Regret is an inescapable fact of life. Lately, I’ve been internally gnawing at a decision I made three years ago.

I was a Detroit Lions fan for more than 20 years of my life. This ill-fated decision was based on one man and one man only: The great Barry Sanders. I loved watching the star running back juke and jive all over the field during his heyday racking up both yards and touchdowns for Detroit. He was good role model, too, and someone a scrawny kid like me could look up to – Sanders was only 5’8” and proof that little people could do big things.

I collected his football cards, wore his jersey and hung other memorabilia in my room. In an area filled with fans of the Vikings, Packers, Bears and Chiefs, I was the lone Lions backer around.

My heart broke a little on July 27, 1999 when Sanders announced his immediate retirement from football. His body had endured a lot during his many years on the gridiron, and he wanted to walk away from the game while he could still actually walk. Playing for the hapless Lions likely fed into his decision to leave, too. Minus two playoff games in 1992, Detroit exited the postseason after one game four times during his career.

Sad but unfettered, I stuck with the Lions. Unfortunately, the fruits of my loyalty were rotten: Detroit went 0-16 in 2008, squandered the career of all-time great Calvin Johnson, and failed to win a single playoff game. In fact, their last postseason win came on Jan. 5, 1992, eight days before my first birthday.

Faced with such immense futility, I called it quits in 2020 when the Lions went 5-11 and fired their head coach midway through the season. I didn’t see the point in wasting energy and emotion on this team, which was now faced with a complete rebuild for what seemed like the hundredth time in my life. I was simply done.

Now unattached, I debated picking up another team. The Buffalo Bills interested me somewhat and the Cincinnati Bengals caught my eye, but I ultimately decided to go it alone as a “general observer” of the NFL. With the Iowa Hawkeyes already commanding the bulk of my attention, I saw no point in throwing my allegiance behind another team.

In Year 1 of my Lions un-fandom, they went 3-13. The team showed marked improvement in Year 2, posting a 9-8 record. This year was the big one, as they went 12-5, won the NFC North and broke their playoff losing streak after a 32-year drought. They faced the San Francisco 49ers last weekend with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line, but fell short after choking away a 17-point lead.

My friends were more than willing to hold me accountable during Detroit’s stretch of good fortune. They checked in throughout the season, reminding me that I wasn’t allowed to crawl back to the Motor City Kitties. I never wanted to, though, and instead waited around for the sky to fall in Detroit.

Last weekend’s NFC championship loss didn’t make me smile. Though I don’t claim to be a Lions fan anymore, I was pulling for them to do the unthinkable. I’m not heartless and can appreciate that a fan base and city as beleaguered as Detroit deserves to be rewarded for sticking through it.

Still, if the Lions do end up hoisting the Lombardi Trophy sometime in the next few seasons, I’ll no doubt kick myself a few times for dumping them three years ago. After all, there’s no timeframe on seller’s remorse.

Nick Pedley is the news editor and ad manager at The Hartley Sentinel-The Everly/Royal News.