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When the Lions win, so does downtown Detroit

Detroit Lions success bolsters downtown economy
Detroit Lions success bolsters downtown economy 02:04

(CBS DETROIT) - "The NFL, each home game is estimated to be worth $8 (million) to $12 million of economic impact," says Claude Molinari, president and CEO of Visit Detroit.

Molinari says every neighborhood downtown is winning when the Lions are winning.

"I run around the city a lot on Sunday morning. Corktown, Greektown, Eastern Market, they're loaded with tailgaters that are going to the restaurants, going to the attractions that we have. It's a tremendous boost to our economy," he says.

If you've been to a Lions game, or any event at Ford Field, there's a chance you've walked by Greg Every and Fanatic U, a sports clothing and memorabilia shop on Brush Street, across from Ford Field.

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"Detroit's been struggling since 2015 you know. Our teams haven't been fairing well, and like two or three years every team, every pro team in Detroit was last or second to last you know. It's been tough you know. People have been excited," says Every.

Ticket prices, directly reflect the team's success.

Of the popular ticket sales websites, and as of the time this article is published, the cheapest tickets on Ticketmaster are $188 (without fees). Over on StubHub, $153 (without fees) for a standing-room-only ticket.

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