Viral Emotional Lions Fan Has Incredible Story About This Moment
For Lions fans right now, this drive into the playoffs is something special, even magical. Fans have been waiting on a win outside of the regular season for decades, and when it finally happened this past Sunday, understandably, fans were hyped, and emotional.
But cameras at the game captured one very special fan, who was understandably more emotional than those around him, and the story behind his tears of joy will make anyone root for the Lions... maybe even Packers fans.
The man in question, Aaron Joseph Wikaryasz, has quite the past with the Lions, as do many die-hard fans of the Pride.
His father, Joseph Allen Wikaryasz, grew up in Grand Rapids, and was a season ticket holder when the Lions still played at the Silverdome. During the season, he would take Arron to the games with him, and created a strong father/son bond over a team that has been breaking hearts since the 90s.
"Two tickets, every game, just me and my dad."
They even watched the final game in the Silverdome in 2002 against the Cowboys.
Joseph was an iron worker in Detroit, and was actually part of the local 25 that helped build Ford Field. But sadly, Joseph was killed in a car accident when Arron was only 14 in 2004. During his service, he was buried in his Detroit Lions leather jacket.
So already, Lions games are an emotional event for Arron, but what happened this past Sunday was more than he could even dream of happening. His brother, Robby, surprised him with the playoff tickets to Sunday's game, and when Jared Goff got the final first down, Arron understandably became emotional.
"It was a full circle moment for me. I didn't know my dad as an adult, as a man. It's hard to connect in those moments, as of late. So being there, I can be 14 again."
As for his viral moment, commentators were quick to find Arron's emotional face in the stands, saying he embodied all of Detroit in that moment.
"I started laughing. How do I embody all of Detroit? I know I'm not alone. There's families that grew up watching this team, and have people that aren't here with them anymore. So when they got to see them win, I think that's special for a lot of people in Detroit."
Right now, Arron and his brother do not have tickets to Sunday's home playoff game against the Bucs, but they are seeing what's possible.
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Gallery Credit: JR