The state of Detroit

If you grow up in Detroit and follow sports, then you know who Mitch Albom is: The city's most recognizable sportswriter, and arguably its greatest. (I also happen to love reading Michael Rosenberg, Lynn Henning and Jon Paul Morosi.)

Albom recently wrote an exceptional piece in Sports Illustrated about Detroit and its current state of affairs. If you're from Michigan, I'm sure you can identify with a lot of what he touches on. And if you're not from Michigan, I promise that Albom's portrayal of how much Detroit cares about sports is accurate. Either way, I strongly suggest you give it a read.

Because of what Detroit is currently enduring -- as harsh an economic state as anywhere in the country -- sports is a welcomed escape. But when your football franchise is the worst in the history of pro sports, that complicates matters. When the all-time winningest college football program goes 3-9, that hurts, too. And when you can't afford tickets to the games and the seats at the once-rocking Palace of Auburn Hills look as barren as a Memphis Grizzlies game at the FedEx Forum, you know things are dark.

But the chord Albom strikes most effectively in his article -- and what was so emotionally gripping for me and my other friends who read the story -- was the unwavering hope Detroit has in its teams, in the city itself and, ultimately, in its ability to thrive.

I don't live in Metro Detroit anymore, but I'm proud to come from the area. I've always seen myself as an optimistic person -- to a fault sometimes -- and much of that comes from how I was raised by my parents. But some of it also, I know, comes from growing up where I did. It sure helped bolster my passion for sports, too, because Detroit is one of the great sports towns in the country -- perhaps the very best, as Albom suggests. My dad has often said Detroit would be an ideal place someday for the summer Olympic Games because of the great variety of venues the local colleges provide and because of the many bodies of water in and around Metro Detroit. That's something I hope to see in my lifetime.

In the meantime, Detroit struggles -- but its hope never fades. I hold the same hope, and I think that can be evidenced by this: Wherever life takes me, I'll always care how the sports teams of the town are faring. I know this.