sometimes you may have to beat three, sometimes four. But if that’s the case, somebody else is winning. They’ve got to win. So, what he does is not easy, and I go back to this. He is a complete football player; he does it all. And he’s disruptive, he’s violent, he’s high motor, he’s crafty, he’s explosive, he’s tough, he’s competitive. And he does it all. He does it all.”

For a full look at the AP’s All-Pro voting results, click here. Of note, longtime former Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford earned the first All-Pro first-team nod of his career this year. Stafford remains in the MVP hunt, and this honor usually leads to that.

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Detroit, MI

Vigil, protest held for Renee Nicole Good at Detroit’s Clark park

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Vigil, protest held for Renee Nicole Good at Detroit’s Clark park

The name Renee Nicole Good bounced off the buildings of southwest Detroit as hundreds marched on the evening of Friday, Jan. 9, following Good’s fatal shooting by an immigration agent in Minneapolis earlier in the week.

A candlelight vigil was held at 6 p.m. at the city’s Clark Park in memory of Good, before attendees took off marching down Vernor Highway.

As of 7:30 p.m., the mass crowd had reached Cavalry Street, about half a mile away from the park, and turned, yelling “What do we want? Justice ” and calling for ICE’s ousting from communities.

Good, 37, was in her car when she was shot in the head on Wednesday, Jan.7, by a federal immigration officer in south Minneapolis. She leaves behind three children, ages 6, 12 and 15.

The shooting was recorded by witnesses and heightened political and community tensions over federal immigration enforcement as part of President Donald Trump’s nationwide immigration operations. The Trump administration has since said the shooting was done in self-defense, USA TODAY reports.

Protests have occurred in cities across the U.S. since Good’s death, including gatherings in Michigan, and additional demonstrations are scheduled throughout the weekend.

This is a developing story.

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