Eminem, the legendary rapper, and Detroit native, showed his loyalty and passion for his hometown NFL team, the Detroit Lions, at the NFC Championship game on Sunday.
The rapper attended the game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, and was seen flipping off the San Francisco 49ers fans from his luxury box, after the Lions scored a touchdown in the first half. The gesture was captured by a fan and posted on social media, where it quickly went viral.
Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, also starred in a video which he posted on his Instagram account days before the game. He jokingly offered to play for the Lions as a quarterback, receiver, and offensive lineman, and asked for a helmet and a uniform.
“Yo Dan, I’m reporting, I’m gonna report [in the] third quarter, I’m reporting, offensive line, eligible receiver, I’ll be the quarterback, the entire offensive line and the receiver, and I will throw it to myself and I will score a touchdown in the third quarter. Just give me a uniform, or at just least like a helmet. I already have a helmet, it’s not the one for football. It’s just a helmet. But yeah man, I’m here, bro. I’m gonna be there, I’m gonna be there that night, I will suit up and I will score us the winning touchdown.”
Eminem’s gesture, however, did not help the Lions, who lost the game to the 49ers, 34-31, in a thrilling and dramatic finish.
The Lions, who had a 12-5 regular season record and won their first playoff game in 30 years, were leading the game 24-7 at halftime, but the 49ers staged a comeback in the second half, scoring 27 points and taking the lead with a field goal in the final seconds.
The 49ers advanced to the Super Bowl, where they will face the Kansas City Chiefs, who defeated the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game.
Despite the loss, Eminem did not lose his faith and love for the Lions, who had their best season in decades and came close to making their first Super Bowl appearance. The ‘Mockingbird’ rapper took to Twitter to congratulate the Lions for their ‘amazing season’ and to thank them for giving him and the city of Detroit ‘something to be proud of’.
He also said that he was ‘so proud’ of the Lions and that he believed that they would ‘be back’ stronger next year.
