Detroit Lions vs atLanta faLcons JOHNSON'S Mega-PURSUIT 2012 ...

tom LeWanD
PresiDent
tom Lewand, who was named team president december 29, 2008,
oversees the team’s day-to-day operations and reports to Mr. Ford on
all business, organizational and nFL matters. now in his 18th season
with the detroit Lions, fourth as president, he guides the overall
direction of the franchise.
Lewand’s fundamental principle is to consistently present the
Lions as a first-class organization with a clear sense of mission
and direction.
among his responsibilities, Lewand is the chief player contract
negotiator and he oversees all day-to-day business operations of
both the detroit Lions and Ford Field entities. this includes the
management of finance, football administration, player development,
security, equipment operations, medical staff, ticketing, sales and
marketing, public/media relations, broadcasting, digital media, human
resources, Ford Field operations and administration, acquisition
of events and the development of Ford Field’s lease space in the
stadium’s progression as a multi-use facility.
an extremely talented, creative and aggressive businessman,
Lewand has held a myriad of positions and responsibilities within
the front office during his tenure with the Lions, most recently as
executive vice president and chief operating officer.
on a League-wide level, Lewand is involved in several key business
and labor issues. he serves on the super Bowl advisory committee
and the nFL Management council’s club Executives committee, and
he was on the committee on Revenue sharing Qualifiers and special
committee on League Economics. Lewand represents the organization
for all League-level business matters.
Lewand’s leadership positions every aspect of the Lions
organization, including Ford Field operations, to significantly impact
the Lions’ drive for a super Bowl title. For Lewand, everything from
football transactions to Ford Field events influences the team’s ability
to compete and win.
Working alongside general Manager Martin Mayhew and head
coach Jim schwartz, Lewand is leading one of the nFL’s mostimproved
teams.
in January 2009, Lewand and Mayhew completed an exhaustive
and thorough search for a head coach that would lead the team on
the field. they completed that process with the hiring of schwartz,
who brought to the organization impressive results as a defensive
coordinator as well as experience in player personnel. schwartz’s
philosophy on the game and how to build a successful team, along
with his contributions to winning organizations and working under
successful coaches, made him the right choice for the Lions’ new head
coach. the hiring of schwartz has brought stability to the coaching
staff and tremendous development on the field as the team continues
to move in the right direction.
the results have steadily improved with the team increasing its
win total by four wins in each of the past two years, in addition to
claiming 10 wins last season and earning a spot in the playoffs for
the first time since 1999.
during his tenure with the Lions, Lewand has negotiated player
contracts totaling more than $1.3 billion.
since 2009, Lewand has completed three of the most extensive
and complex contract negotiations by re-signing all-Pro WR calvin
Johnson to the highest contract by a receiver in League history and
inking QB Matthew stafford and dt ndamukong suh to their rookie
contracts. Johnson was the biggest off-season move for the Lions this
past year as Lewand negotiated a new eight-year contract that has
him signed with the Lions through 2019. stafford’s contract occurred
within just a few hours of the 2009 nFL draft allowing the team to
sign the first overall pick prior to the draft. suh’s contract was the
largest by a drafted player who did not play quarterback in nFL history.
Johnson, stafford and suh represent three of the young, highlytalented
core of players who will help continue to lead the Lions’
progress on the field.
Lewand’s additional contract highlights include: the Lions’ last
20 first-round draft choices, RB Barry sanders’ last nFL contract, the
contracts of several Pro Bowl players and recent key free agents.
executives & coaching
Detroitlions.com
Media.Detroitlions.com
BUILDING THE LIONS BRAND
on the business side, Lewand constantly evaluates and reviews
opportunities to grow the team’s operations in order for those to
impact the team’s ability to win on the field. Lewand desires to
combine a championship team with unique fan engagement and
experiences.
one key area of improvement the past two seasons has been
the growth in season ticket holders and ticket sales. combined, the
Lions have sold out 15 of their last 16 home games. Last year, the
Lions sold out all eight home games for the first time since 2007. in
2010, the team sold out seven of eight home games, which tallied the
combined totals of sellouts in 2008 (3) and 2009 (4). the introduction of
numerous fan-friendly and family-oriented ticket options has greatly
improved attendance at all Lions games.
When the Lions defeated the chicago Bears 24-13 during its first
Monday night Football appearance since 2001, the team claimed
victory in front of a Ford Field record crowd (67,891) for a Lions home
game. in fact, this past season the Lions registered the five largest
crowds since the team moved into Ford Field in 2002. overall, they
topped the 500,000 mark for total attendance (509,940) for all eight
home games for the first time since 2002.
in 2010, attendance to Lions games increased 14-percent. it was
the largest increase by any nFc team, and detroit was one of only two
teams in the nFL to experience a double-digit increase in ticket sales.
Lewand not only wants the team to provide the best possible
product on the field for the fans, but he also is determined to make
the experience affordable and one of the most valuable investments
for Lions fans. For season ticket holders, the team offers additional
unique interactive opportunities, such as town hall meetings,
conference calls, online chats, meet-and-greets with players and
special training camp access among others to complement their
purchase of season tickets.
heading into the 2012 season, the Lions have the largest growth in
season ticket holders among any club since 2009. a similar trend has
also occurred with regard to the team’s premium club seats, where the
holders of those seats have increased as high as any team in the nFL.
the interest in the Lions has not only increased at the gate but in
home viewership as well. over the past two seasons, local television
ratings (detroit market) have increased 58-percent (27.5 rating in 2011
from 17.4 rating in 2009), the highest jump in local ratings among all
nFL teams. in 2011, the Lions averaged a local household rating of
27.5—the highest for the team on record since 1998. additionally, the
Lions’ 27.5 local household average rating represents a 15-percent
increase from 2010, which was tied with carolina and the new York
giants for the second-highest increase in the entire nFL.
a sampling of the Lions’ television ratings includes the team
generating its highest regular season single-game rating ever with
a 36.4 household rating against chicago on Monday night Football.
the Lions thanksgiving day game against green Bay was the secondmost
watched tv program of the 2011 Fall season with 30.2 million
viewers (30.5 local rating), and 31.8 million viewers (40.6 local rating)
tuned into the Lions Wild card game at new orleans January 7, 2012.
the team appeared on national television three different times,
including the nFL flexing its Week 13 game at new orleans that gave
the Lions their first-ever appearance on nBc’s sunday night Football.
in 2012, the Lions are slated for five nationally televised games
for just the fourth time since 1970. the Lions will have four prime
time games this season for only the second time (1998) in the past
43 seasons.
in 2010, tv ratings for detroit Lions games increased 37-percent,
and the overall ratings for the season were the highest in five years.
as the team ended the year on a high note with a four-game win
streak, so did the tv ratings. the Lions’ ratings (27.9) during their
20-13 win over Minnesota at home were the highest for the team in
a Week 17 game since 1998.
seeking opportunities to reach and communicate with more
fans, Lewand emphasizes the importance of growing fan interaction
through digital media. during the 2011 season (august-december),