SANTA CLARA — In a parking lot full of bright colors and unique costumes, nobody stood out more than Michigan man James Laperriere among the throng of fans at Levi’s Stadium.
The 53-year-old from Detroit was decked out in a spotless Jahmyr Gibbs Lions jersey and shiny sunglasses, and sported a neon blue mop-top wig to complete the look.
He had watched the Lions play second fiddle — and often worse — in the NFL pecking order to more successful franchises like the 49ers for most of his life.
Having lived through Detroit’s 0-16 season in 2008, Laperriere didn’t hesitate to describe how he would react if his Lions upset the 49ers and advanced to the Super Bowl.
“Crying tears of joy? Absolutely, yes,” the diehard Lions supporter said.
While Laperriere is a man of few words, Nicholas Aiello, a 24-year-old Detroit native, took a far more brash approach to pregame festivities.
Aiello reveled in the jeers and trash talk directed his way as he paraded through the lot holding a Honolulu blue Lions flag.
Although vastly outnumbered by thousands of tailgating 49ers fans waiting for the gates to open, Aiello was not alone.
Walking alongside him was a pack of fellow Lions fans, most decked out in Detroit paraphernalia, who had seen their team go 12-5 in the regular season and defeat the Rams and Buccaneers in the playoffs.
Traveling halfway across the country and spending thousands on tickets to attend what may be the most expensive NFC title game ever was not an issue for Aiello, who had waited his whole life to watch his team reach this point.
“The ticket prices mean nothing to us, baby,” Aiello said a few hours before Detroit played in its first conference championship game since 1992. “We’re here to win!”
Detroit Lions fans Drew Aiello, left, and his brother Nick Aiello cheer as they walk through the parking lot before their NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Right behind him was relative Steve Aiello, who bellowed that the Lions were now “America’s team.”
But even though he enjoyed trash-talking locals who have seen the 49ers reach three consecutive conference title games, he also said he’d had nothing but good experiences as a visitor to the Bay Area.
“All the Niners fans are as competitive as we are, and all the Niners fans have also been welcoming to us and want us to enjoy the city,” Steve Aiello said.
Across the vast parking lot was diehard Lions fan Chuck Lauber, who said he spent $1,500 on a ticket.
The owner of the Belleville Bait Shop Bar and Grill in Belleville, Michigan said that as the Lions have gone from three wins in 2021 to the conference title on Sunday, his bar in the Detroit suburb had seen more business.
“It means everything to this town,” Lauber said. “A lot of people come through our business because of it. ”
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Not every Lions fans had to traverse the country to watch the team in person. Tee Sanders, who wore a No. 20 Barry Sanders jersey, is a Detroit native but now lives in Dublin with his wife and children.
One of his sons rocked a 49ers shirt, and the other a blue and grey uniform.
Unlike some nervous Lions fans, Sanders was already making plans for a trip to Las Vegas for Super Bowl LVII in a couple weeks.
“Just for the record, we’re here to chop them up and feed them to the Lions,” he said.
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